Welcome introduction
Dear colleagues,
It is a great honour and pleasure for us, on behalf of the Organising Committee, to invite you to the 12th International Professional and Scientific Symposium entitled "Health for All?! Health in Urban Environment”. The symposium will take place on June 12, 2025 at the Grand Hotel Bonavia, Rijeka, Croatia and is organised by the Department of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka.
The focus of this year’s symposium is on health in the urban environment.
The aim of this year's symposium is to bring together experts in the field of urban environment and health, professionals specialised in chronic diseases and urban lifestyles, stakeholders that define public health policies and interventions for healthier cities as well as representatives of IT companies whose knowledge and innovations can make an important contribution to the concept of future cities.
Another aim of the symposium is to present examples of good practise in the implementation of this concepts as well as strategies and measures related to health in the urban environment in order to exchange experiences and knowledge.
The dynamic and informative programme of the symposium includes invited lectures and presentations by internationally renowned experts on four topics (see below the Program). The hybrid format will ensure accessibility to a wide audience and encourages discussion between experts from different fields and the general public.
We believe that the topic of this year’s symposium will inspire meaningful dialogue and contribute to a shared vision of sustainable, healthy and inclusive urban environments.
On behalf of the Organising Committee,
Professor Tomislav Rukavina, MD, PhD
Professor Vanja Vasiljev, MSc, PhD, MPH
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Croatia
Programme
Abstract book is here
09,00-10,00 Registration
9,45-10,00 Welcome address -
Professor Tomislav Rukavina, MD, PhD
Tamara Alhambra Borras, PhD, coordinator of the HORUS project,
Professor Goran Hauser, MD, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka
10,00-10,15
Official handover ceremony of the "Health Barometer of the City of Rijeka Residents“ to the representative of the City of Rijeka
SESSION 1: Urban Environment and Health
10,15-10,25 Vjeran Piršić President Eko Kvarner Association, Njivice, Island of Krk, Croatia & Katarina Kozina Popović
Slow Food Slavonica, Nuštar, Croatia: "Healthy Cities: Myth or (Easily) Achievable Reality?"
10,25-10,30 Professor Jurica Arapović, PhD, MD, School of Medicine, University of Mostar and Center for Disease Control and Geo-Health Studies of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina: "Conceptual Models Linking Urbanization and Public Health: The Case of the Project “Biosafety and Biosecurity in Primary and Secondary Schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina”
10,30 - 10,35 Assistant professor Ana Jelaković, PhD, MD, Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia:
"Heat Waves and Cardiovascular Risk"
10,35 - 10,40 Professor Iva Sorta Bilajac Turina, PhD, MD, Teaching Institute of Public Health of the Primorje - Gorski Kotar County, Rijeka, Croatia: "The Landscape in the Service of Health and Wellbeing"
10,40 - 10,45 Professor Amir Muzur, MD, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Health Studies, University of Rijeka, Croatia:
"The Health of the City and the „Pollution by Tourism“: Breaking Points"
10,45 - 10,50 Associate professor Aleksandar Racz, PhD, MD, University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia:
"Trumpism and Climate Change – Drill Baby Drill"
10,50 - 11,00 Discussion
SESSION 2: Chronic Diseases and Urban Lifestyles
11,05 - 11,15 Academician Bojan Jelaković, PhD, MD, Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia: "The Silent Killer is Everywhere"
11,15 - 11,20 Susana Rovira-Llopis, PhD, FISABIO, Valencia, Spain:
"Incidence of Type II Diabetes Mellitus According to Socioeconomic Status and Sex in the City of Valencia (Spain)"
11,20 - 11,25 Assistant professor Gordana Kenđel Jovanović, PhD, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia: "Nutrition in Urban Environment and Its Role in the Prevention of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases: Strategies for Promoting Healthy and Sustainable Diets"
11,25 - 11,30 Ida Štimac, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia: "The Role of Rural and Urban Geography in Community Stigma Around Mental Illness and Obesity – Sneak Peek on Evidence and Research Proposal"
11,30 - 11,35 Marijana Vučković, MD, Clinical Hospital Centre Split, Croatia:
"Urban Living and Kidney Health: A Syndemic Approach to Prevention and Management in Nephrology"
11,35 - 11,40 Ivana Šućur, Teaching Institute of Public Health “Dr. Andrija Štampar”, Zagreb, Croatia:
"City of Zagreb: Non-Communicable Diseases and Urban Life"
11,40 - 11,50 Discussion
11,50 - 12,15 Coffee break
SESSION 3: Public Health Policies and Interventions for Healthier Cities
12,15 - 12,25 Assistant professor Tomislav Benjak, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia:
"First results of the National Preventive Health Examination"
12,25 - 12,30 Ascensión Doñate-Martínez, PhD, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain:
"Barriers and Enablers to Implement a Patient Navigator-Based Programme for Cancer Prevention Among Persons with Mental Health Issues: Highlights from the CO-CAPTAIN Project"
12,30 - 12,35 Tamara Alhambra-Borrás, PhD, Polibienestar Research Institute, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain: "Socioeconomic Gradients in the Incidence of T2DM and CVD by Country of Birth: Evidence from a Spanish Urban Cohort"
12,35 - 12,40 Jadran Mandekić, MSc „Rijeka – Healthy City“ Project Manager, City of Rijeka:
„stRIt.fitness - The Largest Fitness Center in Rijeka“.
12,40 - 12,45 Associate professor Antonija Balenović, PhD, MD, Croatian Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia: "Workplace Health Promotion Activities "Health-Friendly Company" and the National Program "Living Healthy"
12,45 - 12,50 Anthony Polychronakis, MSc, the European Liaison Officer for Health and Social Policies, City of Rotterdam, The Netherlands: "Sharing and Caring for Older Adults with Dementia and Disabilities in an Urban Environment"
12,50 - 13,00 Discussion
SESSION 4: Future Cities: Innovations and Smart Health Solutions
13,05 - 13,15 Damir Medved, M.Sc., EDIH Adria project director, University of Rijeka, Croatia:
"SmartCity and Smart Health - (lost) Opportunities for Synergies?"
13,15 - 13,20 Professor Juan M. García-Gómez, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain:
"Digital Phenotyping and Closed-Loop Interventions to Improve Health Outcomes of Vulnerable Urban Citizens"
13,20 - 13,25 Associate Professor Sven Maričić, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia:
"Planning of Future Cities Based on an Advanced Biomodeling Approach: AI Experience Based on Slime Mold Experiment"
13,25 - 13,30 Danijela Panić, mag. physioth. School of Medicine, Pula and Faculty of Health Studies, University of Rijeka, Croatia: "Advanced Tools for Smart Urban Citizens - Significant Parameters Automatic Measurement"
13,30 - 13,35 Filip Pravica, MSc, WERXE, Rijeka, Croatia:
"Privacy Marks: Structuring Privacy for Responsible and Resilient Digital Health in Smart Cities"
13,35 - 13,40 Professor Juan M. García-Gómez, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain:
"The Use of Mobile Sensors and Self-Reported Data to Predict Quality of Life Indicators in Older Populations"
13,40 - 13,50 Discussion
13,50 - 14,00 Closing remarks
Lunch in the restaurant of Grand Hotel Bonavia****