This newsletter was published in May 2025 for Q2 2025. If you want to receive the latest news from the project straight to your email inbox, you can register here. The newsletter is also available on LinkedIn and you can sign up here to receive it.
JA PreventNCD is in full swing — and Q2 has been packed with high-impact meetings, new partnerships, and valuable policy discussions. As we prepare for two major project events in Katowice this June, here’s a look at the momentum we’ve built together.
Upcoming Key Events in June
2025 Annual Meeting
16–17 June 2025 | Katowice, Poland
The JA PreventNCD Annual Meeting will bring together partners from across Europe for two days of in-depth discussions, cross-cutting updates, and strategic planning. The agenda includes joint plenary sessions, breakout discussions by topics, and the opportunity to connect across workstreams as we move into the next phase of the project.
2nd EU Consortium Meeting on Cancer and Other NCDs Prevention
17-18 June 2025 | Katowice, Poland
This follow-up to the inaugural EU CNCD meeting brings together key initiatives working across cancer and NCD prevention to strengthen synergies and share progress. Hosted jointly with JACARDI and other action grants, the meeting will focus on aligning efforts, identifying shared challenges, and exploring opportunities for collaboration across EU-funded projects.
Q2 Highlights
From international forums to regional conferences and youth engagement, Q2 has been packed with activity across the project. Here are some of the standout moments from the past few months.
Key Takeaways from the 2025 Wellbeing Economy Forum
8–9 May 2025 | Reykjavík, Iceland
The Wellbeing Economy Forum, a key event within JA PreventNCD, took place at Harpa Conference Hall and brought together over 400 participants from across Europe. With sessions on public health, economic policy, and systems change, the Forum made the case for placing wellbeing at the centre of decision-making. JA PreventNCD partners played a leading role, including contributions to the launch of the Wellbeing Economy Policy Toolbox.
JA PreventNCD at the Nordic Public Health Conference
13–15 May 2025 | Gothenburg, Sweden
JA PreventNCD had a strong presence at the Nordic Public Health Conference 2025, contributing to high-level discussions across all three days. The programme included a keynote by Dr. Dóra Guðrún Guðmundsdóttir on wellbeing economy as a tool for sustainable health, a well-attended interactive workshop on strategic communication led by WP2, and a closing presentation by Scientific Coordinator Knut Inge Klepp. In his session, Klepp outlined the full scope of JA PreventNCD—the largest EU-funded joint action on public health to date—emphasizing the importance of upstream interventions and the structural determinants of health. His remarks built on the legacy of the Nordic model and reinforced the urgency of embedding prevention into broader policy frameworks.
Meet the 2025 Youth Advisory Group
The new Youth Advisory Group (YAG) cohort has officially launched! Representing youth across Europe, these dynamic individuals will help shape communication strategies, provide feedback on project initiatives, and act as ambassadors for prevention. Their perspectives will be especially valuable as JA PreventNCD continues to prioritize youth engagement across work packages.
JA PreventNCD at the OECD Policy Dialogue on Cardiovascular Disease
5 May 2025 | Paris, France
JA PreventNCD participated in the OECD Policy Dialogue on the Burden of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) in the EU, held in Paris. The event convened stakeholders from EU and OECD countries, civil society, and intergovernmental organizations to inform a forthcoming OECD report on strategies to address CVD—the leading cause of death in Europe. Linda Granlund, Project Coordinator of JA PreventNCD, presented the project's strategic approach, emphasizing the importance of addressing shared risk factors like unhealthy diets, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity. She highlighted the critical role of policy-based and population-level interventions in reducing risk and improving health equity. JA PreventNCD looks forward to contributing further insights to the OECD's ongoing work in this area.
Do European NCD and Risk Factor Policies Address Health Inequities?
That’s the key question being explored by a working group focused on identifying evidence around how national policies address inequalities in cancer and other non-communicable diseases (Task 7.2). This work is part of the Work Package on Social Inequalities (WP7) and benefits from close collaboration with national policy experts and contributors across participating countries.
The main aim of this work in is to assess whether and how national policies on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their common risk factors address health inequities across European countries. Policy documents under review include those on:
- NCDs: integrated strategies, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and COPD.
- Behavioural risk factors: tobacco, alcohol, diet and nutrition, and physical activity
The information on the content of national policy documents will be used to create a comparative overview and evaluation of how participating countries use policy to reduce inequities in NCDs, in their treatment and management, and in their common behavioural risk factors. Few cross-country comparisons exist in this field, and we aim to bridge this knowledge gap so results can inform both national and European strategies in efforts to prevent NCDs and reduce health inequities. Such in-depth overviews are only possible through strong cross-country collaboration – and JA PreventNCD offers just that.
Advancing NCD Prevention: Key Takeaways from the Budapest ExCo Meeting
5–6 March 2025 | Budapest, Hungary
The first in-person Executive Committee (ExCo) and External Expert Advisory Board (EEAB) meetings of 2025 were held at the National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy (NNGYK) in Budapest. These sessions brought together work package leaders, EEAB members, and coordinators focusing on cross-cutting themes such as nutrition, physical activity, alcohol, and tobacco to discuss progress, challenges, and future strategies.
Day one featured strategic discussions on sustainability and best practices, with insights from the European Commission, WHO, and OECD on leveraging EU Best Practice Portals and WHO Best Buys for effective NCD prevention. Presentations by Dr. Gauden Galea and Dr. Marion Devaux highlighted the importance of policy-driven, evidence-based approaches to public health challenges.
On the second day, the focus shifted to project evaluation, communication strategies, stakeholder mapping, and private sector involvement. The meetings concluded with feedback from EEAB members and reflections on the next steps for JA PreventNCD, emphasizing the importance of breaking silos, creating synergies, and aligning efforts across the initiative.
JACARDI Spotlight
Addressing Gender Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease
A recent JACARDI Masterclass, led by Dr. Héctor Bueno, co-leader of Work Package 7, delved into the persistent gender disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite CVD being the leading cause of death among women in Europe, women often face under-recognition, underdiagnosis, and delayed treatment. Biological differences, such as smaller heart size and hormonal influences, contribute to varied symptoms and treatment responses. Dr. Bueno emphasized the need for inclusive research, gender-specific clinical guidelines, and heightened awareness to ensure equitable care for women with CVD.
Visit Our Website and Stay Connected with JA PreventNCD on Social Media!
Don't forget to follow JA PreventNCD on our social media platforms to stay informed and engaged with our progress and initiatives.
Be part of the conversation and help spread the word about our work. Follow, share, and engage with us!
Visit our website preventncd.eu for the latest news and update!