Ghent 2026

Diversity at work

25th EASOM Summer School Ghent, Belgium, 27- 29 August 2026

First announcement by Lutgart Braeckman

Information Flyer

The Theme:

What is it about?

Diversity in the workplace refers to the presence of employees from a wide range of backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, ages, genders, abilities, and other characteristics within an organization.

‘Neurodiversity’ is a way of saying everyone’s brain is different. A neurodiversity approach views autism and other forms of ‘neurodivergence’ – e.g. ADHD, learning difficulties - as natural variations in people and not as “abnormal”.

Why it this important (to teach)?

Workplace diversity creates a dynamic and inclusive environment. Promoting workplace diversity provides a space where everyone feels valued and respected for the viewpoints, ideas, perspectives, and experiences they bring. It creates a sense of belonging, that makes people want to stay, contribute, and enjoy showing up to work.

Inclusion enhances well-being and motivation, reduces work-related stress, and lowers absenteeism and staff turnover, thereby promoting greater stability and continuity of talent. It also encourages more open and constructive communication, improving coordination and effectiveness in day-to-day work.

From a productivity perspective, inclusive environments enable organisations to fully harness the diversity of skills, experiences, and perspectives, particularly when supported by a climate of psychological safety. This leads to better decision-making processes, increased innovation, and more effective resolution of complex problems. Individuals show higher levels of engagement and perform better when they know their contributions are valued.

Implementing diversity initiatives can present various challenges, including resistance to change, mis-communication, and insufficient leadership support. It is important that healthcare professionals and managers understand the different types of diversity in the workplace, as some characteristics, such as race, gender and religion, are protected by law.

The occupational physician can be the central point of contact, as he or she acts as the link between all parties involved. He or she is familiar with the workplace and can consult with the company's HR department, employees and trade union to promote diversity and facilitate inclusion at work.

How to equip students with appropriate knowledge and skills to deal with diversity challenges?

Medical education can contribute to better care and inclusion by developing, implementing, and evaluating curricula on cultural, linguistic and ability differences in healthcare.

The faculty of medicine and health sciences in Ghent is putting diversity consciousness into (Teaching) Practice. Come and join the discussion about a diversity-conscious approach, in which diversity is seen as enriching the learning process for all students.

Training occupational physicians in these competencies will ensure that our workforce is representative of our society and that our working environment is inclusive and will enable every person to use their full potential.

Wednesday, 26-08-2026

15:00 – 19:00 EASOM Board Meeting: EASOM Board members Dinner

Thursday, 27-08-2026, Topics: Migrants and Foreign students

08:45 - 09:15 Registration

09:15 - 09:30 Welcome - Begoña Martínez-Jarreta/ Dean Piet Hoebeke/ Lutgart Braeckman

09:30 - 10:00 Keynote1 "Diversity: general overview" - Nicola Mucci and Antonio Baldassarre  (Italy)

10:00 - 10:30 Keynote 2 "Psychosocial Aspects" - Francisco Díaz-Bretones, University of Granada (Spain and UK)

10:30 -11:00 Coffee break

11:00 - 12:30 Joined Hybrid Mini symposium - EASOM, Ghent (Belgium) and EPICOH, Stockholm (Sweden)

  • Labour Market Disadvantages of Citizens with a Migration Background in Belgium: A Systematic Review - Louise Devos (Belgium)
  • Occupational health of migrant workers - Emine Aktas (Spain), Lode Godderis
  • Characteristics and longitudinal trajectories of immigrant workers who participated in the World Trade Center recovery - Rafael E. de la Hoz (USA)
  • Occupational injury due to accidents among native-born Swedes and immigrants working in Sweden 2003–2020 - Emelie Thern (Sweden)

12:30 - 13:30 Lunch

13:30 - 15:00 Training practices and experiences (1)

  • Interactive session on training diversity - Jeanine Suurmond & Huriye Yaldiz Radboudumc (The Netherlands)

