A Shared Vision for South East Europe: Eliminating HPV Cancers Together
The European Cancer Organisation is pleased to announce a new conference titled: A Shared Vision for South East Europe: Eliminating HPV Cancers Together. The event will take place on Thursday, 23 January 2025, and will be proudly held at the Bulgarian Parliament building, with thanks to the kind hosting of Dr. Alexander Simidchiev, Member of the Bulgarian Parliament.
The conference will serve as a platform to strengthen regional collaboration, share successful practices, and discuss challenges and opportunities for the new year in combating HPV-related cancers across borders in South East Europe. By convening stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, the event aims to accelerate progress towards the elimination of these cancers across the region.
Key topics of discussion will include:
- Enhancing HPV vaccination uptake to achieve higher coverage rates.
- Improving access to and effectiveness of screening programmes.
- Addressing barriers to prevention and fostering sustainable policy solutions.
- Developing strong effective stakeholder coalitions for action.
- Interrogating the latest data on South East Europe's HPV elimination progress.
This event underscores the ECO’s commitment to leading collective efforts in the fight against HPV-related cancers and driving impactful action through regional partnerships.
Register now to secure your place as a participant, either in person or online.
This event is supported by NOMAN is an Island.
Programme
Please note that the below schedule is in Eastern European Time (EET), as the event will be hosted in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Moderated by:
- Daniel Kelly - Co-Chair of the European Cancer Organisation's HPV and Hep B Action Network
- Momchil Baev - HPV Bulgaria Consultant, European Cancer Organisation
13:30 - 14:00 |
Registration |
14:00 - 14:45 |
Setting the scene: the European landscape |
|
|
High-level speakers from the political, EU and global health background will elaborate on the vision of HPV elimination and the role that the South East European region can play. Speakers include:
|
14:45 – 15:30 |
Sharing best practices: how to form an HPV coalition |
|
|
Case studies on coalition forming from Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria will be shared and vibrant discussions will be engendered on the extention of this approach to other countries in the South East European region. Speakers include:
|
15:30 - 15:45 |
Coffee break & snacks |
15:45 – 16:30 |
Benefits and challenges of dashboards and data usage for informed decision-making in South East Europe |
|
|
Spotlight on the European Cancer Pulse and the HPV Prevention Policy Atlas. Speakers include:
|
16:30 – 17:15 |
Meeting the HPV vaccination challenges across the region |
|
|
How to work together with different advocates, stakeholders and organisations to promote gender-neutral vaccination uptake, improved delivery of vaccination, combating hesitancy in the general population and setting up vaccine registries. Speakers include:
|
17:15 – 18:15 |
Cervical cancer screening policies across the South East Europe region |
|
|
A comparison of approaches between different countries in South East Europe, including a focus on the forms of testing performed, self-sampling, genotyping and the institution of screening registries. Speakers include:
|
18:15 – 18:30 |
Uniting forces: statements of support |
18:30 - 18:45 |
Signing of a joint declaration with all the countries gathered |
19:00 - 21:30 |
Reception & Networking (cocktail and dinner) in the Bulgarian Parliament |
|
|
Central Military Club, Floor 2, Ceremonial Hall |
Speakers
-
Radka Argirova Member of the HPV Bulgaria Coalition
-
Emanuela Dodeva President and Co-Founder, EZRA
-
Amil Družić Medical Doctor, Oncology Clinic of the Sarajevo Clinical Center University
-
Galya Kondeva Minister of Health of Bulgaria
-
Tamar Khomasuridze Regional Sexual and Reproductive Health Advisor, United Nations Populations Fund
-
Veronika Rybanska Head of Healthcare Research and Analyses Dept., Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic
Speakers
-
Radka Argirova Member of the HPV Bulgaria Coalition
-
Emanuela Dodeva President and Co-Founder, EZRA
-
Amil Družić Medical Doctor, Oncology Clinic of the Sarajevo Clinical Center University
-
Galya Kondeva Minister of Health of Bulgaria
-
Tamar Khomasuridze Regional Sexual and Reproductive Health Advisor, United Nations Populations Fund
-
Veronika Rybanska Head of Healthcare Research and Analyses Dept., Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic
-
Radka Argirova Member of the HPV Bulgaria Coalition
-
Emanuela Dodeva President and Co-Founder, EZRA
-
Marina Davidashvili Head of Policy and Research, European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights
-
-
-
Daniel Kelly PROTECT-EUROPE Steering Committee Co-Chair & Co-Chair of the ECO HPV and Hep B Action Network Read Bio
-
Galya Kondeva Minister of Health of Bulgaria
-
Tamar Khomasuridze Regional Sexual and Reproductive Health Advisor, United Nations Populations Fund Read Bio
-
Veronika Rybanska Head of Healthcare Research and Analyses Dept., Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic
-
Asaf Salčinović Epidemiologist, Public Health Institute of Canton Sarajevo
-
Alexander Simidchiev Member of the Bulgarian Parliament
-
Mehmet Ungan Professor, Ankara University School of Medicine; past President of WONCA Europe Read Bio
-
Alban Ylli Head Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, Institute of Public Health, Albania
-
-
-
-
Marko Gangur HPV Croatia Consultant, European Cancer Organisation
Speakers
-
Radka Argirova Member of the HPV Bulgaria Coalition
-
Emanuela Dodeva President and Co-Founder, EZRA
-
Amil Družić Medical Doctor, Oncology Clinic of the Sarajevo Clinical Center University
-
Galya Kondeva Minister of Health of Bulgaria
-
Tamar Khomasuridze Regional Sexual and Reproductive Health Advisor, United Nations Populations Fund
-
Veronika Rybanska Head of Healthcare Research and Analyses Dept., Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic
Event Supporters
-
NOMAN is an Island -
Anal Cancer Foundation -
BD -
MSD -
Roche -
PR Care -
HPV Coalition Bulgaria
Speakers
-
Radka Argirova Member of the HPV Bulgaria Coalition
-
Emanuela Dodeva President and Co-Founder, EZRA
-
Amil Družić Medical Doctor, Oncology Clinic of the Sarajevo Clinical Center University
-
Galya Kondeva Minister of Health of Bulgaria
-
Tamar Khomasuridze Regional Sexual and Reproductive Health Advisor, United Nations Populations Fund
-
Veronika Rybanska Head of Healthcare Research and Analyses Dept., Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic
