UMW experts in the Re_Mind Congress program

Researchers and staff members from Wroclaw Medical University will take part in the International Psychological Congress and Festival Re_Mind, which will be held on 22–24 June 2026 in Wrocław. UMW is an academic partner of the event, and University representatives will participate in debates, lectures, and workshops on mental, social, and physical health, medical disinformation, new technologies, and health education.

Re_Mind is an event that brings together science, practice, and a social perspective. The congress program includes topics of particular importance to today’s public health debate: loneliness, social relationships, information overload, the impact of technology on everyday functioning, the crisis of trust in science, and the presence of myths and pseudoscientific narratives in the public sphere. These issues are also important to Wroclaw Medical University, which in 2026 is running the “Zdrowiej wiedzieć” campaign – a year-long initiative focused primarily on countering medical disinformation and promoting education grounded in reliable scientific knowledge.

Prof. Błażej Misiak, head of the Department and Clinic of Psychiatry at UMW, will appear in the part of the program devoted to the relationship between mental and physical health. His talk will focus on why medicine is increasingly moving away from a simple division between the “body” and the “mind”.

– Contemporary science shows very clearly that the boundary between mental and physical health is largely artificial. Mental states affect the functioning of the hormonal, immune, and cardiovascular systems, while somatic diseases can influence mood, cognitive functions, and quality of life. We increasingly understand that the brain does not function in isolation from the body, but is an integral part of it. That is why effective prevention and treatment require viewing the human being as a whole rather than as a collection of separate organs and symptoms, emphasizes Prof. Błażej Misiak.

As a particularly important example of this relationship, the expert points to loneliness, which is increasingly being analyzed from a public health perspective.

– For many years, loneliness was seen mainly as an unpleasant emotional experience. Today, we know that chronic loneliness is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, sleep disorders, deterioration of cognitive functions, and even premature death. This shows that caring for social relationships is not only a matter of mental wellbeing, but also an element of health prevention, just as important as physical activity or diet, adds Prof. Misiak.

Social health will also be discussed by Dr. hab. alongside Prof. Błażej Misiak. Dorota Szcześniak, prof. UMW, and Dr. Adrianna Senczyszyn from the Department of Psychiatry at UMW. The session “Social and mental health” will focus on how the conditions of everyday life affect the well-being of individuals and entire communities.

– Among the factors affecting well-being, what worries me in particular is the constantly increasing pace of life. We live in a world that rewards productivity, availability, and constant activity. Thanks to new technologies, we can do more than ever before, but that does not mean we have more time. On the contrary, many people today experience overload, chronic fatigue, and difficulty maintaining a balance between professional and private life, says Dr. Adrianna Senczyszyn. – From a public health perspective, this problem is important not only because it increases stress levels, but also because it affects many other areas of our functioning. In the rush of everyday life, we often give up activities that support wellbeing — rest, physical activity, or contact with loved ones. That is why the pace of life can be treated as one of the important factors shaping contemporary mental and social health.

The researcher emphasizes that the social dimension is still too rarely included in discussions about health, although it is fundamental to the quality of life and mental resilience.

– Social relationships are not a luxury or an addition to life, but one of the basic health resources of a human being. In public debate, we often focus on physical and mental health, while the importance of social health is rarely recognized. As John Cacioppo, one of the most outstanding researchers of loneliness, emphasized, humans are a deeply social species, and the need for belonging was shaped in the course of evolution. For most of our species’ history, bonds with other people increased the chances of survival, which is why the brain treats their loss or weakening as a threat signal. Loneliness is therefore not a sign of weakness or individual failure, but a biological signal that we are missing something essential to our wellbeing – notes dr Senczyszyn.

The Re_Mind program also includes a section devoted to the psychology of dating. It will feature Dr. Robert Kowalczyk, Prof. UMW, Dr. hab. Bartłomiej Stańczykiewicz, prof. UMW, and Dr. Andrzej Jarynowski from the Department of Innovation in Healthcare at UMW. Dr. Jarynowski’s participation in this part of the program shows that intimate relationships can be analyzed not only from the perspective of individual experiences, emotions, and decisions, but also as a social phenomenon relevant to public health. The expert will introduce an epidemiological perspective into the discussion, showing how patterns of relationship formation and contact networks influence the spread of sexually transmitted infections.

