Universität zu Köln: Research Alumni

Research Alumni Project Week: Global Digital Health

Interdisciplinary Challenges from International Perspectives

Public Lecture: Challenges and Perspectives in Global Digital Health

Focus on Healthy Ageing

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Research Alumni Project Week

Global Digital Health

A stylized globe is surrounded by silhouettes of people, medical icons such as a caduceus, heart, and wheelchair, and golden circuit-like patterns. The colour scheme transitions from cool blues on the left to warm orange hues on the right, where a light source in the background gives the impression of a sunrise. Text: Image generated by AI and edited by DKFZ.

The Research Alumni Project Week "Global Digital Health - Interdisciplinary Challenges from International Perspectives" is a collaborative initiative bringing together Research Alumni and local researchers from 6 German partner institutions (DKFZ, KIT, the Universities of Cologne, Münster, Siegen and Heidelberg University) from 20 – 26 November 2025 in Cologne and Heidelberg.

Research Alumni from developing, emerging, and industrialised countries were invited to apply.

We are expecting 25 project-funded participants from 21 countries!

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World map showing the countries participating in the Global Digital Health 2025 event, each marked with a uniquely colored pin that corresponds to a legend on the right side of the image. The participating countries are China, Nigeria, Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Tanzania, Turkey, Israel, Ukraine, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and Norway. Each country is pinpointed on the map to indicate its participation in the Global Digital Health event.

Interested researchers from participating institutions are welcome to join individual programme components on any day during the project week.

Programme

Further Information

The project is supported by the DAAD with funds form the Federal Foreign Office (AA) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The Cologne part of the event is being held in cooperation with the Cologne International Forum.

Public Events

Public Lecture: Challenges and Perspectives in Global Digital Health — Focus on Healthy Ageing

As part of the Research Alumni Project Week ‘Global Digital Health - Interdisciplinary Challenges from International Perspectives’

With M. Cristina Polidori

20 November 2025, 18:30

Location: University of Cologne, Lecture Hall XVIII (entrance from Main Building ground floor), Albertus-Magnus-Platz

M. Cristina Polidori is a senior physician and Full Professor and Head of Ageing Clinical Research at the Dpt. II for Internal Medicine, Cologne University Hospital as well as PI at the Cologne Excellence Cluster on Aging and Aging-Associated Diseases. She is a specialist in gerontology and geriatrics as well as in internal medicine and geriatrics, holds a Master of Philosophy and is a professor of physiological chemistry.

She is a former fellow of Harvard University, of the EU Marie Curie Program Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources, and of the Robert Bosch Foundation. M. C. Polidori is president elect of the German Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics and member of the Academic Board of the European Geriatric Medicine Society.

She has obtained several prestigious recognitions for her studies on person-centered medicine and healthy centenarians including the honorary fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of London. Her main research interest is innovation for healthy ageing, including digital solutions. She has a h-Index of 60.