Sessions

This event forms part of the VITALIS conference, but pre-registration is required. Click on this session to access the registration link.VALO invites experts, professionals and decision-makers in the health sector from the Nordics and across Europe to the first stakeholder forum of the project. The forum showcases the interim results of the VALO project and advances the discussion on Nordic collaboration in the implementation of the European Health Data Space (EHDS).

In the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare data analytics, the OMOP Common Data Model (CDM) has emerged as a game-changer, revolutionizing the way real-world evidence (RWE) is generated and utilized. This presentation gives an introduction to the OMOP Common Data model and its open community. It highlights OMOP's role in enhancing data interoperability, facilitating multi-country observational studies, and its synergy with other standards. This presentation is the first in a series of presentations given as an introduction to OMOP at Vitalis.

This session builds on the previous OMOP 101 session. IT will provide a more practical perspective for organizations looking to adopt the OMOP Common Data Model (CDM) and join the OHDSI community to get started with federated analytics. The presentation will draw from the OMOP experience from Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) and outline key steps, required competencies, and infrastructure needed for implementation, as well as information on how to join and leverage the international OHDSI network in the process.The presentation will show how HUS has successfully navigated the process from data sources, through ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) to OMOP data, quality control, to the first federated real-world study, and further into swarm-learning for predictive modelling.This presentation is the second in a series of presentations given as an introduction to OMOP at Vitalis.

This presentation provides a practical overview of implementing the OMOP CDM in a collaborative, pan-European oncology research setting and learnings from a specific study. Professor Åslaug Helland will present a case study from the DigiONE pilot project, where harmonized oncology data was used to evaluate overall survival (OS) in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) patients based on metastasis location. The study leveraged federated analysis across multiple European cancer centers, including Oslo University Hospital, to generate real-world evidence while preserving patient privacy. 
This presentation is the third in a series of presentations given as an introduction to OMOP at Vitalis.

This panel discussion explores how a Nordic federated network can unlock the full potential of Nordic health data and strengthen Real-World Evidence (RWE) generation.Professor Kimmo Porkka from Helsinki University Hospital and founder of FinOMOP will introduce the session with a presentation on FinOMOP—a nationwide, population-based harmonized health data infrastructure in Finland, aiming for full coverage by 2026. Through collaboration with all five Finnish university hospitals and national registries, a large share of patient data (70%) is already mapped to OMOP CDM.Following his introduction, the panel will discuss how Sweden and other Nordic countries can build on FinOMOP’s success to leverage its high-quality health data and create a Nordic-wide federated research network. The discussion will explore lessons learned from existing federated networks, the steps Sweden should take to harmonize health data for secondary use, and which data sources should be prioritized for maximum impact. Can the Nordics be a global hub for pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, AI-driven healthcare innovators, and clinical trial sponsors seeking access to high-quality, real-time real-world data.This session concludes the four-part OMOP introduction at Vitalis, providing a forum for next steps, collaboration opportunities, and practical insights on Nordic OMOP adoption.

This session gives an overview of the challenges with AI in healthcare and presents the Trustworthy and Reliable AI Network TRAIN Europe

The Extended Electronic Health Record (Xt-EHR) Joint Action supports the Commission’s policy priority for “A Europe fit for the digital age” by implementing the EU4Health Programme’s general objective of “strengthening health systems”. This project enhances the cooperation among Member States (MS) regarding the content and functionality of EHR, the interoperability and the exchange of healthcare data, contribute to the preparation of the foundations for the improved primary use of electronic health data, the most recently voted new regulation for the European Health Data Space (EHDS), and empower individuals to control their health data.

This session explores the ambitious goals of the European Health Data Space and the steps needed to fully realize its potential. It will focus on lessons learned from past initiatives, the role of TEHDAS2 and the Nordic VALO project, and the path forward for a harmonized and impactful health data framework in the EU.

