European Somali Medical Conference 2025
Scandic Park, Helsinki, Finland
Saturday, 16 August 2025

08:00 – 09:00 — Breakfast and Registration

09:00 – 09:05 — Opening Remarks
Conference Moderator: Mahad Hagi, MD
Anesthesiology Resident
St Thomas’ Hospital, United Kingdom

09:05 – 09:10 — Islamic Reminder
Speaker: Yusuf Guled, MD
Anesthesiology Resident
Helsinki University Hospital, Finland

09:10 – 10:30 — Session 1: Building Bridges: Unified Efforts of Somali Medical Associations in the Diaspora

• 09:10 – 09:20 — Finnish Somali Medical Association
  Speaker: Mohamed Ahmed, MD
  General Doctor, Finland
  Vice-President, Finnish Somali Medical Association

• 09:20 – 10:20 — Panel Discussion
  Moderator: Najma Yusuf, MD
  Emergency Medicine Resident
  New Children's Hospital, Finland

  Panelists:

  • Khaliif Awad, MD — Orthopedic and Traumatology Resident, Kymenlaakso Central Hospital, Finland; President, Finnish Somali Medical Association

  • Selma Ibrahim, MD — Pediatric Specialist; President, Swedish Somali Medical Association

  • Warsan Ismail, MD — Gastrointestinal Surgery Resident, Stavanger University Hospital, Norway; Vice-President, Norwegian Somali Medical Association

  • Roda Abdulkadir, MD — Cardiology Resident, Odense University Hospital, Denmark; President, Danish Somali Doctors Association

  • Zakariye Ashkir, MD, PhD — Cardiology Resident, Royal Brompton Hospital, United Kingdom; President, British Somali Medical Association

  • Mahamud Abdirahman, MD — Cardiothoracic Surgery Resident, Essen University Hospital, Germany; President, German Somali Medical Association

  • Mohamed Abdi, MD — Radiation Oncologist, Shenandoah Medical Center, Iowa, United States; Vice-President, Somali American Medical Association

• 10:20 – 10:30 — Introducing the European Somali Medical Collaboration
  Speaker: Suban Mohamood, MD, MPH
  Public Health Medicine Resident, Norway / Researcher, Harvard University
  President, Somali-Norwegian Medical Association

10:30 – 11:15 — Coffee Break

11:15 – 13:00 — Session 2: Healthcare on the Horn of Africa

• 11:15 – 11:40 — Understanding Somalia’s Healthcare: Before and After the Civil War
  Speaker: Prof. Khalif Bile, MD, PhD
  Gastroenterology Specialist
  Somali-Swedish Researchers' Association, Sweden

• 11:40 – 12:05 — Somalia’s Healthcare: Current Reality and Future Vision
  Speaker: Guled Abdijaliil Ali, MD
  Nephrology Specialist
  Director General, Ministry of Health & Human Services, Federal Government of Somalia

• 12:05 – 12:25 — The Silent Casualty: How Broken Public Systems Magnify Health Crises in Post-Conflict States
  Speaker: Deqo Mohamed, MD
  Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialist
  Dr. Hawa Abdi Women's Hospital, Burco/Mogadishu, Somalia

• 12:25 – 12:50 — Scalpel and Vision: Advancing Surgery in Somalia Against the Odds
  Speaker: Mohamud Aden, MD
  Gastrointestinal Surgery Specialist
  Somali European Hospital, Garowe, Somalia

12:55 – 14:30 — Lunch and Salah

14:30 – 15:45 — Panel Discussion: Returning to Serve – Diaspora Impact in Somali Hospitals, Universities, and Health Systems
Moderator: Guleed Ahmed MD
Anesthesiology resident
Helsinki University Hospital, Finland

Panelists:

• Najma Abdirahman — Midwife, Demartino Public Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia

• Prof. Mulki Mölsä, MD — Research Technical Advisor, Somali National University, Mogadishu, Somalia

• Farhia Mohamed, MD — Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident, Kymenlaakso Central Hospital, Kotka, Finland

• Mohamud Aden, MD — Gastrointestinal Surgery Specialist, Somali European Hospital, Garowe, Somalia

• Prof. Khalif Bile, MD — Gastroenterology Specialist, Somali-Swedish Researchers' Association, Stockholm, Sweden

15:45 – 16:15 — Coffee Break

16:15 – 17:15 — Session 3: Somali Diaspora and Health

• 16:15 – 16:40 — MIDA FINNSOM: Strengthening Somali Healthcare Through Diaspora Expertise
  Speaker: Saara Parkkali
  MIDA FINNSOM Coordinator, IOM Finland

• 16:40 – 17:05 — Vaccination Uptake in Somalis: Evidence-Based Review
  Speaker: Idil Hussein, PhD
  Public Health Epidemiologist
  Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland

17:05 – 17:15 — Closing Remarks and Event Conclusion

19:30 — Dinner