Successful conference on multicrises arranged by the Pandemic Centre

The Pandemic Centre welcomed researchers and representatives from a number of organizations to a fruitful conference on multicrisis held at the Scandic Bergen City hotel. The program was packed with interesting sessions, with the key-note speak being held by professor Roger Strand from the University of Bergen. He held an intereseting speech on governance in complexity.

He was followed by a pandel debate moderated by professor Lise Rakner from UiB. The topic for the panel debate was "A world full of crises: what is the public health preparedness? 

Professor Kayvan Bozorgmehr from Bielefeld University in Germany took part in the panel discussion and comments: 

– I think the importance of this conference is to discuss big questions around multiple crisis that intersect and that creates challenges for society and human beings worldwide. And also the ways how we as scientific community and states can actually adress these challenges. How should we act when there is a certain amount of non-knowledge, and what is the best way to create decisions at a local or global level for healthy socities? 

Matilla Berger from Norwegian Doctors for Planetary Health also took part in the debate. She gave her young perspective on the different topics, emphasizing the need to encourage the upgrowing generation to engage in the huge challenges on climate and nature especially. 

The rest of the day was filled with various parallel sessions and a workshop on explainable AI organized by the Department of Mathematics and the Pandemic Centre. Professor Preben Aavitsland from the Pandemic Centre also contributed in a discussion on past and future public health preparedness with professor and historian Svein Atle Skålevåg.

They were followed by a nice discussion on media's role between Martin Larsen Hirth, journalist in Bergens Tidende, and Camilla Stoltenberg, head of NORCE and former head of the Norwegian Public Health Institute (FHI). 

Closing remarks were held by Esperanza Diaz, head of the Pandemic Centre. 

The Pandemic Centre would like to thank all contributors who made the 2nd international conference (and the 4th in total), another successful event!