Program

Program
Photo: Daniel Rihs / © Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland

Program

MMS Conference 2025

Speakers

Speakers
Photo: Daniel Rihs / © Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland

Speakers

MMS Conference 2025

Abstracts

Abstracts
Photo: Daniel Rihs / © Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland

Abstracts

MMS Conference 2025

Photo gallery

Pictures of the conference by Daniel Rihs

Photo gallery
Photo: Daniel Rihs / © Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland

Photo gallery

Pictures of the conference by Daniel Rihs

MMS Conference 2025

Bridging the Digital Divide: Ethical AI Implementation for Global SRHR Equity

Presentation by Stephany Oliveros (SheAI) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

Bridging the Digital Divide: Ethical AI Implementation for Global SRHR Equity
Photo: Daniel Rihs / © Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland

Bridging the Digital Divide: Ethical AI Implementation for Global SRHR Equity

Presentation by Stephany Oliveros (SheAI) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

MMS Conference 2025 In this talk, Stephany Oliveros, CEO and co-founder of SheAI, examined the near future of AI through the lens of SRHR. Drawing from the latest developments in generative AI, agent-based systems, and ethical design, she weaved together global examples with urgent insights. What does it mean when an AI system trained on biased data starts giving health advice? Who owns your reproductive data when it’s collected through an app? And what happens when misinformation is delivered with algorithmic confidence? This talk was a call to action, not just to adopt AI, but to shape it with care. If we want a future where AI enhances SRHR instead of undermining it, we must build technologies that reflect diverse realities, protect autonomy, and restore trust. The decisions we make now will define whether AI becomes an ally in the fight for sexual and reproductive justice, or another system of control.

Will AI make us more (in)sane? Bots for Mental Health: Challenges & Chances

Presentation by Lea Maria Schäfer (Clare&Me) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

Will AI make us more (in)sane? Bots for Mental Health: Challenges & Chances
Photo: Daniel Rihs / © Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland

Will AI make us more (in)sane? Bots for Mental Health: Challenges & Chances

Presentation by Lea Maria Schäfer (Clare&Me) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

MMS Conference 2025 Healthcare is failing: no staff, no time, no empathy, no healing. For many, especially young people and those in underserved settings, AI-driven chat services may be the first — and sometimes only — point of contact. Chatbots offer immediacy, anonymity and scalability. Combining AI in Mental Health is not about Imitating a Human Conversation, it’s about Defining new Guidelines & Rules of how Humans and AI Interact.

MAM*AI Developing an AI-enabled Medical Chatbot for Midwives

Presentation by Dr. Leah Bohle (Swiss TPH) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

MAM*AI Developing an AI-enabled Medical Chatbot for Midwives
Photo: Daniel Rihs / © Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland

MAM*AI Developing an AI-enabled Medical Chatbot for Midwives

Presentation by Dr. Leah Bohle (Swiss TPH) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

MMS Conference 2025 Most pregnant women in Zanzibar seek care at government-run facilities, but facilities are often understaffed and under-resourced. Nurses provide midwifery care but lack midwifery training in line with international standard. MAM*AI - Co-designing an AI-powered clinical chatbot with and for midwives allowing to access evidence-based information quickly and based on individual queries.

How Young People Can Navigate Safely in Virtual Spaces – insights from Zimbabwe

Presentation by Rumbidzai Mashawiro (terre des hommes schweiz) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

How Young People Can Navigate Safely in Virtual Spaces – insights from Zimbabwe
Photo: Screenshot / © tdhs

How Young People Can Navigate Safely in Virtual Spaces – insights from Zimbabwe

Presentation by Rumbidzai Mashawiro (terre des hommes schweiz) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

MMS Conference 2025 This presentation delves into the intersection of virtual spaces and youth mental health, specifically highlighting the unique experiences of young people in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. As digital platforms become essential to youth engagement, understanding their impact on mental health is vital, especially in contexts where traditional support systems may be insufficient.

Mentoring for Inclusive Innovation: Enhancing a Digital SRHR App to Improve Access for Deaf Youth in Uganda

Presentation by Lisa Hilmi (The Core Group), Joseph Akoli (Diversity Innovations Initiative) and Marie-Ange Goux (Handicap International)

Mentoring for Inclusive Innovation: Enhancing a Digital SRHR App to Improve Access for Deaf Youth in Uganda
Photo: Screenshot / © Core group / HI

Mentoring for Inclusive Innovation: Enhancing a Digital SRHR App to Improve Access for Deaf Youth in Uganda

Presentation by Lisa Hilmi (The Core Group), Joseph Akoli (Diversity Innovations Initiative) and Marie-Ange Goux (Handicap International)

MMS Conference 2025 As part of the Core Group’s Third Pitch Challenge, awarded in 2024 to the Organization of Persons with Disabilities, Disability Innovation Initiatives (DIV), this year-long mentorship aims to strengthen the development and visibility of DIV’s innovative mobile application, Diversity Health. The app is designed to provide Deaf persons and persons with hearing impairments in Uganda—including both refugees and host communities—with accessible sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information, as well as links to Deaf-friendly healthcare and gender-based violence (GBV) services.

