5th European Summer School in Evidence-Based Public Health 2025
Hosted by the Pettenkofer School of Public Health
21–25 July 2025 at the Kardinal Wendel Haus in Munich, Germany
Join public health professionals, public health researchers, and decision-makers for a five-day intensive program on evidence-based public health. Learn from leading experts in the field while networking with researchers and practitioners representing a variety of public health institutions across Europe.
History
History
The idea for this Summer School was conceived during an international workshop on “Evidence-Based Public Health: Concepts and Methods“, held at the LMU Munich in November 2010. Following on from direct and indirect feedback during this workshop and through consultation with international colleagues working in public health and evidence synthesis, a distinct requirement for training in evidence-based public health was identified. In response to this, the European Summer School in Evidence-Based Public Health has evolved as a collaboration between the LMU Munich (Prof Eva Rehfuess) and the University of Liverpool (Prof Daniel Pope). Following the first Summer School in Liverpool in 2014, the Summer School has been taking place in Munich.
About the Summer School
This Summer School is ideal for:
- Researchers and professionals wishing to embrace and implement a complexity perspective in their public health activities;
- Researchers planning to undertake systematic reviews of public health interventions, involved in the development of public health guidelines or working on other aspects of evidence-based public health;
- Mid-career professionals working in public health institutions; and
- Students undertaking a PhD in Public Health, Epidemiology or related fields and wishing to embark on a career in evidence-based public health.
The objectives of the Summer School are:
- Understand the principles of evidence-based public health and complex interventions
- Be able to apply logic models in public health research and practice
- Be able to critically read a systematic review
- Know about and select appropriate evidence synthesis methods
- Be able to evaluate systematic review protocols, inclusion criteria, and search strategies
- Be able to undertake screening of articles against defined inclusion criteria
- Know about meta-analysis and other synthesis methods
- Understand Risk of Bias (RoB) tools and the GRADE approach in systematic reviews
- Know about the current role of AI tools in enhancing systematic reviews
- Know about critical steps in public health guideline development
- Be familiar with the role of evidence-to-decision frameworks and be able to apply selected criteria
- Be able to identify and apply selected knowledge translation (KT) strategies
- Understand the importance of stakeholder engagement in knowledge production and translation
The Summer School includes:
- Interactive lectures from experts in the field of evidence-based public health.
- Practice sessions and small-group exercises related to logic models, formulating questions, selecting the right review types, screening, interpretation of meta-analyses, evidence-to-decision frameworks and knowledge translation.
- Policy and practice insights covering a variety of public health topics delivered by eminent experts.
- Social activities including a guided Public Health walk through Munich and a summer school dinner.
Evidence-based public health (EBPH)
Evidence-based public health (EBPH) is the development, implementation and evaluation of effective programmes and policies in public health through application of principles of scientific reasoning, including systematic uses of data and information systems.
Programme
Programme
EUROPEAN SUMMER SCHOOL in EVICENCE-BASED PUBLIC HEALTH
The tentative schedule for the five-day summer school can be found here. Our flyer can be downloaded here.
TENTATIVE PROGRAMME
Version 1.0 (January 22, 2025)
DAY 1 | EBPH INTRODUCTION AND COMPLEX INTERVENTIONS
| Time | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 08.00-09.00 | Coffee – registration | |
| 09.00-09.15 | Opening of Summer School | Lisa Pfadenhauer, Eva Rehfuess |
| 09.15-10.00 | Getting to know each other | Brigitte Strahwald |
| 10.00-11.00 | Interactive Lecture: What is Evidence Based Public Health? | Eva Rehfuess |
| 11.00-11.30 | Coffee break | |
| 11.30-12.30 | Policy and practice insights: Evidence and public health nutrition policies in Germany | Peter von Philipsborn |
| 12.30-13.30 | Lunch | |
| 13.30-15.00 | Interactive Lecture: Complex interventions and complex systems | Eva Rehfuess |
| 15.00-15.30 | Coffee break | |
| 15.30-16.00 | Interactive Lecture: Logic models as a tool for addressing complexity | Stephan Voss |
| 16.00-17.30 | Practice session: Developing a logic model | Stephan Voss, Eva Rehfuess |
| 17.30 | Brief summary of Day 1 | |
| 18.30 | Leave Summer School venue for scenic walk to restaurant |
DAY 2 | SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS - FROM QUESTION FORMULATION TO SYNTHESISING DATA
| Time | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 08.30-09.00 | Morning coffee | |
| 09.00 | Introduction to Day 2 | Lisa Pfadenhauer |
