ΑΤΗΕΝS – This year, on June 23 & 24, we are taking a fresh new approach to the SNF Nostos Conference. In collaboration with journalism nonprofit iMEdD (the incubator for Media Education and Development) and with integral participation by young people coming from different fields, countries, and perspectives, we are creating an open, interactive, and dynamic two-day event for all. As part of this effort, we have created the SNF Nostos Youth Advisory Committee—a group of young people that offers space for open dialogue, for listening to young people’s concerns and opinions on health-related issues, and for inviting them to help shape the program of the SNF Nostos Conference.

We will discuss the progress of the SNF Health Initiative and the core values that underpin all its individual projects, including ensuring access to high-quality health services for all, harnessing the power of public-private partnerships, and implementing an open, transparent, and participatory development process. Through the lens of the initiative, we will examine a range of issues—from the design and development of internationally leading public hospitals to the empowerment of nursing staff and the importance of mental health as an integral part of our overall health. A Template for Future Hospitals, an exhibition featuring architectural models of the three new hospitals designed by Renzo Piano and the Renzo Piano Building Workshop included in the Initiative will also be on display.

SNF Nostos Conference morning sessions 24/6 GR from Stavros Niarchos Foundation on Vimeo.

We will touch on major issues such as bioethics, global social inequality in health, and the role of doctors in war zones, an issue highlighted by the war in Ukraine. We will also bring to the fore less discussed but equally important issues, such as scientific journalism, the use of psychedelics in mental health treatments, robotics, and the future of medicine as shaped by new technologies.

We are not approaching this dialogue on health, or on the various specific issues we are examining, as a one-time, open-and-shut discussion. The conversation will inevitably expand, deepen, and flow beyond the event venues. Through parallel activities and interactive exhibitions, visitors, as active participants, will be able to engage in sports games in a virtual reality environment, watch a unique kind of basketball game, browse an exhibition by photographer Thodoris Nikolaou dedicated to mental health, and explore a global health data map created by Johns Hopkins University.

We have invited major leading lights to participate in the SNF Nostos Conference. We believe, however, that all of us need to become participants, to actively engage and put forward our thoughts, questions, and ideas. This year, the SNF Nostos Conference has been designed so that everyone will be able to be heard, especially young people, since the future of health must be of their concern as well.
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Admission to SNF Nostos Health events is free. However, due to limited venue capacity, admission to each SNF Nostos Conference event will be offered on a first come, first served basis with priority given to those who have pre-registered online. For everyone’s convenience, the Conference discussions will be broadcast live in Stavros Niarchos Hall.