Co-designed and safe: Digital SRHR platform for adolescents in resource-limited setting

Presentation by Dr. Laura Ruckstuhl (SolidarMed) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

Co-designed and safe:  Digital SRHR platform for adolescents in resource-limited setting
Photo: Daniel Rihs / © Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland

Co-designed and safe: Digital SRHR platform for adolescents in resource-limited setting

Presentation by Dr. Laura Ruckstuhl (SolidarMed) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

MMS Conference 2025 The pilot of the digital HealthHub at a rural health facility demonstrates that a co-designed, adolescent-centered digital platform can effectively engage a rural adolescent population in accessing age-appropriate SRHR information in resource-limited settings. Although preliminary, the findings underscore the critical need for inclusive, youth-driven digital solutions and suggest that this approach offers a replicable model for advancing SRHR safely and equitably. Future efforts will focus on expanding the platform’s reach, integrating robust analytics to capture detailed usage patterns, and refining technical features to address challenges such as power instability, thereby enhancing overall system effectiveness.

The Power of Social Media: Trans Activism, Reducing Stigma & Building Community

Presentation by Léon Salin (Salin Association) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

The Power of Social Media: Trans Activism, Reducing Stigma & Building Community
Photo: Daniel Rihs / © Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland

The Power of Social Media: Trans Activism, Reducing Stigma & Building Community

Presentation by Léon Salin (Salin Association) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

MMS Conference 2025 Social media has become a powerful tool for advocacy, especially in trans activism. This keynote explored how digital platforms can drive behavioral change, reduce stigma, and foster open conversations around gender identity and inclusion. Drawing from his personal experience as a digital creator, Léon discussed the challenges and opportunities of online visibility, from handling criticism and digital hate to using social platforms for education, community-building, and policy influence.

Sex Work in the Digital Age: Risks, Realities and the untapped Potential of Social Media for Service Providers

Presentation by Yigit Aydin (European Sex Workers' Rights Alliance) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

Sex Work in the Digital Age: Risks, Realities and the untapped Potential of Social Media for Service Providers
Photo: Daniel Rihs / © Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland

Sex Work in the Digital Age: Risks, Realities and the untapped Potential of Social Media for Service Providers

Presentation by Yigit Aydin (European Sex Workers' Rights Alliance) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

MMS Conference 2025 Technology and sex work have long shaped each other, from the printing press facilitating erotic publications to the online platforms that have transformed the ways sex workers engage with clients and communities. Social media, in particular, has significantly altered the landscape of sex work, both as a tool for visibility and empowerment and as a source of heightened surveillance, discrimination and exclusion. This session explored the evolving relationship between technology and sex work, contrasting expectations with lived realities.

Leveraging Social Media for Transforming Youth SRHR in Mali

Presentation by Adam Dicko (AJCAD Mali/ IAMANEH) and Marylin Umurungi (IAMANEH) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

Leveraging Social Media for Transforming Youth SRHR in Mali
Photo: Daniel Rihs / © Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland

Leveraging Social Media for Transforming Youth SRHR in Mali

Presentation by Adam Dicko (AJCAD Mali/ IAMANEH) and Marylin Umurungi (IAMANEH) at the MMS Conference 30 April 2025

MMS Conference 2025 This talk delved into AJCAD's strategies for developing innovative campaigns that meet the needs of young people, as well as how to deal with challenges such as hate speech and fake news to promote a safe online environment. Adam Dicko’s key message was: “Experts and organisations dealing with polarising issues must have an active presence on social media!”

Rising Inequalities: Increasing Discrimination, Stigmatization & the Global Rollback on LGBTIQA+ and Gender Rights – Can AI and social media ease the situation?

Panel discussion with Léon Salin (Salin Association), Hafid Derbal (terres des hommes schweiz), Lea Maria Schäfer (Clare&me) & Angel Yakoub (Juso BL) facilitated by Martin Leschhorn, Director Medicus Mundi Switzerland

Rising Inequalities: Increasing Discrimination, Stigmatization & the Global Rollback on LGBTIQA+ and Gender Rights – Can AI and social media ease the situation?
Photo: Daniel Rihs / © Network Medicus Mundi Switzerland

Rising Inequalities: Increasing Discrimination, Stigmatization & the Global Rollback on LGBTIQA+ and Gender Rights – Can AI and social media ease the situation?

Panel discussion with Léon Salin (Salin Association), Hafid Derbal (terres des hommes schweiz), Lea Maria Schäfer (Clare&me) & Angel Yakoub (Juso BL) facilitated by Martin Leschhorn, Director Medicus Mundi Switzerland

MMS Conference 2025 The panel brought together the day's debates and discussed them in a broader context. It discussed ways in which individuals, communities and society can be empowered to harness the potential of AI and social media to strengthen sexual rights. A particular focus was placed on schools (using the example of the Juso initiative for comprehensive sex education in the canton of Basel-Landschaft). Key questions: - How can individuals and communities be empowered to promote sexual rights in their use of AI and social media? - What role do schools and youth organisations play in this context, both in Switzerland and in the Global South? - What legal guidelines are needed and how can we translate these into political action?