Call for abstracts now open for the 48th World Hospital Congress – Geneva 2025

The International Hospital Federation (IHF) has announced that abstract submissions are now being accepted for the 48th World Hospital Congress. With the University Hospital of Geneva (HUG) and the Canton serving as host, this global event will take place from 10 to 13 November 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. 

The 2025 edition of the IHF World Hospital Congress will be held at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG) from 10 to 13 November. The Congress brings together hospital and healthcare system executives to exchange best practices in leadership and management of healthcare delivery. The Geneva edition is expected to attract over 1500 participants from more than 80 countries. 

The call for abstracts is open to hospital and healthcare executives, managers, professionals, and providers, as well as government, academic and research institutions, and NGOs. The Congress will provide a platform to present projects and programmes that showcase innovations, models, and examples of leadership to international peers.  

A scientific programme to shape the future of healthcare leadership

Under the theme “global learning, local action for every patient”, abstracts for the scientific programme can be submitted for any of the five thematic tracks before the deadline of 28 February 2025.

•    Track 1: Leadership imperatives
•    Track 2: Clinical models enhancing quality and safety
•    Track 3: Environmentally sustainable, resilient, and low-carbon healthcare
•    Track 4: Digital transformation and AI in care and hospital operations
•    Track 5: The human-centred experience – core to all we do

The full submission guidelines and more information about each of the thematic tracks is available here: 

Marking the launch of the call for abstracts, Dr Muna Tahlak, President of the IHF, shared: “The issues faced by hospitals and their communities, the healthcare workforce, and patients are a shared challenge in countries across the globe. At this unique forum, we will shape the future of healthcare delivery in our local settings by learning from fellow leaders from around the world – collaborating for greater quality, safety, equity, and resilience.”

Robert Mardini, Director General of the HUG, added: “Our institution stands shoulder to shoulder with the global IHF membership, bound by a shared commitment to excellence in leadership, knowledge exchange, innovation, and sustainability. Through the strategic choices we make and the policies that we implement, healthcare leaders shape the lives of countless individuals at the heart of healthcare – be they patients, staff or the larger communities that we serve. Mindful of the substantial responsibility we carry, we are shaping the WHC 2025 programme to reflect these values. I warmly invite fellow healthcare leaders around the world to join us, in International Geneva, as we confront the most urgent challenges facing our sector, both today and in the years to come.“

Engaging with Geneva’s healthcare ecosystem 

The 2025 edition will be the first World Hospital Congress to be held in Geneva. It is also a significant occasion for the IHF as the city is home to its headquarters. Switzerland has hosted two previous editions of the congress; in Lucerne in 1955, and in Lausanne in 1983.

Working with the HUG, the Canton of Geneva, and Geneva Convention Bureau, the event’s programme will include opportunities for delegates from their international network to engage with Geneva-based partners, stakeholders and actors in global health. The HUG is an active member within the national hospital federation H+ Swiss Hospitals, which will also play an active role in ensuring the agenda of the Congress week advances healthcare leadership worldwide. H+ Director Anne-Geneviève Bütikofer emphasises: ‘We are delighted to have the IHF Congress in Geneva and to contribute to the programme, fostering exchanges among healthcare experts from around the world.”

Acting for people and planet with the IHF’s Geneva Sustainability Centre 

The IHF Statement for Sustainability, approved by IHF members at the 45th IHF World Hospital Congress in 2022, makes it clear that sustainability is a natural fit with the core purpose of healthcare delivery. Prioritizing low carbon and resilient care delivery is an integral part of planning and delivering the Congress, with the support of the IHF’s Geneva Sustainability Centre, which supports hospital and healthcare executives leading this transformation. As well as embedding sustainability actions across the scientific programme, the organizing committee will prioritize delivering an environmentally sustainable Congress to provide a positive experience to visitors and preserve the local environment.

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