TARGET announces the upcoming Final Conference of the AFFIRMO project, taking place on 8 September 2026 as a hybrid event. The conference will bring together leading international experts, researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and patient representatives to discuss the future of integrated care for older adults living with multimorbidity and atrial fibrillation. 

The event will be held from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM (CEST) at Aalborg University, Copenhagen, with online participation available via Microsoft Teams. 

The AFFIRMO Final Conference will provide a platform to present key findings from the project and explore how healthcare systems can better address the growing challenges of clinical complexity, frailty, polypharmacy, and patient-centred care in ageing populations. 

Event’s Speakers 

The conference will feature presentations and discussions from a distinguished panel of speakers, including: 

• Gregory Lip, Price–Evans Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Liverpool and internationally recognised expert in atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular medicine. 

• Aldo Pietro Maggioni, Director of the ANMCO Research Centre and one of Europe's most experienced leaders in cardiovascular clinical research and international trials. 

• Davide Liborio Vetrano, Associate Professor at Karolinska Institutet, whose research focuses on multimorbidity, frailty, and healthy ageing. 

• Marco Proietti, Associate Professor at the University of Milan, specialising in cardiovascular epidemiology, multimorbidity, and geriatric medicine. 

• Martin O'Flaherty, Professor of Epidemiology with extensive expertise in cardiovascular disease prevention, public health, and health-economic modelling. 

• Guendalina Graffigna, Professor of Social Psychology and Director of the EngageMinds Hub, internationally recognised for her work on patient engagement and empowerment. 

• Søren Paaske Johnsen, Clinical Professor and Head of the Danish Center for Clinical Health Services Research, renowned for his work in clinical epidemiology and healthcare quality improvement. 

• Trudie C.A. Lobban MBE, internationally recognised patient advocate and founder of multiple global organisations dedicated to improving outcomes for people living with cardiac arrhythmias. 

• Cheïma Amrouch, researcher at Ghent University, specialising in cardiovascular health, ageing, multimorbidity, and medication safety in older adults. 

The conference will explore a range of interconnected themes, including the AFFIRMO project context and the current state of the art in atrial fibrillation care, findings from the project's interventional study, multimorbidity, polypharmacy and clinical complexity, the health costs and sustainability of care pathways, and approaches to patient empowerment and engagement. 

A dedicated panel discussion will bring together experts, stakeholders and representatives from other EU-funded initiatives working on atrial fibrillation, digital health, personalised care and AI-supported decision-making—including ARISTOTELES, TARGET and EHRA-PATHS—to discuss future clinical guidelines, innovative care pathways and the translation of research evidence into patient-centred healthcare across Europe. 

The AFFIRMO Final Conference represents a unique opportunity to engage with leading voices in cardiovascular medicine, ageing research, epidemiology, healthcare services research, and patient advocacy, while contributing to the ongoing conversation on improving care for clinically complex older adults. 

For more details on the agenda, which is still under development and will be finalised in the coming weeks, please visit the event page. 

Registration is available through the link.