Even under the most extreme conditions — including full-scale invasion, mass displacement of civilians, and systematic attacks on healthcare infrastructure — Ukraine has managed to maintain the functioning of its health system by relying on a robust digital backbone: the national Electronic Health System. With over 35 million patient records and more than 400,000 connected healthcare professionals, the system ensures secure medical data exchange, supports continuity of healthcare services, and enables real-time coordination across all regions of the country.What began as part of a healthcare reform agenda before the pandemic has evolved into a nationwide system ensuring interoperability and efficiency under extreme conditions. Ukraine’s experience demonstrates how public digital infrastructure — when built with flexibility, national stewardship, and long-term vision — can sustain essential services even in crisis.This presentation offers a powerful case study on how public sector digital transformation, driven by urgency, innovation, and determination, can operate under fire—and inspire international partnerships for the future of health data exchange in Europe.

Explore the XpanDH project’s key insights into implementing the European Electronic Health Record Exchange Format (EEHRxF) within the European Health Data Space (EHDS). This session highlights actionable strategies to foster interoperability, build trust, and drive digital health innovation across Europe.

Dataspace4Health (DS4H) in Luxembourg showcases a practical pathway to implementing the European Health Data Space. By addressing critical health data challenges in diabetes and cancer, DS4H demonstrates how secure, compliant data ecosystems can enhance care delivery and advance research. This lecture will explore Luxembourg's current approach to primary and secondary use of data and the Gaia-X framework through real-world healthcare applications.

The Dorieh Data Platform, developed in collaboration with Harvard, utilizes comprehensive data management tools, including domain-specific languages, to enhance data provenance and regulatory compliance in health research. By enabling detailed lineage tracking and error logging, Dorieh ensures trustworthy and reproducible use of health data. Its application to Medicare data demonstrates its effectiveness, with potential scalability to frameworks like the European Health Data Space, reinforcing modern data governance strategies.

A presentation of important EHDS questions from the perspective of Region Stockholm and Karolinska University Hospital.

Presentation of of the Horizon Europe project, AIDAVA with specific focus on 3 aspects: architecture and technology components,  results of the evaluation of the first generation of the prototype, value of AIDAVA as interoperability enabler for the implementation of the EHDS

The infrastructure, called Cancer Image Europe, is designed to preserve the data sovereignty of providers, and provide a platform, including an Atlas of Cancer Images, for the development and benchmarking of AI tools towards Precision Medicine.EUCAIM and the Cancer Image Europe platform targets clinicians, researchers, and innovators, providing the means to finally build up validated clinical decision-making systems supporting diagnosis, treatment, and predictive medicine to benefit citizens.The project is half-way and an update of recent achievements will be presented.

Problem space: There is a lot of buzz around the main standards in the field of medical informatics: FHIR and OMOP. They seem to be similar, but then are very different, in their use cases, in their approach to managing the structural and semantic space, in their way to operationalize and develop the standard, in their rigidity or flexibility, in their way to be adopted by a global community, in their way to measure success. Some folks are trying to move towards merger, convert from one to the other, usurp each others main use cases or even deny their raison d'etre.

Join Rachel Dunscombe, CEO of openEHR International, and Grahame Grieve, Product Director of HL7 FHIR, in a dynamic fireside chat exploring the evolving collaboration between openEHR and FHIR. This session will shed some light on how their synergistic efforts are shaping the global interoperability landscape and its impact on EU regulatory efforts.

The presentation will focus on explaining how IHE works, how IHE has evolved in the FHIR and EHDS era and more specifically why testing and the testing continuum are of critical importance in the successful development of Digital Healthcare transformation processes that incorporate interoperability transactions.

This panel explores how Europe can approach health data standardization in a way that is both purpose-driven and implementation-ready. Moderated by Alexander Berler (IHE), the session brings together perspectives from Inera, SNOMED International, Cambio , and CEN/TC 251 to discuss how standards like FHIR, openEHR, SNOMED CT, and OMOP can be applied effectively across diverse healthcare settings. Panelists will address how to align national strategies with EHDS objectives while keeping interoperability practical and scalable.

Moderatorn inleder och sammanfattar vad vi hörde på Keynote-passet på Stora scenen på tisdagen och lägger grunden för dagens diskussioner om EHDS.