Tentative program
Day 1 – Wednesday, 2 September
Morning Session - Young EPIZONE
08:30 – 12:00
Career Reality Check and Social Media Workshop
See the full program HERE
14:00 Opening Session and Plenary Session 1 - Current disease challenges
14:05 – 14:30
Overview of current disease challenges and research gaps
(tbc)
14:30 – 15:15
Hepatitis E
Wim van der Poel (incl. recognition of his longtime contribution to EPIZONE)
15:15 – 15:30
Poster-Slam
15:30 – 16:00
Postersession & Coffee
16:00 – 17:30
Parallel session 1.1 One Health and zoonoses
Parallel session 1.2 Adressing current challenges (HPAI, BTV, LSD, FMD, PPR, etc.)
17:30 –19:00
Postersession
17:30 – 20:00 Welcome reception
Day 2 – Thursday, 3 September
08:30 Plenary Session 2 – Strengthen Preparedness
08:30 – 10:00
One Health to strengthen preparedness
Jakob Zinsstag, Swiss TPH
Mobile labs
Sophie Duraffour, Group Leader Mobile Laboratory and Outbreak Preparedness and Response (OPR)
Setting up lab capacity in a crisis
(tbc)
Coping with several outbreakts at once
(tbc)
Panel discussion: how can we improve preparedness and outbreak response?
10:00 – 10:15
Poster-Slam
10:15 – 11:00
Postersession & Coffee
11:00 – 12:30
Parallel session 2.1: Diagnostic tools (focus on current challenges with re-/emerging diseases)
Parallel session 2.2: African swine fever and Lumpy Skin Disease
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 Plenary Session 3 – Advancing research
13:30 – 14:00
Vaccine development
(tbc)
14:00 –14.30
How is AI shaping global health?
Filipa Matos Baptista, Siemens Healthineers
14:30 –14:45
Poster-Slam
14:45 – 15:45
Postersession & Coffee
15:45 – 17:00
Parallel session 3.1: Vaccine development
Parallel session 3.2: Disease surveillance, epidemiology, risk analysis
19:00 – 23:30 Gala Dinner with a view – excursion onto the Gurten mountain
Day 3 - Friday, 4 September
08:30 Plenary Session 4 – Coping with future threats
08:30 – 09:00
How can we control vector-borne disease? Experiences from Switzerland.
Eva Veronesi, SUPSI (Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana)
09:00 – 09:30
Emerging and neglected threats: the example of Hantavirus in Europe
Martin Eiden, FLI (Friedrich Loeffler Institut)
09.30 – 9.45
Surprise talk (best abstract)
09:45 – 10:30
Postersession & Coffee
10:30 – 12:00
Parallel session 4.1: Vector-borne diseases
Parallel session 4.2: tbc (depending on submissions)
12:00 – 12.15 Closing ceremony
Poster removal
12:30 – 14:00 Light Lunch
Social program Friday 4.9.2026
You will be able to subsribe to two different activities:
- Visit to Bern Animal Park, including a presentation on a clinical trial of a vaccine against highly pathogenic avian influenza. Guided tour with the Bern Animal Park’s veterinarian Lisa Heiderich and Gert Zimmer, virologist and group lead Influenza at IVI. (costs approx. 10 Euro)
Approximate time: 3.00 pm to 4.30 pm - Guided tour through the old city of Bern (costs approx. 20 Euro)
Approximate time: 3.00 pm to 4.30 pm
