The WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Workforce Policy and Planning (WHOCC Workforce) once again played an active role at the European Public Health Conference (EPH), held from 11 to 14 November 2025 in Helsinki. Tiago Correia, coordinator of the WHOCC Workforce, contributed to high-level discussions addressing the future of the health workforce in Europe and globally.
In collaboration with the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) Sections on Health Workforce, Public Health Ethics, and Public Health Policy and Practice, as well as with the UK Faculty of Public Health, the Global Network for Academic Public Health, and WHO/Europe, the WHO Collaborating Centre advanced critical debates on topics such as:
🔹 How to strengthen health workforce retention, particularly by addressing the specific needs of rural and remote areas;
🔹 How to protect the right to health and human rights in the context of rising nationalism and populism affecting migrant health workers;
🔹 How to ethically govern the migration of health professionals, while balancing global solidarity with European and national priorities.
At a time when the sustainability of the health workforce is crucial for the resilience of health systems, these exchanges underscored GHTM | IHMT-NOVA’s commitment to evidence-informed, ethically grounded public policies and to fostering global collaboration.
Rooted within Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (IHMT NOVA) and its Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM) R&D Unit, the WHOCC Workforce remains dedicated to building strong global partnerships and driving sustainable, fair, and forward-looking health workforce policies that meet the needs of today and tomorrow
