Spotlight on Oscar Franco

ECTMIH 2023 Local Organising Committee: Oscar Franco

This week we spoke to ECTMIH 2023 Local Organising Committee member Professor Oscar Franco to find out more about his role and his hopes for your November congress:

Oscar is Professor of Public Health, and Director of the Department of Global Public Health & Bioethics at the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht University. He is also Adjunct Professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the University of Bern, the National University of Mar del Plata and scientific advisor for the French television channel France24. 

Prior to this, Oscar was based at the University of Bern as Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health and Director of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Bern, Switzerland.

Oscar serves on the ECTMIH 2023 Local Organising Committee.

Some key takeaways from Oscar

The rationale for planetary health as the overarching focus of ECTMIH2023 

We have neglected our home, our planet for a very long time; the Covid pandemic was a stark reminder of how interconnected our world and our communities are. We need to take care of our planet and of each other; a planetary health focus is therefore at the core of this year's congress.

Specific topics that Oscar is looking forward to seeing in this year's programme

An increase in life expectancy has led to a rise in non-communicable disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases; these are man-made - created by our own behaviours and lifestyles. It will be important to include these in the programme, and consider them from a planetary health perspective.

What to expect from your visit to Utrecht

Utrecht is a beautiful city and its hosting of ECTMIH 2023 will create a unique space for discussion, for learning, for networking, and for socialising.

Check out the full interview with Oscar here: