Digital Transformations for Health Lab

🔈 We are happy to share the first publication from our second cohort of DTH-Lab Research Fellows. André THIOMBIANO’s report on The Impact of Digital Transformations on Young People’s Nutrition provides a comprehensive overview of how digital determinants influence nutrition. The paper offers practical recommendations for policymakers, researchers and practitioners to strengthen nutrition outcomes in the digital era. 🎥 Watch André’s video as he discusses a key finding: the relationship between AI and young people’s nutrition. 📖 Read the full report: https://tr.ee/BmuY9i ℹ️ The DTH-Lab Research Fellowship Programme aims to build the capacity of future health leaders by offering students and early career professionals from low and middle-income countries opportunities to support a specific area of our research or analysis. More here: https://tr.ee/OQDmVs Aferdita Bytyqi I Ilona Kickbusch I Louise Holly

Help Shape Digital Transformations for Health Lab Youth Engagement in Health Futures Report! As part of Digital Transformations for Health Lab (DTH-Lab), we’re developing a report on Youth Engagement in Health Futures. This report will explore: - How “youth” is defined across different contexts - How organizations engage with young people - The power of co-creating solutions with youth We’re inviting different networks to complete a short survey to ensure the report reflects youth perspectives and lived experiences. Your input will help us: - Understand how young people identify with terms like “child,” “adolescent,” and “youth” - Document experiences of youth engagement in health and digital health initiatives - Gather recommendations on how decision-makers can strengthen meaningful partnerships with youth 👉 The survey takes 6–7 minutes: https://lnkd.in/e-G3VPNu We encourage you to fill out the survey and share it within your networks to help us capture a wide range of perspectives. All responses are confidential and will only be used to inform the report. The insights will be critical in shaping global conversations and ensuring youth voices are central to health and digital health futures. 🗓️ Deadline: 31 October 2025, 11:59 PM GMT+1 Thank you for contributing your voice to this important work!

📣 Save the date for an exclusive DTH-Lab and PLOS Digital Health #DigitalHealthWeek 2025 webinar exploring how youth-led digital citizenship for health is shaping equitable, participatory and democratic health futures. 💬 Hear from young researchers and authors who contributed to the DTH-Lab × PLOS Digital Health Mini Collection, sharing their insights on how digital spaces, health equity, and participation intersect across diverse contexts. 🔍 Learn more about our panellists and discussion topics here: 👉 https://tr.ee/tYsNTW 🌏 “Youth Perspectives on Advancing Digital Citizenship for Health” 📅 3 November 2025 🕒 15:00 CET 📝 Registration: https://tr.ee/SB2FDN 📢 Register now. Aferdita Bytyqi I Joseph Pold I Whitney Gray I Salman Khan I Kate Barranco I Victor Femi-Lawal I Rupal Jain I Caroline Knop I Esther Opone (MLS, fNSIG) I Aishwarya Rohatgi I Sohayla Eldeeb I Lydia Jummai Gara Digital Health Week I Transform Health

📣 Save the date for an exclusive DTH-Lab and PLOS Digital Health #DigitalHealthWeek 2025 webinar exploring how youth-led digital citizenship for health is shaping equitable, participatory and democratic health futures. 💬 Hear from young researchers and authors who contributed to the DTH-Lab × PLOS Digital Health Mini Collection, sharing their insights on how digital spaces, health equity, and participation intersect across diverse contexts. 🔍 Learn more about our panellists and discussion topics here: 👉 https://tr.ee/tYsNTW 🌏 “Youth Perspectives on Advancing Digital Citizenship for Health” 📅 3 November 2025 🕒 15:00 CET 📝 Registration: https://tr.ee/SB2FDN 📢 Register now. Aferdita Bytyqi I Joseph Pold I Whitney Gray I Salman Khan I Kate Barranco I Victor Femi-Lawal I Rupal Jain I Caroline Knop I Esther Opone (MLS, fNSIG) I Aishwarya Rohatgi I Sohayla Eldeeb I Lydia Jummai Gara Digital Health Week I Transform Health

This week is Digital Citizenship Week! Since the Lancet and Financial Times Commission on Governing health futures 2030’s report, DTH-Lab has developed and promoted Digital Citizenship for Health to ensure young people can safely navigate the digital world and participate in decision-making processes that impact their lives. Earlier this year, we launched a youth-authored statement on Digital citizenship for health: Overcoming challenges for youth at the Council of Europe ’s Digital Citizenship Education Forum in Strasbourg, France. The statement identified four concerns and seven calls to action to pave the way for a more inclusive, equitable and resilient digital future for all. Read, share and spread the youth statement 👇 Also find our more about our work on Digital Citizenship: https://loom.ly/le9Asxk 🌐💻 Happy Digital Citizenship Week! 🎉 Aferdita Bytyqi I Whitney Gray I Salman Khan I Charlotte Thibault I Stella Goeschl I Anna Liakopoulou #DigitalCitizenshipEducation

💬 "A simplistic binary response – either unrestricted access or outright bans – fails to account for the complex interplay of benefits and risks these platforms have for young people, the heterogeneity of young people’s experiences and preferences, and the range of potential policy actions available." Association for Child & Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH) Cassie Redlich, Ledia Lazëri, Jason Maurer, Jennifer Hall & Natasha Azzopardi Muscat join the debate on Social media in children and young people – time for a ban? Arguing that the debate must move beyond bans and simple binaries. Their response builds on the recent WHO Regional Office for Europe, Digital Transformations for Health Lab and Ministerstwo Zdrowia (Ministry of Health Poland) Policy Brief: the digital determinants of youth mental health and well-being, which advocates for a more nuanced evidence-informed approach that both empowers young people and their parents and holds social media platforms to account. Find the full policy brief here 👉 https://lnkd.in/g_H3J6Va And detailed review findings 👉 https://lnkd.in/gBWaKBs4 Read more here 👇 Ananya Choyal I Louise Holly I Padmini Vishwanath I Ilona Kickbusch I Aferdita Bytyqi

Participating in the Africa HealthTech Summit - #AHTS25 2025 CEO Roundtable organised by Dr. Mories Atoki (Hon.) in Kigali, Rwanda, an inspiring convergence of policymakers, innovators, and development partners all focused on accelerating digital transformation in healthcare across the continent. The conversations strongly align with the work of Digital Transformations for Health Lab of driving digital health governance, inclusion, and equity to ensure technology truly strengthens health systems and improves access to care, and intentionally including the youth population in this dialogue. I was especially encouraged to see Nigeria’s leadership through the Nigeria Digital in Health Initiative (NDHI) chnampioning digital initiatives in Nigeria's tertiary institutions. As President of Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, I see tremendous opportunity for #privatesector collaboration in sustaining these gains, especially in scaling health innovations, driving interoperability, and ensuring that digital transformation reaches all levels of care. Some of my key takeaways from the summit include: 📌 Technology is only as effective as the people who use it. As Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Kunle Salako highlighted, sustainable transformation requires equal emphasis on digital skilling, learning infrastructure, and workforce empowerment. 📌 Data interoperability and governance are becoming defining priorities. Building systems that can communicate securely and efficiently across borders will determine Africa’s ability to harness digital health for #UHC. 📌 Digital transformation must be people-centred. Technology should amplify and not replace human expertise. The focus must remain on empowering health workers and building trust among users. 📌 Collaborative dialogue among public, private, and development partners remains central to creating enabling environments for innovation, interoperability, and sustainability. These discussions reinforce the principle that technology is an enabler, echoing our commitment at PharmAccess Nigeria to use #digitalinnovations to expand access, improve quality, and promote equity in healthcare. 🔗 You can read more here:  https://lnkd.in/dR43nW_g Nigeria Health Watch DGI Consult (Development Governance International Consult) FOASPS WAPHFAfrica Healthcare Federation Africa Digital Health Summit (ADHS) Aferdita Bytyqi

🌏Incredible energy at the World Health Summit 2025! Our session on Information Integrity brought together global voices shaping the future of digital health. Yesterday marked the close of an inspiring World Health Summit. DTH-Lab was proud to co-host the session “Building Healthier Digital Futures with Information Integrity” together with Bertelsmann Stiftung – bringing together policymakers, researchers, public health leaders and youth advocates to discuss how trust, accountability and collaboration can strengthen digital health governance. Our sincere thanks to Dr Hans Kluge, Regional Director, WHO Regional Office for Europe, for the keynote address and to our distinguished speakers - Prof. Ilona Kickbusch, Director, DTH-Lab, Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, Executive Vice President/Senior Advisor, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Dr. Helena Frielingsdorf Psychiatrist & Senior Analyst, Public Health Agency of Sweden, Ben Johnson Chief Editor, Nature Health, Dr. Scott C. Ratzan MD, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Health Communication & Co-Chair, Nature Medicine Commission, Tanushree Jain, IPSF - International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation, Vismita Gupta-Smith, WHO, Dr. Sebastian Schmidt-Kaehler, Co-Director Healthcare program, Bertelsmann Stiftung for their insightful contributions to this vital dialogue. As digital transformations accelerate, ensuring information integrity is key to building trustworthy, equitable and people-centred digital health systems. Stay tuned for our upcoming reflection report on key takeaways and next steps from #WHS2025. Aferdita Bytyqi I Louise Holly I Caroline Knop I Whitney Gray I Tomiwa Akinsanya #HealthInformationIntegrity #WHS2025

🎉 WHO Youth Declaration anniversary! On 14th October 2024, the WHO Youth Council launched its Declaration on Creating Healthy Societies at the World Health Summit in Berlin, outlining ten calls to action empowering young people to shape their health and futures. As a WHO Youth Council member, DTH-Lab led the drafting and delivery of the Declaration, playing a pivotal role in making this vision a reality. 👉 Read the full Declaration: https://lnkd.in/eBAah7FU 👉 Watch the Declaration video: https://lnkd.in/ehveeXjp The #declaration sets out calls-to-action across 3 priority areas that require the collective efforts of governments, academia, the private sector, civil societies and individuals. Caroline Knop I Imane Lakbachi I Yifan Zhou (PharmD, ACPR, RPh, BSc) I Lydia Jummai Gara I Soe Yu Naing I Ananya Choyal I Aferdita Bytyqi I Whitney Gray I Tomiwa Akinsanya I Katja Čič I Iris M. Blom, MD PhD I Dr. Anja Langness I Dr. Sebastian Schmidt-Kaehler I Enow Awah Georges Stevens, MD, MPH, PMD, ABS Digital Transformations for Health Lab I Bertelsmann Stiftung #Youth4HealthySocieties #MyHealthFuturesNetwork