From 3 till 6 September 2024, our colleagues Andrea Madarasová Gecková, Daniela Fiľakovská, Daniela Husárová, Jaroslava Kopčáková, Ján Hlodák, Jana Plavnická and Zuzana Dankulincová met with other prominent researchers in the field of health psychology on the 38th annual conference of European Health Psychology Society in Cascais, Portugal.

They were invited to share their knowledge via poster presentations on latest findings from HBSC, RomaReach, RIVER and Care4Youth studies as well as our experience from using DIPEx modules in university education.

The goal of the project is to build an excellent research team of the University of Pavel Jozef Šafárik in Košice for the use of information and communication technologies in the prevention and management of chronic diseases. The project activities are scheduled to start in January 2025 and end in June 2026.

The approval of the application by the Research and Innovation Authority of the Slovak Republic makes us even more pleased that our project succeeded in the competition of 778 projects. In category R3, in the field of natural and medical sciences, 86 projects competed with our project, while only 23 were approved, and our project was the only project of LF UPJŠ approved within the mentioned category and research area.

The project is financed by the European Union from the funds of the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Slovak Republic.

On the 27th of June 2024 our colleague, Veronika Pačutová, have been awarded a double PhD degree at the University of Groningen during a defence and PhD ceremony held between the University of Groningen and Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice. The thesis entitled How did COVID-19 impact health care workers’ health and well-being? was defended in the presence of the College of Deans and the PhD Examining Committee. More information about defence ceremony might be found here.

On the 27th of June 2024 our colleague, Aurel Zelko, have been awarded a PhD degree at the University of Groningen during a defence and PhD ceremony held at the University of Groningen . The thesis entitled Intradialytic exercise in haemodialysis patients: applicability and effects on muscle function was defended in the presence of the College of Deans and the PhD Examining Committee. More information about defence ceremony might be found here.

We are pleased to annouce two upcoming PhD defences at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen next week on 27 June 2024. Stay tuned!!!

How did COVID-19 impact health care workers’ health and well-being?

PhD ceremony:	Ms V. (Veronika) Pacutová
When:	June 27, 2024 12.45 p.m.
Where:	Academy building RUG

Intradialytic exercise in haemodialysis patients: applicability and effects on muscle function

PhD ceremony:	Mr A. (Aurel) Zelko
When:	June 27, 2024 4.15 p.m.
Where:	Academy building RUG

HBSC Spring network meeting bringed HBSC members together from 28th to 30th May 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland. Jaroslava Kopcakova and Michaela Kosticova from Slovak national as well as international HBSC team attended meeting in person.

This meeting covered a variety of topics, including reflections and results from our latest survey and partial reports, plans for publications and importantly, preparations for our 2025/26 HBSC protocol.

Our colleague Aurel Zelko attended the 61st European Renal Association Congress that took place in Stockholm from 23rd to 26th May, 2024. The congress was thematically focused on the main theme of „Rethinking kidney health, transforming kidney care“. The scientific programme was divided into seven main tracks: Physiology, Cell Biology & Genetic Diseases; Glomerular & Tubulo-interstitial Diseases; Chronic Kidney Disease; Dialysis; Kidney Transplantation; Hypertension & Diabetes and AKI & Critical Care Nephrology.

More info here https://www.era-online.org/events/stockholm-2024/

The Training School took place in the Convention Center of Klinik Floridsdorf (Vienna – Austria) between 22nd to 24th May, 2024. This was an intensive training on the second victim phenomenon and second victim support programmes, and is specifically intended for healthcare workers, researchers and post graduated students of Health Sciences. More than 40 participants from 17 countries participated, three of them from three regions of Slovakia (Bratislava, Martin, Košice). Beside the training, we have an opportunity to visit centre of university simulation centre located on this site and learned about it culd be used from medical competencies training. Our colleague, prof. Madarasova Geckova served as a lecturer of this training already for the second time.

Second victims are healthcare providers involved in an unexpected adverse event, medical error or injury affecting a patient, who become victims in the sense they are traumatised by it.

More information: https://cost-ernst.eu/

Our new article “Early Childhood in Marginalized Roma Communities: Health Risks and Health Outcomes was published in International Journal of Public Health.

Article was prepared as a part of RomaReach study with aim to compare selected early childhood health risks and health outcomes of children from marginalized Roma communities (MRCs) in Slovakia with those of the majority.

Poverty and unhealthy living conditions of children from MRCs included in our study are fundamentally worse compared to children from the majority. The health and healthy development of children living in overcrowded households without running water is threatened by many factors such as poor sanitary conditions, quality of air or food insecurity. Parents experiencing financial hardship struggle to provide their children with clothing and regular food intake of adequate quality. Children experience various health complaints, use antibiotics more often and are hospitalized more often than children from the majority. Ensuring equal chances for health and healthy development for children from MRCs will require a concentrated effort, therefore these persistent differences in exposures and health in early childhood should be a priority goal of the state’s social and health policies.

Full article is available here: https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2024.1606784/full

Our colleagues Andrea Madarasova Geckova and Jaroslava Kopcakova  attended recent IJPH editors and guest editors meeting. This meeting that took place online on 10th April, 2024.

We discussed two specific issues during the meeting: 1) the quality of the peer review process and how we might improve it; 2) how to reduce manuscripts delays.

In addition, we discussed that the International Journal of Public Health (IJPH, 2022 Impact Factor: 4.6) and Public Health Reviews (PHR, 2022 Impact Factor: 5.5) continue to offer APC fee waivers for first authors from low- and middle- income countries, plus additional countries with limited access to APC funding.

This is possible through the GLOBEQUITY project, supported by swissuniversities (details for IJPH here https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/for-authors/publishing-fees). Manuscripts must be submitted during 2024 to be eligible for the scheme.