U-CARE Venue
U-CARE arranges the U-CARE Venue annually, which serves as a meeting place for participants from various parts of the world and different disciplines. During this free two-day event, attendees are offered an engaging program with presentations, panel discussions, and workshops.
U-CARE Venue 2026
On 16 – 17 November it is time for U-CARE Venue 2026 ‘Better Evidence for All – Increasing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Clinical Research’.
Groups with poorer access to care are underrepresented in healthcare research, e.g., ethnic minorities, people with physical and/or mental difficulties, rural residents, and socio-economically disadvantaged populations. This lack of diversity limits the usefulness of research and leads us to question for whom the results are actually applicable.
The U-CARE Venue 2026 is focused on how we can improve equity, diversity and inclusion in research.
The event will feature:
- Keynotes
- Panel discussion
- Round table discussion
- Presentations
The U-CARE Venue 2026 will also feature a practical and hands-on workshop for researchers committed to equity in clinical trials on “How to Make Trials More Inclusive”, covering who needs to be in a trial, recruitment, retention and what data to collect to report how inclusive a trial is, all supported by examples. The workshop is delivered in collaboration with the SENSITISE project: “Inclusive Clinical Trials: Training and education to increase involvement of under-served groups”, funded by the European Union. A maximum of 30 participants will be able to attend the workshop.
We will also celebrate the career of Professor Louise von Essen, founder and director of U-CARE and the Uppsala Trial Forge Centre (U-TFC). U-TFC is a newly established competence-center at Uppsala University. The goal with U-TFC is to increase the value of clinical research. The celebration will include presentations and a panel discussion on her field-defining research on the psychological and financial impact of childhood cancer on parents and guardians.
Conference details
Program
Monday 16 November 09:00 – 16:30.
Tuesday 17 November 09:00 – 13:00.
Tuesday 17 November 13:00 – 16:00, workshop “How to Make Trials More Inclusive”.
For a more detailed programme, please see below. It is also possible to download the programme as a PDF. pdf, 2 MB.
Monday 16 November
09:00-09:30 Coffee and registration outside room IX
09:30-09:45 Welcome address
Louise von Essen, Professor, U-CARE Programme Director, Uppsala University
09:45-10:00 Introduction
Joanne Woodford, Docent, Uppsala University
10:00-10:30 Improving inclusivity in health research
Shoba Dawson, Associate Professor, University of Bristol
10:30-11:00 Representation and outcomes of individuals with severe mental disorders who would be ineligible for participation in randomised clinical trials
Heidi Taipale, Docent, Karolinska Institutet
11:00-11:30 Coffee outside room IX
11:30-12:00 Spatial inequality in health: From global patterns to local neighbourhoods and methodological challenges
Mattias Öhman, Docent, Uppsala University
12:00-12:30 Can we steer trial design towards advancing EDI? Opportunities and challenges of pragmatic and decentralised trial approaches
Mira Zuidgeest, Associate Professor, University Medical Center Utrecht
12:30-13:30 Lunch at Café Alma
13:30-14:45 PhD student presentations
Moderated by Frida Svedin, PhD, Uppsala University
PhD students:
- Victoria Awortwe, Uppsala University
- Jill Doyle, Boston College Connell School of Nursing
- Rummage Isaac, Red Cross University
- Rogers Kissiti, Red Cross University
- Christina Reuther, Uppsala University
14:45-15:15 Coffee outside room IX
15:15-15:45 Experiences of implementing a codesigned intervention with families of children with disabilities in Nepal
Carin Andrews, PhD, Uppsala University
15:45-16:30 Round table discussion
Moderated by Kine Johansen, PhD, Uppsala University, and Shaun Treweek, Guest Professor, Uppsala University
