In a matter of months, the emergence of a new human coronavirus has brought global society to a standstill, sent vibrant economies spiralling into freefall, overwhelmed and placed untold stress on health systems, and caused death, illness and despair to billions of people worldwide. As this existential shock and continuing threat to life reverberates through societies, international health systems are adapting and reshaping at speed. The direct and indirect impacts on physical and mental health will be felt for years to come.

The convergence of the dual threats of infectious disease and climate crisis, requires actors at all levels of society to construct a comprehensive design narrative for the sustainable development of population-based health systems.

We are delighted to invite you to contribute to the ‘COVID-19 Global Healthcare Design Summit: A New Paradigm’ by submitting abstracts of 400 words in English as any of the following: a) themed paper; b) poster; c) workshop. Presentations in all three formats can be focused on any of research, practice or theory. For more details, please see our abstract guidelines.

To send in your abstract, please use the online abstract submission form. The deadline to submit abstracts is 28 July 2020. 

Potential areas of interest include:

• Strengthening health systems resilience and preparedness; 
• Joining up public health services with health and social care systems;
• Designing in surge acute and critical care capacity;
• The fourth wave: the population health impact of ‘lockdown’;
• Supporting healthcare workforce resilience and mental health;
• Sustainable hospital design: the architecture of adaptable infrastructure; and
• How the pandemic is accelerating innovation in digital health and technology.

We look forward to your contribution to this significant addition to this year’s European Healthcare Design Congress, 14-18 September, 2020 (virtual).