– I will talk about changes in sexual partners from a population perspective and about how these processes translate into the spread of sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and HIV. I will present a broader picture: who forms relationships with whom, when, and in what contexts; how contact networks change; and how these changes can be analyzed using epidemiological data, mathematical models, computer simulations, and social network analysis. In my talk, I will show, among other things, how agent-based and network models help us understand the transmission of infections, and how they can support the evaluation of preventive measures, such as HPV vaccination, says Dr. Andrzej Jarynowski.

The expert emphasizes that the consequences of these phenomena go beyond individual decisions.

– Without understanding social processes, it is impossible to design effective corrective measures, either in the area of preventing sexually transmitted infections or, more broadly, in public health, health education and the demographic crisis. Topics related to sexuality, HPV vaccination, HIV, migration, or health education are particularly vulnerable to simplifications and anti-scientific messages, notes Dr. Jarynowski.

An important point in the Re_Mind program will be the workshop “Facts, myths and manipulation — how not to be deceived about health?”, led by Dr. Barbara Grabowska, Dr. Alicja Basiak-Rasała, lek. Aleksandra Żórawik from the Faculty of Health Sciences at UMW, and Dr. Dorota Sikora, director of the UMW Ranking and Scientific Communication Office. The meeting will be devoted to recognizing health myths, verifying sources, and making decisions based on reliable knowledge.

– In the area of health, particularly harmful manipulations are those that lead people to abandon effective prevention, health education, diagnostics, and treatment. The most common include false “miracle cures”, disinformation about vaccination, myths related to nutrition and weight loss, manipulation of research results, advertisements masquerading as expert advice, and false information spread on social media, the workshop authors point out.

The experts emphasize that counteracting pseudoscience cannot be limited to correcting individual false messages.

– Disinformation operates not only at the level of knowledge, but also at the level of emotions, beliefs, and trust. People are more likely to remember information that is sensational, consistent with their earlier views, or comes from people they trust. Even after a false claim has been corrected, it may still influence thinking and decision-making. This phenomenon is known as the continued influence effect. Effective combating of pseudoscience requires not only debunking myths, but also education in critical thinking, developing the ability to assess the credibility of sources, explaining how science works, building trust in experts, and promoting reliable health communication – the presenters emphasize.

The topic of new technologies will also be present in the Re_Mind program. Janina Kulińska from the Department of Public Health at UMW will address the impact of social media and smartphone use on mental health. During the workshop, participants will examine how social media and smartphones affect rest, concentration, relationships, and mental health, especially in the context of sensory overload and constant online availability. Janina Kulińska will draw attention, among other things, to the design mechanisms of digital platforms, FOMO, comparing oneself with others, and the need for conscious digital hygiene among both young people and adults.

Wioletta Samborska, director of the UMW Medical Discovery Center, will talk about how health education, science popularisation and well-designed institutions can serve residents. Her presentation, “The human being in the city — the Medical Discovery Center”, will show how a place is being created together with experts and future users.

– Participants will have the opportunity to experience the challenges faced by contemporary health promotion and prevention. One of the important starting points for the discussion will be the UMW and Mediaboard report on medical disinformation, which shows that false content increasingly resembles “practical” lifestyle-medicine advice rather than conspiracy theories. Participants will be able to step into the role of people making health decisions in a city full of stimuli. Conflicting messages and false authorities will not make it easier for them, says Wioletta Samborska.

As she adds, the task of modern health education is not only to provide information but also to create environments that help audiences understand health and navigate the complex world of messages consciously.

– Human health is also shaped by the city: the way its educational institutions engage people in social life, care for history, adapt spaces, use knowledge, and are ready to build trust among residents based on science. The example of the Medical Discovery Center shows that a modern institution can combine technology and care for heritage, creating a place that helps people understand health in an attractive and engaging way — before fear and disinformation start making decisions for them – emphasizes the director of the UMW Medical Discovery Center.

The participation of UMW experts in Re_Mind shows that a medical university can actively engage in the debate on health not only through research and clinical practice, but also through education, science communication, and social activities that extend beyond the academic community.

During the Re_Mind Festival, the Miasteczko Młodych Plus will also take place on the UMW campus. From 22 to 24 June, the campus at 7a Chałubińskiego Street will become a space for lectures, practical workshops, and health-promoting activities, aimed primarily at seniors. The event will promote prevention, health education, and an active, conscious life in older age. Participation in all Miasteczko Młodych Plus events is free.