Besides the “bazooka” (hereby defined as a tube used to transport posters, architectural drawings, etc, to prevent creasingor damage) carrying our posters, we came armed with jackets, scarves, and umbrellas ready for whatever the city’s weather had in store for us. But Hamburg had other plans. Unlike Antwerp, the sun showed up, and the rain didn’t - we couldn’t have asked for better weather!
The program was packed with six parallel tracks running from morning to evening, offering a variety of organized sessions and oral abstracts. It was both inspiring and overwhelming to choose from so many great talks! Besides the opportunity to present our work, seeing our colleagues (some in the photo below) share their work passionately with engaged audiences was truly inspiring. This collective participation was particularly significant for us, as it constituted an enriching scientific and human experience. It allowed our multidisciplinary team to expand our professional network, strengthen our technical skills, and open the way to future international collaborations, joint research and prospects for co-publications and joint projects.
Coffee, Conversations, Contacts, Connections...
We quickly realized that trying to avoid bread was a wild goose chase. So, we gave in to the wheat, surrendering day after day. But we indeed enjoyed the coffee, varieties of tea and pastries, especially over stimulating conversations with old colleagues, newly found acquaintances and colleagues we had only met online on social platforms, bonding over the challenges and solutions for better health for all in this changing planet. Sitting face to face, sharing ideas and German Pretzels with colleagues from across the world (Australia, South Africa, Suriname, etc.) felt like the world had gathered in one place, connected by a shared commitment to global health.
AI Buzz and Funding Woes
Interesting themes like decolonization of health care, artificial intelligence, photovoice, geospatial science and their application in addressing some of the most pressing challenges in tropical diseases stood out across presentations. In addition, a sobering reality was re-iterated: the global health community is increasingly constrained by halted financial aid, with several projects struggling to move forward due to political decisions, and undoubtedly, endangering the lives and livelihood of all. This emphasized that scientific innovation and global solidarity must go hand in hand.
Global Health Blind Spots
While there was great emphasis on health and vulnerable populations (rightly so), the silence about the devastating genocide unfolding in Gaza was indeed loud. When asked to summarize the conference in one word, participants described it as "informative", “fun,” “inspiring,” and even "hunger-provoking" for the gluten intolerant. Yet, amid these positive reflections, the ongoing genocides, wars and humanitarian crises in Gaza, Sudan, DRC, etc., were largely overlooked - but for one poignant moment at the closing ceremony, when two award winners for an oral presentation raised the keffiyeh in silent solidarity. Global health discussions cannot ignore such grim realities that not only affect the health outcomes of the victims but also lead to loss of thousands of lives. What a profound missed opportunity to raise our collective voice and stand against these atrocities!
East or West, home is best
What better way to wrap up an enriching experience in ECTMIH 2025 than waking up to a flight delay notification? It seems Hamburg was not ready to let us go. All in all, we landed in Brussels bearing not only sweaters, scarves and a bazooka this time, but also new ideas, renewed connections, and the responsibility to keep pushing the conversation forward, in our work and in the global health community at large.
Hope to see you in ECTMIH 2027 in Barcelona, Spain!
Featured Reflections
“There were some mentions of the impact of conflict on health, however, there continues to be caution around using the correct terminology to describe the genocide in Gaza. This is disappointing and dishonoring to the victims and survivors of genocide.” – Aline Semaan
“It was a unique learning experience on themes like inequalities in urban healthcare, decolonization of medical research, and the threat of climate change and weather extremes. In a world that feels increasingly hostile to science, a conference like ECTMIH seems more topical and I was glad to be a part of this space.” - Lorenzo Libertini
“It was great to present my work on climate vulnerabilities in health, connect with researchers in this space, and I come back with a few contacts I can reach out to on my PhD journey, new ideas and potential collaborations.”- Emily Odipo
“ECTMIH gave me a platform to network and lay the groundwork for promising collaborative efforts in methodologies related to maternal health systems research, including participatory approaches and system dynamics modelling. ”- Rehema Ouko
“ECTMIH taught me many things starting from my presentation, in English, on HIV and syphilis testing at antenatal care in Lubumbashi, the Democratic Republic of Congo: insights from public and private facilities and especially by observing and listening to others. It allowed me to create an important network for my PhD; dare to want to become in order to be". –Abdulu Mahuridi
Would you like to see the posters our team presented? Please follow the links below:
Ann Njogu and co-authors: "Big data and big data services for modelling geographical accessibility to healthcare: A scoping review"
Rehema Ouko and co-authors: "Tracking events to inform a health systems model of maternal healthcare outcomes in urban settings: Lessons learned from Lubumbashi, DRC"
Lorenzo Libertini and co-authors: "Defining conurbation (extended urban area) boundaries for maternal healthcare applications in sub-Saharan Africa"
Abdulu Mahuridi, Anke Rotsaert, Tabitha Ilunga and co-authors: [in French] "HIV and syphilis testing at antenatal care in Lubumbashi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo: insights from public and private facilities"
Angele Musau, Manuela Straneo and co-authors: "Landscape of maternal and neonatal care provision inLubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023: results from a health facility census"
