Bernadett Varga is a freelance public health professional, former Scientific Collaborator of the Brussels-based Université Catholique de Louvain and co-author of a Springer publication titled Access to Primary Care and Preventative Health Services of Migrants (2018). She started her early career as a health advocate, holds a BSc degree in Communications from the University of Szeged, Hungary, studied Medicine at the Semmelweis University before earning her MSc degree in European Public Health at the University of Maastricht and holds a certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School – Executive Education. She is an expert on EU public health policies, has worked for the Council of Europe, has collaborated with the World Health Organization and the United Nations OHCHR on formulating health policy recommendations targeting vulnerable groups. Her research focuses on health disparities in Europe as well as on the access to healthcare services for disadvantaged groups, such as the Roma and migrant populations. Bernadett resides in Brussels, Belgium.
Contributor: Bernadett M. Varga
A scientist’s opinion: interview with Prof. Dr. Nicole Grobert on ‘One Health’
After the Commission had tasked its Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (GCSA) with providing advice on One Health Governance in the EU, a report and a scientific opinion was published end of 2024. It assessed how the EU can align its policies with the One Health approach, improving coordination between different sectors like food production, ...
‘One Health’ and the role of science for better policy
As Europe faces overlapping challenges - from public health threats to biodiversity loss and environmental degradation - the need for integrated, evidence-based policymaking has never been clearer. The ‘One Health’ concept, which recognises the interconnection between human, animal and environmental health is now increasingly influencing the way policy is shaped. ‘One Health’ is gaining significant ...
A scientist’s opinion: interview with Prof. Dr. Jakob Zinsstag-Klopfenstein on ‘One Health’
Epidemiology Professor Jakob Zinsstag (University of Basel, Switzerland) leads a research group focused on the interface of human and animal health, particularly zoonoses and the health of nomadic populations, under the ‘One Health’ approach. He also is a member of the One Health High Level Expert Panel of the Quadripartite Organizations: the World Health Organization ...
A scientist’s opinion: Interview with Bertalan Meskó on the use of artificial intelligence in public health
Dr. Bertalan Meskó works at Semmelweis Medical School in Budapest (Hungary) and is also known as “The Medical Futurist”. He specialises in analysing the impact of technologies on global medicine and healthcare. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into healthcare systems, concerns about data privacy, algorithmic bias, and transparency have surfaced. In your opinion, what strategies ...
The role of AI in public health – future perspectives
Artificial Intelligence (AI) already has and will continue to have significant impacts on many areas, including health and public health. This transformative technology can perform a multitude of tasks in healthcare, from answering patient questions to assisting with surgeries and developing new pharmaceutical products. Which are the benefits and harms of using AI in these fields? We asked experts about the considerations of health ethics and AI in public health.
A scientist’s opinion: Interview with Wannes Van Hoof on the use of artificial intelligence in public health
Dr. Wannes Van Hoof PhD works at the Cancer Centre of the Belgian Institute of Public Health Sciensano. There, he leads a team working on patient/citizen engagement and the ethical aspects of the secondary use of health data, innovative cancer therapies and the implementation of genomic technologies in healthcare. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly ...
Risks and challenges of the agent of the lung disease Mycoplasma pneumoniae
The prevalence of this atypical lung infection agent is widely underestimated - people are often not even aware that they have it - and many antibiotics cannot effectively treat it; Mycoplasma pneumoniae outbreaks occur every few years. This winter, countries like China, Denmark, France and the Netherlands reported an increase in cases, especially in children. ...
Interview with Dr. Ed Pertwee: vaccine hesitancy and lessons learnt
Rumors, conspiracy theories and misinformation during a health crisis: "The problem seems to be informational reliance on social media, not social media usage per se," says expert Dr. Ed Pertwee. With possible new Covid-19 waves in the back of our mind and in order to save lives, understanding communication during a health emergency is critically ...