Conference Programme

WELCOME & KEYNOTE SPEECH

Manfred Green, School of Public Health, University of Haifa
Welcome speech by the Chair and Scientific Coordinator of the TELL ME project

Francesca Russo, Venice Prevention Directorate, Region of Veneto
Welcome speech by the Head of Unit for Promotion and Development of Hygiene and Public Health

Karl Ekdahl, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
Risk communication aspects of the more recent Ebola outbreak (Presentation slides not available due to copyright issues)

SESSION 1: Theoretical concepts and critical aspects of communication in public health crises

Chair: Francesco Zambon, World Health Organisation (WHO) / Regional Office for Europe

Bernardino Fantini, Geneva Medical School
Figures of fear and empathy: Perception of epidemics and representation of the behavioural responses to them in literature, art and music

Kåre Harald Drager, The International Emergency Management Society
The role of risk communication and education and training in building resilient communities

Simon Langdon, CEDARthree
Are risk and trust related in a public health emergency? Who will you trust?

Paul Quinn, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Stigmatisation and discrimination: The inevitable social companions of public health crises

SESSION 2: The TELL ME approach to risk and outbreak communication

Chair: Luca Carra, Zadig Srl.

Anat Gesser-Edelsburg, School of Public Health, University of Haifa
A new framework model for outbreak communication

Dimitris Dimitriou, Zadig Srl.
A practical guide for risk and outbreak communication

Alexander Talbott, Representing the British Medical Journal Publishing Group
The role of social media in risk communication for healthcare professionals

Roberta Villa, Zadig Srl.
Online course for healthcare professionals for communications in epidemics

Jennifer Badham, University of Surrey
A prototype simulation model for communication during major influenza epidemics

SESSION 3: Perspectives from EU projects on communications in outbreaks and the healthcare context

Chair: Mitali Wroczynski, British Medical Journal Publishing Group (BMJ)

Jeff French,  Strategic Social Marketing
Beyond information transmission to behavioural influence: An update from the EU WP7 Project ECOM

Valentina Possenti, Istituto Superiore di Sanità
ASSET: A way ahead?

Anna Kolliakou, King’s College London
Social media platforms and clinical records in PHEME: Trend detection and intervention for mental health

SESSION 4 : Emerging plagues in the 21st century: The case of the Ebola epidemic

Chair: James J. James, National Disaster Life Support Foundation

Toby Merlin, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The US domestic response to Ebola: Risk communication and new lessons learned

Brian McCloskey, Public Health England
Ebola home and away: Risk communication challenges

Nigel Dowdall, UK Civil Aviation Authority
Ebola: Global aviation and public health working together?

Open discussion

SESSION 5: Risk communication to prevent and protect against infectious disease outbreaks

Chair: Donato Greco, Zadig Srl.

Opening speech delivered by Pier Luigi Lopalco, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
How bad communication can destroy a well-planned vaccination programme

Panel discussion

Francesca Russo, Venice Prevention Directorate, Region of Veneto

Alberto Tozzi, Pediatric Hospital Bambino Gesu

Itamar Grotto, Israel Ministry of Health

Open discussion