| 09.00-10.30 | Interactive Lecture: Systematic reviews and other types of evidence synthesis | Lisa Pfadenhauer |
| 10.30-11.00 | Coffee break | |
| 11.00-12.30 | Practice session: Asking the right question and choosing the right review type | Lisa Pfadenhauer |
| 12.30-13.30 | Lunch | |
| 13.30-15.00 | Interactive Lecture: From review question to data extraction | Lisa Pfadenhauer |
| 15.00-15.30 | Coffee break | |
| 15.30-16.00 | Practice session: conducting title and abstract screening | Lisa Pfadenhauer |
| 16.00-17.00 | Interactive Lecture: Meta-analysis and other forms of evidence synthesis | Katrin Probyn, Lisa Pfadenhauer |
| 17.00-17.30 | Practice session: Interpreting the findings of a meta-analysis | Katrin Probyn, Lisa Pfadenhauer |
| 17.30 | Summary of Day 2 |
DAY 3 | SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS - RISK OF BIAS, THE GRADE APPROACH AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
| Time | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 08.30-09.00 | Morning coffee | |
| 09.00 | Introduction to Day 3 | Ani Movsisyan |
| 09.00-10.30 | Interactive Lecture: Risk of bias assessment and GRADE | Ani Movsisyan, Katrin Probyn |
| 10.30-11.00 | Coffee break | |
| 11.00-12.30 | Interactive Lecture: Weaving artificial intelligence into systematic reviews: opportunities and challenges |
Angelika Eisele-Metzger, Cochrane Deutschland |
| Practice session: TBD | Angelika Eisele-Metzger | |
| 12.30-13.30 | Lunch | |
| 14.30-17.30 | Munich guided public health walk | Weisser Stadvogel |
DAY 4 | FROM EVIDENCE TO DECISION-MAKING: GUIDELINE DEVELOPMENT
| Time | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 08.00-09.00 | Morning coffee | |
| 09.00 | Introduction to Day 4 | Brigitte Strahwald |
| 09.00-10.30 | Interactive Lecture: Developing guidelines to inform public health policy and practice | Brigitte Strahwald |
| 10.30-11.00 | Coffee break | |
| 11.00-12.30 | Policy and practice insights: WHO guidelines, EU regulations and clean air for Europe | Annette Peters |
| 12.30-13.30 | Lunch | |
| 13.30-15.00 | Interactive Lecture: Evidence-to-decision-frameworks in public health | Eva Rehfuess |
| 15.00-15.30 | Coffee break | |
| 15.30-17.00 | Practice session: Applying the WHO-INTEGRATE framework | Eva Rehfuess, Brigitte Strahwald |
| 17.00 | Summary of Day 4 | Eva Rehfuess |
| 19.00 | Summer School dinner (included) |
DAY 5 | EVIDENCE TO POLICY AND PRACTICE
| Time | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 08.30-09.00 | Morning coffee | |
| 09.00 | Introduction to Day 5 | Lisa Pfadenhauer |
| 09.00-09.45 | Interactive Lecture: Knowledge translation: From evidence to practice and policy | Lisa Pfadenhauer |
| 09.45-10.30 | Practice session: Developing a knowledge translation plan | Lisa Pfadenhauer |
| 10.30-11.00 | Coffee break | |
| 11.00-12.30 | Policy and Practice Insights: Collaborating with stakeholders in translating evidence to policy and practice |
Manfred Wildner |
| 12.30-13.30 | Lunch | |
| 13.30-15.30 | Interactive Lecture: TBD | TBD |
| 15.30-16.00 | Closing of Summer School | Eva Rehfuess |
Speakers
Speaker
| Prof Eva Rehfuess | LMU Munich | Eva Rehfuess holds the Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research at the Institute of Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology at LMU Munich. She is also Director of a WHO Collaborating Centre for Evidence-Based Public Health and Speaker of the Pettenkofer School of Public Health. Nine years of working for the World Health Organization inspired her keen interest in methods for evidence-based public health and her passion for global health. Much of her research relates to the evaluation of complex interventions in complex systems, in high-income as well as low- and middle-income countries, with a focus on non-communicable diseases, COVID-19, environmental health and public health nutrition. |
| Prof Manfred Wildner | LMU Munich, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority (LGL) | Manfred Wildner is professor of Public Health Policy and Administration at the LMU Munich. He was heading the Bavarian State Institute for Health at the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, which is part of the Pettenkofer School of Public Health (PSPH) of the University of Munich. He is acting as editor-in-chief of the journal „Das Gesundheitswesen“, a German-speaking Peer-reviewed journal dealing with all aspects of health care systems. His main academic activities concern Public Health and the German Public Health Service and transferring knowledge into action. |
| Prof Annette Peters | LMU Munich | Annette Peters is an epidemiologist and Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, where she holds the Chair of Epidemiology. She also serves as Director of the Institute of Epidemiology at Helmholtz Zentrum München and is a Visiting Professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, USA. Her research focuses on population-based cohort studies, the health impacts of air pollution and other environmental factors, and the interplay of genetics, epigenetics with environmental determinants. She has made significant contributions to understanding chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular and age-related multimorbidity, while pioneering innovative approaches to defining intermediate phenotypes. She has been part of the external review group that participated at various stages of developing the WHO global air quality guidelines. |
