Background
The Centre for Pandemics and One Health Research (P1H) invites you to join us for a two-day seminar: "Managing the Next Biological Crisis: Preparedness for a diverse population".
Taking place on April 20th and 21st, 2026, this seminar brings together leading researchers and experts to discuss our readiness for future biological threats. The event is divided into two distinct days:
Please register to attend the event
Language
The event will be held in English.
Programme
Programme Day 1, Monday, April 20th, 09.00-16.00, Gamle Festsal
09:00-09:20 Prof. Gunnveig Grødeland, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UiO - Welcome
09:20-10:45 Session 1: Zoonoses and One-Health.
3 x 15-min talks + a panel discussion, Moderator Dr. Ragnhild Tønnessen, Norwegian Veterinary Institute
09:20-09:35 Preventing the next pandemic pathogen: the good news and the bad news
Prof. Felicia Keesing, Bard College, USA
09:35-09:50 Pre-emergence prevention in bats and rats.
Prof. Peter Hudson, Penn State, USA
09:50-10:05 Yersinia pestis, the Black Death bacterium, in nature and in people across Eurasia and North Africa
Prof. Nils Chr. Stenseth, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, UiO
10:05-10:45 Panel Discussion:
• Environmental role in pandemic risk.
• Zoonotic potentials
• Monitoring environmental triggers.
10:45-11:00 Coffee break
11:00-12:30 Session 2: Predicting virus-host interactions, and risk assessments. 3 x 15-min talks + a panel discussion, Moderator Prof. Gunnveig Grødeland
11:00-11:15 Virus-host interactions
Prof. Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Icahn School of Medicine, USA
11:15-11:30 Immunological background in populations
Dr. Fridtjof Lund-Johansen, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UiO
11:30-11:45 Legal frameworks for crisis management
Prof. Inger Johanne Sand, Department of Public and International Law, Faculty of Law, UiO
11:45-12:30 Panel Discussion:
• Risk assessment and pre-existing protection in a diverse population.
• Legal frameworks for management of pathogenic risk.
12:30-13:20 Lunch break
13:20-14:30 Session 3: What political and public health structures do we need to prepare for the next pandemic?
3 x 15-min talks + a panel discussion, Moderator Dr. Stig Tollefsen, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
13:20-13:35 Preparedness planning
Prof. Anne Moen, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, UiO
13:35-13:50 Denmark's Minkgate scandal
Prof. Jostein Askim, Dept. of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, UiO
13:50-14:05 Global infectious diseases and clinical trial setup
Prof. Anna Ma Dyrhol Riise, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UiO
14:05-14:45 Panel Discussion:
• Rational activation of healthcare sector
• Population risk perception
• Managing misinformation and public trust
14:45-15:00 Coffee
15:00-16:00 Session 4: What social and governance updates do we need to prepare for the next pandemic.
2 x 15-min talks + a panel discussion, Moderator Prof. Eli Feiring, Department of Health Management and Health Economics, Faculty of Medicine, UiO
15:00-15:15 Global governance updates since COVID
Dr. Antoine de Bengy Puyvallée, Centre for Global Sustainability, UiO
15:15-15:30 Economic resilience
Prof. Halvor Mehlum, Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, UiO
15:30-16:10 Panel Discussion:
• Societal costs of risk mitigation.
• Local vs global preparedness and management.
16:10-16:20 Gunnveig Grødeland - Thanks
Programme Day 2, Tuesday, April 21st, 09.00-13.30, LSH Hannah Ryggen room 1004
09:00-9:30 Positioning Norway as an international leader in pandemic research and management
Prof. Gunnveig Grødeland, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UiO
09:30-10:30 Session 5: Technology & broadening the scope.
Project Snapshots (10 mins each) + Discussion, Moderator Jason D. Whittington
09:30-09:40 Digital Twins for epidemiology
Dr. Simon Plakolb, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, UiO & Berk Haszhamolla, Department of Informatics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, UiO
09:40-09:50 Impaired Germinal Center Dynamics in mice following Influenza Vaccination during Diet-Induced Obesity
Kristin Lunder Klausen, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UiO
09:50-10:00 Repeated exposures to influenza viruses - an imprinting study in mice.
Dr. Elias Tjärnhage, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UiO
Discussion: Knowledge development for future preparedness
10:30-10:45 Coffee break
10:45-11:10 Session 6: Plague study system.
Project Snapshots + Discussion, Moderator Jason D. Whittington
10:45-11:00 Plague research updates
Prof. Nils Chr. Stenseth, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, UiO
11:00-11:10 Modelling Historical Plague Dynamics: Volga and Eyam
Dr. Bornali Das & Joy Banik, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, UiO
11:10-11:30 Communication Strategies
11:10-11:20 General strategy
Prof. Gunnveig Grødeland, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UiO
11:20-11:30 SoMe and student engagement
Julie Andersen and Julie Trydal, Centre for Pandemics and One-health Research
11:30-1230 Lunch