European Somali Medical Conference 2025
Scandic Park, Helsinki, Finland
Saturday, 16.08.2025

08:00 – 09:00 - Breakfast and Registration

09:00 – 09:10
Opening and Introduction
Moderator: Abdirisak Ahmed, MD, DDS, PhD
Neurosurgery resident, Finland

09:10 – 10:30
Session 1: Building Bridges: Unified Efforts of Somali Medical Associations in the Diaspora
Moderator: Najma Yusuf, MD
Emergency Medicine resident, Finland

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

• 09:20 – 10:20
  Panel Discussion

  • Panelists:

    • Khaliif Awad, MD, Orthopedic and traumatology resident
    Kymeenlaakso Central Hospital, Finland
    President, Finnish Somali Medical Association

    • Selma Ibrahim, MD, Pediatric specialist
    President, Swedish Somali Doctors Association

    • Warsan Ismail, MD, Gastrointestinal surgery resident
    Stavanger University Hospital, Norway
    Vice-President, Norwegian Somali Doctors 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

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

    • Mahamud Abdirahman, MD, Cardiothoracic surgery resident
    Essen University Hospital, Germany
    President, German Somali Medical Association

• 10:20 – 10:30
  Introducing the European Somali Medical Collaboration 

Mahamed Hersi, MD, Orthopedic and traumatology resident
Oulu Univeristy Hospital, Finland

10:30 – 11:15 - Coffee Break

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

• 11:15 – 11:40
  Somalia’s Healthcare: Pre and Post Civil War
  Khalif Bile, MD, PhD, Gastroenterology specialist
  Somali-Swedish Researchers' Association, Sweden

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

• 12:05 – 12:25
  What has the MIDA FINNSOM Project Accomplished in Somalia?
  Saara Parkkali, MIDA FINNSOM Coordinator, IOM Finland

• 12:25 – 12:50
  Establishing a Hospital as a Diaspora Doctor
  Abdiwahid Alibeto, MD, Urology specialist
  Somali European Hospital, Garowe

• 12:50 – 13:15
  Transforming Heart Care: Mogadishu’s New Cath Lab
  Mohamed Guled, MD, Cardiology specialist
  Guled Specialist Hospital, Mogadishu

13:15 – 14:45 - Lunch and Salah

14:45 – 15:45
Panel Discussion: Challenges and Opportunities in Practicing and Establishing Health Services in Somalia
Panelists: To be confirmed

15:45 – 16:15 - Coffee Break

16:15 – 17:15
Session 3: Health in the Somali Diaspora

• 16:15 – 16:40
  Vaccination Uptake in Somalis: Evidence-Based Review
  Idil Hussein, Public Health Epidemiologist
  Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland

• 16:40 – 17:05
  Health Literacy in the Somali Diaspora
  Ayan Bashir Sheikh-Mohamed, MD
  General doctor, Norway

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