The SHAFE movement gained renewed momentum at the Digital Public Health (DPH) 2025 Conference, held in Madeira, where Carina Dantas, one of SHAFE Directors, won the Best Student Abstract Award for the paper “Implementation by Inclusivity in European Health System-Level Digital Solutions”, developed by a multidisciplinary team including Lars Münter, a SHAFE Ambassador, as well as Miriam Cabrita, Paloma Moraga Alapont, Nina Sønderberg.
The award highlights the value of the Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments (SHAFE) approach, a growing European movement led by the SHAFE Foundation to make digital transformation more inclusive, equitable, and accessible.
The work synthesizes key lessons from leading European initiatives including IHI READI, RadioVal, myHealth@myHands, Nordic Health 2030, and the SHAFE Foundation itself.
At the heart of the paper is a recognition that digital health solutions must be implemented with systemic inclusivity, a core tenet of the SHAFE vision. Originating in 2017 and now coordinated through the Foundation, SHAFE promotes the alignment of technology, health, built environments, and policy to ensure that all people, especially people in vulnerable situations, can thrive in smart and supportive communities.
“This paper is a testament to the practical relevance of the SHAFE model, blending digital innovation with human-centered design and multi-sector collaboration,” said Carina Dantas, co-founder of the SHAFE Foundation and CEO of SHINE 2Europe. The paper aligns closely with the SHAFE philosophy by emphasising participatory approaches, citizen engagement, and cross-sectoral learning, which are all necessary to shape health systems that are both digitally advanced and socially just.
Hosted by the UCL Centre for Digital Public Health in Emergencies, DPH 2025 was held in Funchal, Portugal, and brought together global stakeholders in digital public health. The conference emphasized interdisciplinary exchange, making it the ideal stage to showcase a paper that connects AI, ethics, care pathways, and inclusion through a SHAFE lens.
📘 Conference proceedings: View here
