International Symposium – Science, Trust, and Democracy: Communicating Health Challenges in a Polarized Era
Event
|Published
How do we communicate health challenges at a time when trust is under pressure and misinformation spreads faster than a virus?
This full-day symposium brings together leading researchers, health experts, communication advisors, and social debaters from around the world to explore how science, trust, and democracy can be strengthened in the face of crises, polarization, and increasing authoritarian tendencies.
Program
- Jeremy Samuel Faust (Harvard Medical School, MedPage Today) shares insights from U.S. health authorities under massive political pressure.
- Artem Horbachevskyi (Ukraine's Ministry of Health) provides firsthand experiences from building trust in a healthcare system impacted by war.
- Torkjell Leira (author and Brazil expert) demonstrates how democracy can push back against authoritarian forces.
- Torunn Eilin Gjerustad (Norwegian Institute of Public Health) takes us into the comment sections – how to stand firm when faced with conspiracy theories and misinformation.
- Laura Alonso Irujo (EU-JAMRAI) shares how global AMR communication can be made engaging and relatable.
- Edward Demicoli (European Commission) tells the story behind the interactive game Beat the Bug.
- Mari Marte Press (Norwegian Veterinary Institute) shows how we can explain complex One Health connections without losing public trust.
- Christina Rolfheim-Bye (Norwegian Institute of Public Health) offers a rare insight into crisis communication during the pandemic – what worked and why?
See fullprogram:
Why participate?
- Learn from some of the most experienced communicators in the world.
- Gain new perspectives on how to address misinformation, polarization, and crises.
- Build networks across disciplines—from medicine and public health to politics and social sciences.
The symposium is organized by the NORSE and RESISFORCE networks and is open to everyone interested in health communication, democracy, and societal trust.
Register now and join the conversation on how we can strengthen the role of science in democracy.
Registration
Free registration.