From Knowledge to Impact: Transformational Learning in Global Health
Swiss TPH Symposium, 9 September 2026
Education is central to translating knowledge into real-world impact. As global health challenges evolve, so must the way we teach and learn. New competencies, innovative formats, and relevant content are needed to prepare the next generation of global health professionals and leaders.
Through dialogue and co-creation, this symposium offers a space to reflect on the future of global health education and how knowledge can translate into tangible improvements in health systems and communities.
The event also celebrates the 30th anniversary of the tropEd network, a pioneering global learning community that has shaped international standards in global health education and strengthened collaboration across institutions worldwide.
Education and health professionals, students, and alumni will come together to explore how learning must adapt to meet today’s challenges. Participants will exchange ideas and best practices on:
- Transformational learning approaches
- innovative teaching and learning methods
- international collaboration in education
- AI and experiential learning
When and where
| Date | 9 September 2026 |
| Time | 09:00- 17:00 CEST |
| Venue | Swiss TPH Kreuzstrasse 2 4123 Allschwil Switzerland |
Programme
| 08:30 | On-site Registration (8:55 virtual check-in) |
Opening
Moderator: Karin Gross, Swiss TPH
| 09:00 | Welcome and Setting the Stage, Julia Bohlius, Head of Education, Swiss TPH, and Bruno Broucker, tropEd President |
Inspirational Talks: Transformation in Global Health – Transformational Learning for Global Health
Moderator: tba
| 09:30 | Beyond the Classroom: Understanding the Field of Practice, Georgina Yeboah, Executive Director AFREhealth, Ghana |
| 09:50 | Transformational Learning in the Age of AI: Preparing Humans for an Uncertain Future, Ulf-Daniel Ehlers, DHBW Karlsruhe, Germany |
| 10:10 | Global Health Education: Reflections on three decades of transformation, Nuria Casmitjana Badia, IS Global, Spain |
| 10:30 | Coffee Break (30 minutes) |
Learning Labs
11:00 Parallel Sessions
| LL1: Designing Global Health Teaching with AI: From Syllabus to Lesson Plan, Nina Bach, hanketeachertraining, Sem. Room 4 |
| LL 2: Immersive Reality Simulations in Global Health Training: Transformative Tool or Expensive Hype? Dewi Jani Puradiredja, Christoph Pimmer, Jennifer Chipps, Sem. Room 5 + 6 |
| LL 3: Fostering 21st-Century Attitudes in Higher Education, Kimon Schneider, ksc consulting, and Irenka Krone, CINFO, Sem. Room 2 |
| LL 4: Teaching Global Health in a Digital Age: Who Gets Left Out of the Tools We Learn With? Swiss TPH and troped Students, Sem. Room 1 |
| 12:30 Lunch Break (60 minutes) |
30 Years of Networking for Education in International Health - tropEd
Moderator: tba
| 13:30 | The Beginning and History of tropEd, Marcel Tanner and Axel Hoffmann, Swiss TPH emeritus |
| 14:10 | TropEd Today and in the Future: A Panel Discussion |
| 14:45 | Coffee Break (30 minutes) |
The Future of International/Global Health Education and Learning
Moderator: tba
| 15:15 | Group Discussions |
| 16:00 | Moderated Fishbowl/Open Panel |
| 16:45 | Closing Words, Jürg Utzinger, Director, Swiss TPH, Günter Fröschl, tropEd, and Markus Eigenmann, Member of the Governing Council Canton Basel-Land |
| 17:00 | End of the Day |
Speakers
Julia Bohlius
Head of Education, Swiss TPH
Ulf Daniel Ehlers
Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University, Germany
Axel Hoffmann
Unit Head em., Digital Training, Swiss TPH
Karin Gross
Unit Head, Professional Postgraduate Training, Swiss TPH
Bruno Broucker
President, tropEd
Nuria Casmitjana Badia
Prof., IS Global, Spain
Günter Fröschl
Ludwig Maximilians University Clinic, Munich, and Secretariate, tropEd
Jürg Utizinger
Director, Swiss TPH
Georgina Yeboah
Executive Director AFREhealth, Ghana
Marcel Tanner
Director em. Swiss TPH
Markus Eigenmann
Member of the Governing Council Canton Basel-Land, Switzerland
Parallel Sessions
Nina Bach
Higher Education Faculty Developer, Hanke Teachertraining
Dewi Jani Puradiredja
Head of Education, Bernhard Noch Institute of Tropical Medicine
Christoph Pimmer
Unit Head, Learning Innovation, Swiss TPH
Irenka Krone-Germann
Director and CEO, Cinfo
Jennifer Chipps
Research Chair, Digital Health, University of the Western Cape
Kimon Schneider
Independent Consultant, ksc consulting