15:00 - 15:30 Coffee break

15:30 - 16:30 Training practices and experiences (2)
Supporting migrants, foreign students- in training and at work: examples from EASOM members

  • Protective measures for workers who welcome migrants & Health surveillance protocols adopted for migrants who become workers in Italy.- Veronica Filetti, University of Enna "Kore" (Italy) and Paola Senia, University of Catania (Italy)
  • The experience of hosting Palestinian students at the University of Catania - Venerando Rapisarda and Giuseppe Sferrazzo, University of Catania (Italy)
  • Experiences from other countries

16:30 - 16:45 Miscellaneous

  • Journal "Work and Health" - Pierluigi Cocco (UK)
  • European OM exam - Olga Gerbosch (UEMS)

16:45 - 17:00 Short Break

17:00 - 18:30 EASOM General Assembly

18:30 - 20:00 Reception (Foyer, building Nobel)

Friday, 28-08-2026, Topics: Migrants, Neurodiversity and Workers with physical disabilities

08:30 - 09:00 Registration

09:00 - 10:30 Migrants: Practices and examples (3)

  • Romania:
    Florina Popescu, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara,
    Gloria Gavrila-Ardelean, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara and "Aurel Vlaicu" University Arad,
    Mihaela Gavrila-Ardelean, "Aurel Vlaicu" University Arad
  • The Netherlands
    Marjolein Bastiaanssen, SGBO Radboudumc
  • Belgium
    Lutgart Braeckman, Ghent
  • France
    Jean-Francois Gehanno, Rouen
  • other countries

10:30 - 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 - 12:30 Workshop Migrants: practices (4) (for EASOM members)

  • Discussion in small groups on how to address different issues

12:30 - 13:30 Lunch

13:30 - 15:30 Neurodiverse and physically disabled workers

  • We are better together: Equality, diversity & inclusion at IKEA Belgium - Yang Yang (Belgium)
  • Perceptions and knowledge about neurodiversity in the workplace - Alberto Rodríguez And Francisco Javier Quintero, Hospital Leonor-Madrid (Spain)
  • Management of workers with disabilities: an Italian perspective - Ermanno Vitale & Francesca Vella, University of Enna "Kore" (Italy)
  • Physically disabled persons - Corina Oancea (Romania)

15:30 - 15:45 Short Break

15:45 - 16:30 Visit Revalidation Centre - Demo Ergo Kit (Functional Capacity Evaluation) (UZ Ghent Campus, K7, entrance 40)

20:00   Dinner www.pakhuis.be

Saturday, 29-08-2026, Topics: Transgender persons and Low socio-economic status

08:30 - 09:00 Registration

09:00 - 10:30 Transgenders and diverse persons 

  • Gender in the Blender - Piet Hoebeke, Dean University Ghent (Belgium)
  • Transitioning and RTW - Tools for the workfloor -  Joy Van de Cauter (Belgium)

10:30 - 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 - 12:00

  • (Low) socio-economic status - Lex Burdorf, Erasmus University, Rotterdam (The Netherlands)
  • New ways of working and occupational health  Sibel Kiran (Turkey)

12:00 - 12:15 Introduction to Summer School 2027 

12:15 - 12:30 Summary of the Summer School 2026

The conference will be held at:

From Address:

UZ Campus
Auditorium, building Nobel, entrance 7 (see n° 7 on campus plan)

Address:Corneel Heymanslaan 10,  9000 Ghent, Belgium

Transport bus and tram : Route Planner - De Lijn

Touristic Information : Ghent, more than a one night stay | Visit Gent

Hotels:

There are different options to book

  1. full program 2,5 days for 300 €
  2. 1-day 27/08 for 150 €
  3. 1-day 28/08 for 150 €
  4. 1/2-day 29/08 for 50 €

 

More information:

Register via the Website of Ghent University: https://ghall.ugent.be/EASOM-Summer-School-GhentTo register for a study day see our manual.

First you need to generate an account on the university website. For help see our manual.

We look forward to welcoming you to Ghent!

© EASOM 2026