| Dr Ani Movsisyan | LMU Munich | Ani Movsisyan is a Postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology, Pettenkofer School of Public Health, LMU Munich. Her main research interests include development, implementation, adaptation, and evaluation of complex population health interventions, complex systems thinking, and use of evidence in policy-making. She has conducted methodological research supporting a complexity perspective in evidence synthesis and guideline development. |
| Dr Peter von Philipsborn | LMU Munich | Peter von Philipsborn is a physician and public health scientist with an academic background in political science, economics, and law. His research focuses on policy measures to promote healthy and sustainable diets. Passionate about impactful teaching and interdisciplinary collaboration, he works at the intersection of science, practice, and policy. |
| Dr Lisa Pfadenhauer | LMU Munich | Lisa Pfadenhauer is a senior researcher at the Institute of Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology, Pettenkofer School of Public Health, LMU Munich and a Public Health Program Associate at Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta (USA). Her main research interest lies in co-production of evidence and its translation and implementation into policy and practice. |
| Dr Angelika Eisele-Metzger | Cochrane Germany | Angelika Eisele-Metzger has a background in Physiotherapy and a Master of Public Health. Currently, she works as researcher at the Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, University of Freiburg, and at the Cochrane Germany Foundation, Freiburg, Germany. |
| Brigitte Strahwald | LMU Munich | Brigitte Strahwald is a versatile professional with expertise in medicine, public health, and communication. She is a trained anesthesiologist and medical editor with additional qualifications, including a Master of Science in Epidemiology and a Master's in Medical Ethics and Law. Alongside her medical expertise, she is a skilled graphic designer, bridging the gap between science, ethics, and effective visual communication. |
| Stephan Voss | LMU Munich | Stephan Voss is a researcher at the Chair for Public Health and Health Services Research at LMU Munich. He holds an M.Sc. in Public Health and an M.A. in Political Science, Psychology, and Intercultural Communication, both from LMU Munich. Prior to his current academic role, he worked as a science journalist. His research interests include the evaluation of complex interventions, community health, mixed methods, and qualitative research methodologies. |
| Katrin Probyn | LMU Munich | Katrin Probyn is a researcher at the Institute of Medical Information Processing, Biometry, and Epidemiology, Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, and a systematic reviewer at Cochrane Response, Cochrane Collaboration, London, UK. Her work focusses on evidence synthesis to inform clinical and public health guidelines. Her research interests include methodology for systematic reviews and guideline development and the integration of complexity perspectives in evidence synthesis and guideline development processes. |
Registration
Thank you for your interest in the 5th European Summer School in Evidence-Based Public Health.
Registration is open from 15th January 2025. Please register using this registration form.
Costs
- Early bird registration: 750 EUR
- Normal registration: 950 EUR
Registration dates
- By 30th April 2025: Early-bird booking ends (registration received)
- By 3rd July 2025: Late-booking ends (last date for payments)
The fees include the summer school academic programme as well as participation in the Munich Public Health Walk and the summer school dinner. Please note that accommodation is not included in the Summer School fees.
Registrations for the Summer School will only be confirmed once the full fee has been received. We kindly ask that payments are made promptly to secure your place, as spots are limited. Please note that the payment includes a non-refundable registration fee of €150.00. The remainder of the payment is, in principle, refundable but becomes non-refundable after 31 May 2025.
Please send the completed registration form to ebphsummerschool@ibe.med.uni-muenchen.de.
Venue & Accommodation
Venue
The Summer School will be taking place at the Kardinal Wendel Haus.
Kardinal Wendel Haus
Mandlstrasse 23
80802 Munich
(Transport and local information)
Accommodation
We highly recommend that you book a room at the Summer School venue. Alternatively, there are ample opportunities for accommodation in Munich, which cooperates with the LMU. We can provide a list of suitable hotels upon request. Please note that participants are responsible for booking their own accommodation.
Contact
Please contact us for any further information regarding the Summer School, accommodation or payment under ebph@ibe.med.uni-muenchen.de.
Downloads
- 2024_01_30_EBPH_Summer_School_Programme (230 KByte)