The BUMPER project consortium recently gathered for their midterm meeting in the picturesque city of Turin, Italy. The meeting unfolded over two intensive days, on the 12th and 13th of October 2023, at the Screening Epidemiology Office of the San Giovanni Hospital of Turin. The event was hosted with warm hospitality by the project partner, the Reference Center for Epidemiology and Oncology Prevention in Piedmont (CPO), under the guidance of Dr. Livia Giordano.
The first day of the meeting saw a comprehensive review of BUMPER’s achievements during its first year, with Dr. Wendy Yared, director of the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL), providing an overview of the project’s progress. Project management and coordination were discussed by Helena Ros, BUMPER project manager from ECL, highlighting the successful efforts to keep the consortium and app developers on track. Diana Nemes from Babeş-Bolyai University (BBU) presented the advancements in evaluation (WP2), and the CPO team outlined the meticulous process of validating the content of the EU Mobile App for Cancer Prevention (WP3).
Dr. Carolina Espina, from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC – WHO), shared the updates of the 5th edition of the European Code Against Cancer (ECAC5). The ECAC5 continues to evolve, incorporating the latest scientific developments, evidence, and communication strategies.
The following session, led by Marina Pinto from the Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencian Community (Fisabio), focused on addressing health literacy via the engagement of end users of the App (WP4). Dr. Silvana Romero, representing the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), delved into the training and capacity building efforts aimed at enhancing the usability of the App (WP5). Furqan Ahmed, from the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology (BIPS), provided insights into the sessions that have recently started across various EU Member States for piloting the usability of the App (WP6). Maria Krini, on behalf of the Cyprus Association of Cancer Patients and Friends (PASYKAF), discussed the engagement with promoters to collaborate in piloting actions, underscoring the importance of a collaborative approach.
On the second day, the focus shifted to dissemination and communication strategies. Helena Ros presented the dissemination strategy for the EU mobile App for cancer prevention (WP7), and Andrea Blanco from Fisabio provided valuable insights into the project’s communication and dissemination plan. One of the highlights of the meeting was the workshop on the Health Literacy & Equity Guide, conducted by Marina Pinto and Andrea Blanco from Fisabio, to ensure the equity and health literacy perspective is considered throughout the entire project. The event concluded with an overview and discussion of the next steps in app development, delivered by Helena Ros.
The BUMPER consortium is now poised for a dynamic and busy 12-month period, with a renewed sense of purpose as they support and enhance the design, development and targeted promotion of the EU Mobile App for Cancer Prevention. Exciting work is coming up, and you can stay updated on the project’s progress by visiting bumper.cancer.eu.
For further information or inquiries about the project, feel free to reach out to the BUMPER Coordination team at bumper@cancer.eu.
For more information about the EU4Health program, you can visit this link.
