The Society. Health. Welfare. conference examines the human life cycle from childhood to old age

Photo: Courtesy of RSU

Opening the Society. Health. Welfare. conference, the Director of the RSU Institute of Public Health, Assoc. Prof. Anda Ķīvīte-Urtāne, emphasised that every stage of life is unique and requires a tailored approach. This international conference will explore the challenges of childhood, adulthood, and the end of life.

Assoc. Prof. Anda Ķīvīte-Urtāne

Addressing the participants, RSU Rector Prof. Aigars Pētersons highlighted that this marks the 10th anniversary of the conference. He expressed gratitude to the conference's founder, Assoc. Prof. Lolita Vilka, for her role in its establishment and international development. The Rector emphasised that the event provides a valuable opportunity to meet and discuss the most pressing public health issues in Latvia and globally.

RSU Rector Prof. Aigars Pētersons

Aiga Balode, Deputy State Secretary for Digitalisation and Change at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Latvia, highlighted that the conference serves as a platform where society meets science, and science meets society. She acknowledged the significant impact of research findings on the management and improvement of the healthcare system.

Aiga Balode, Deputy State Secretary for Digitalisation and Change at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Latvia

The initiator of the conference, Assoc. Prof. Lolita Vilka, reflected on the first event in 2007 and its gradual evolution into this year’s tenth anniversary conference. She outlined the origins of social work as both a profession and a study programme in Latvia, highlighting current achievements and development in the field.

Prof. Pētersons congratulates Assoc. Prof. Lolita Vilka

Jorge Manuel Leitão Ferreira, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and Public Policy at the University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal, delivered a speech on the principles and values of social work in democratic societies. His research focuses on social work, particularly the impact of economic crises on its scope and specificity. He also analysed the importance of support for children and families. As one of the best-known participants of the conference, Jorge Ferreira’s research has significantly contributed to understanding the impact that social work has on public health.

About the conference

The Society. Health. Welfare conference takes place during RSU Research Week from 26 to 28 March. It gathers researchers, practitioners, and students from fields including public health, psychology, environmental and occupational medicine, health management, social work, nursing, and midwifery. The conference is held both in person and online and highlights the importance of health throughout the human life cycle.

Key topics include public health, health promotion, disease prevention, health inequalities, health system governance, digital health, environmental and occupational health, psychological care, social well-being, and nursing.

The event features renowned scholars and experts, including Professor Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak from the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Professor Daiga Kamerāde from the University of Salford, UK, and others.

More information about the Society. Health. Welfare. conference