2027 WHO Summer School on Systems Thinking and #Innovation for NCD Prevention and Healthy Ageing!

If you are a policy maker, researcher or public health professional looking for innovative science-based approaches to tackle NCDs and improve people’s health in the face of emerging challenges – apply for the next Summer School taking place on 20 -23 July 2027 in Nice, France.

⏰ Apply by 23 November 2026!

The programme combines expert-led sessions, practical exercises and project-based learning, helping participants apply new approaches directly to their work.

Course information

• Location: Nice, France
• Date: 09:00, 20 July 2027, to 14:00, 23 July 2027
• Delivery: In-person (30 participants), English language
• Methods: Key-note presentations, lectures, workshops and practical training using real-life scenarios.
• Faculty: WHO experts and leading international experts in systems thinking, NCD prevention and control, healthy ageing, public health innovation and multistakeholder engagement.
• Qualification: A certificate of participation will be provided.

Curriculum

The curriculum is currently being finalized but will cover topics including:

• systems-thinking concepts and methods for NCD prevention and control
• identifying systems archetypes and developing policy scenarios
• systems-thinking tools in practice
• creating systems-thinking informed studies
• practical training on the use of decision-making tools
• policy innovation in public health
• AI opportunity for public health
• innovation ecosystems.

Financial information

• The summer school will be provided free of charge, including lunch and coffee breaks on each day and a welcome dinner on 21 July 2027.

• Applicants will need to cover their own travel expenses, accommodation and any other costs related to their stay in Nice.

Application process

Applications must be submitted no later than 23 November 2026:

Applications will be reviewed by a selection panel. Successful applicants will be informed by 18 December 2026.

Selection criteria

Relevant professional experience in public health, innovation, healthy ageing and NCD prevention, or NCD risk factors; education; experience; personal statement; and potential for future collaboration.

Background

The WHO European Region continues to face a considerable burden from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs are the leading cause of death and disability in the Region and account for more than 80% of all deaths. One in five men and one in 10 women in the Region die before the age of 70 from major NCDs, including cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases.

Approximately 1.8 million avoidable deaths from NCDs occur each year in the Region. Around 60% are associated with preventable risk factors and could be avoided through effective public health interventions, and 40% are considered treatable through timely access to high-quality health services.

Progress has been made, and mortality from several NCDs and risk factors has declined over time. However, the pace of progress remains insufficient to meet many agreed global targets, and recent years have brought significant setbacks.

Some risk factors are also moving in the wrong direction. WHO/Europe estimates that almost 60% of adults in the Region live with overweight or obesity, as do approximately one in three school-aged children. Obesity is influenced by wider food, economic, social, commercial and physical environments.

Insufficient physical activity remains a concern, and tobacco and alcohol continue to contribute substantially to premature mortality.

The economic consequences are considerable. Annual productivity losses associated with avoidable NCD mortality are estimated at approximately US$ 514 billion. NCD prevention is not only a health issue; it is also relevant to economies, workplaces, communities, social protection and sustainable development.

Population ageing, demographic change, urbanization, technological developments, environmental pressures, changing food and commercial environments, and economic uncertainty are creating both opportunities and challenges for public health. These changes are interconnected. The challenge is to understand how these changes interact and how health systems and societies can adapt.

The Region has considerable evidence on the factors contributing to NCDs and on interventions that can help prevent and control them. However, translating this knowledge into sustained, equitable and effective action remains difficult.

Why systems thinking?

Many of today’s most difficult public health problems cannot be fully understood by examining individual factors separately. A systems perspective considers how different factors interact and how these interactions influence outcomes over time.

Systems thinking is a way of understanding how people, institutions, policies, organizations, environments, resources, technologies, behaviours and relationships interact. These elements do not operate independently, and their relationships can change over time.

For example:

food environments → food availability → consumer choices → dietary patterns → obesity → demand for health services → economic consequences

This relationship is shaped by many other factors. Economic conditions can affect food prices. Commercial actors can influence product availability and marketing. Government policies can shape regulation. Demand for health services can influence public priorities. Social norms can affect consumption. These interactions can strengthen or weaken over time.

NCD prevention is therefore a particularly relevant area for applying systems thinking. Its determinants are interconnected, and responsibility for prevention is distributed across governments, health systems, municipalities, schools, workplaces, researchers, communities, civil society and other relevant actors. It is therefore important to understand how their actions interact.

WHO/Europe has identified the need to strengthen understanding of, and practical capacity in, systems thinking. Although systems approaches have considerable potential, their use in NCD prevention remains limited. There is a need to develop the skills required to integrate systems thinking into policy processes and practical applications.

https://extranet.who.int/dataformv6/index.php/525327?lang=en