“ÖGD meets science”: Data creates facts
On November 18, 2025, the event “ÖGD meets Science” brought together experts from health authorities, state administration, medical associations, and university medicine on the campus of Magdeburg University Hospital. The focus was on how research results can strengthen daily work in the public health service (ÖGD) and be translated into concrete measures for protecting the health of the population.
Lectures and discussion panels highlighted key topics such as suicide prevention, infection control, and the growing challenges of antimicrobial resistance (“silent pandemic”). Other contributions showed how scientific findings can be used to specifically improve preventive health services for vulnerable groups, such as children from socially disadvantaged families or with a migrant background.
Finally, doctoral students presented their ongoing projects at a poster exhibition, ranging from the evaluation of school entrance examinations and early intervention services in Magdeburg to perspectives from relatives of people with long COVID and people with chronic fatigue syndrome.
The conclusion of the event can be summed up with a quote from Prof. Christian Apfelbacher, director of the Institute for Social Medicine and Health System Research at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and initiator of the meeting: “From observation to action.” It became clear that joint projects and close exchange between science and public health services are crucial for using “data for action” – for example, in data integration, infection control, and the management of antibiotic resistance in line with the One Health approach. The contributions emphasized that networked cooperation between health care, veterinary medicine, and environmental medicine is indispensable.
The event impressively demonstrated that public health services and science can achieve a great deal together and marks an essential step toward sustainable, cooperative public health care in Saxony-Anhalt. We want to express our sincere thanks to all the speakers and participants for their enthusiastic involvement and constructive exchange. A follow-up event in the same format is planned for next year.
Foto: Veranstaltung „ÖGD trifft Wissenschaft“ auf dem Campus der Universitätsmedizin Magdeburg. Foto: privat