January 28 – 29, 2027, at Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Pilestredet 46, Norway
Pandemics are transformative events that leave lasting marks on population health, mortality, and social structures. While immediate impacts such as short-term infection-related impact on health and mortality are well documented, far less is known about the aftermath of a pandemic in the mid- to long-term both in direct and indirect health and mortality impact.
Mortality and disease patterns may shift and survivors may face lasting physical and psychological consequences, including post-viral syndromes, mental health challenges, or worsening of chronic conditions. Health systems may adapt by placing greater emphasis on surveillance, preventive care, and preparedness for future crises. Demographic effects may also occur, e.g., on life expectancy, birth rates,
and age-specific mortality rates. Pandemic mitigation strategies may also have disrupted normal disease patterns and affected population immunity to non-pandemic diseases, with out-of-season epidemics as a consequence. Furthermore, in-utero exposure to a pandemic can have long-term effects on the future health of those born during a pandemic. Post-pandemic periods can reveal or amplify existing health
inequalities, and the effects of pandemics often extend beyond the acute phase of infection, influencing long-term patterns of mortality and overall population health.
This workshop will focus on these poorly understood effects. We invite submissions that engage with questions related to the aftermath of a pandemic, such as:
- How do mortality patterns change, and which causes of death increase or decrease?
- are mortality changes influenced by socio-demographic or socio-economic factors?
- What demographic effects arise following an epidemic?
- How do pandemics interact with the epidemoilogy of other infectious diseases?
- How are healthcare systems impacted or restructured?
- Is there an increase in hospitalizations for specific diseases?
- What are the short- and long-term health and mortality effects for individuals born during a pandemic?
If you are interested in participating in this workshop, please submit a 300-word abstract and include a title, author(s), affiliation(s) via the form (https://forms.gle/3KxXwCKxMVQUjt8S6)
Abstracts should be written in English. Attendance to the workshop is limited to 25 participants.
Following the workshop, we plan to pursue a special issue of a scientific journal.
Deadline for submissions: 11 September 2026
Notification of acceptance: 1 October 2026
For information on Oslo, see https://www.visitoslo.com/en/
Questions? Contact: Katarina Matthes, katarina.matthes@iem.uzh.ch
Scholarship: Limited funding for travel and accommodation is available to members of the COST Action GREATLEAP. To apply, please briefly explain your need for a scholarship in the form. Priority will be given to early career researchers presenting at the workshop.
Organisers
Katarina Matthes, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich
Svenn-Erik Mamelund, Centre for Research on Pandemics & Society (PANSOC), Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway
Maarten van Wijhe, Department of People and Technology & PandemiX – Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Pandemic Signatures, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark
Harris Bendel, Department of People and Technology, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark
This workshop is also supported by the COST-Action GREATLEAP (CA22116) and the IUSSP Panel ‘Epidemics and Contagious Diseases: The Legacy of the Past’