Tuesday 17 November
09:00-09:15 Introduction
Joanne Woodford, Docent, Uppsala University
09:15-09:50 Human and machine: Embedding EDI in clinical trials
Frances Shiely, Professor, University College Cork
09:50-10:25 NIHR inclusion: Progress, challenges and opportunities – A funder’s perspective
Esther Mukuka, PhD, Director of Research Inclusions, National Institute for Health and Care Research
10:25-10:55 Coffee outside room IX
10:55-11:05 Celebrating Louise von Essen’s career
Joanne Woodford, Docent, Uppsala University
11:05-11:55 Panel discussion: Celebrating Louise von Essen’s career
Moderated by Sophie Gaber, Docent, Uppsala University
Panel speakers:
- Anders Brantnell, Docent, Uppsala University
- Tommy Carlsson, Docent, Red Cross University
- Helena Grönqvist, Docent, Uppsala University
- Elisabet Mattsson, Professor Emerita, Marie Cederschiöld University
- Lena Wettergren, Professor, Uppsala University
11:55-12:00 Farewell address
Joanne Woodford, Docent, Uppsala University
12:00-13:00 Lunch at Café Alma
For a limited number of pre-registered attendees:
13:00-16:00 Post-conference workshop: How to make trials more inclusive
Room I
Facilitators:
- Laura Hermann, NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Hull
- Jitka Rychlíčková, Assistant Professor, Masaryk University
- Frances Shiely, Professor, University College Cork
- Shaun Treweek, Guest Professor, Uppsala University
- Andrew Willis, Researcher, University College Cork
Location
Room IX in Uppsala University Main Building, Biskopsgatan 3, Uppsala. Please note that the workshop on 17 November will be held in Room I.
Registration
Registration for U-CARE Venue 2026 is open! Please register by 26 October. The number of conference places is limited, register today to secure your spot. If necessary, we will operate a waiting list. Everyone is welcome to register. The conference is free of charge, lunch and fika is included.
Contact
Do you have any questions about U-CARE Venue? Please contact Ida Österman Menander.
U-CARE Venue 2025
About U-CARE Venue 2025
The conference took place on 13-14 October at the University Main Building in Uppsala, with the theme ‘Smarter Science – How can we conduct high-quality healthcare research more efficiently?’.
We explored how to make healthcare research more efficient through our key themes:
- Bridging healthcare and research
- Innovative trial design
- Operational efficiency
- Systemic efficiency
See the programme for U-CARE Venue 2025 pdf, 415 kB.
Don't miss our short video from U-CARE Venue 2025, watch it below!
Presentations
Benjamin Speich, "Trial efficiency: Costs, hurdles, and innovations" pdf, 2 MB.
Philip Pallmann, "Towards more efficient clinical trials with adaptive designs" pdf, 3 MB.
Niklaus Labhardt, "Trials within cohorts: Practice examples from Lesotho and Switzerland" pdf, 6 MB.
Kirsty Sprange, "Efficient trials: Investing in people" pdf, 2 MB.
Marie Österberg, "Prioritizing evidence gaps using the James Lind Alliance method" pdf, 4 MB.
Marco Seeber, "The evolution of the scientific publishing and its drivers" pdf, 2 MB.
Stella Jacobson, "Research excellence, relevance, and impact: A funder's perspective" pdf, 899 kB.
Shaun Treweek, "How to make a randomised trial informative, relevant, and useful" pdf, 2 MB.
Post conference report
Read the post conference report for U-CARE Venue 2025 pdf, 2 MB.
U-CARE Venue 2024
About U-CARE Venue 2024
U-CARE Venue 2024 took place on October 24-25 in Uppsala. The theme was 'When research meets reality – Optimizing for successful implementation of complex interventions in diverse settings'.
Don't miss our short video from U-CARE Venue 2024, watch it below!
Programme for U-CARE Venue 2024 pdf, 2 MB.
Presentations
Oscar Blomberg, "Implementation in Mind – Developing Informal Caregiver Support" pdf, 511 kB.
Marie Dahlberg, "Uncovering the role of patient-driven innovations" pdf, 2 MB.
Jens Nygren, "Enhancing evidence based practice through information driven care" pdf, 757 kB.