Announcements

MDPI is honored to announce the recipients of the 2025 Best Paper Awards, celebrating exceptional research for its scientific merit and broad impact. After a rigorous evaluation process conducted by Academic Editors, this year’s awards showcase papers that stand out for their innovation, relevance, and high-quality presentation.

Out of a highly competitive pool, 396 winning papers have been recognized for their exceptional contributions. We congratulate these authors for pushing the boundaries of their respective disciplines.

At MDPI, we are dedicated to broadening the reach of innovative science. To learn more about the award-winning papers and explore research projects in your field of study, please visit the following links:

• Biology and Life Sciences;
• Business and Economics;
• Chemistry and Materials Sciences;
• Computer Sciences and Mathematics;
• Engineering;
• Environmental and Earth Sciences;
• Medicine and Pharmacology;
• Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities;
• Physical Sciences;
• Public Health and Healthcare.

About MDPI Awards:

To reward the global research community and enhance academic dialogue, MDPI journals regularly host award programs across diverse scientific disciplines. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and whose work drives the advancement of their fields.

Explore the Best Paper Awards open for participation, please click here.

We are delighted to announce the 1st International Online Conference on Behavioral Sciences (IOCBS2026), chaired by Prof. Dr. Jerrell Cassady (Department of Educational Psychology, Ball State University, Muncie, 47306, United States), which will take place from 1 to 3 April 2026.

IOCBS2026 warmly invites researchers from academic institutions and professionals in the behavioral sciences industry to share their original research, innovative ideas, scientific insights, and practical experiences.

We welcome contributions that align with the following thematic areas:
S1. Psychiatric, emotional, and behavioral disorders;
S2. Cognition;
S3. Developmental psychology;
S4. Educational psychology;
S5. Social psychology;
S6. Health psychology;
S7. Child and adolescent psychiatry;
S8. Organizational behaviors;
S9. Experimental and clinical neurosciences.

Important deadlines:
Deadline for abstract submission: 4 January 2026;
Notification of acceptance: 29 January 2026;
Deadline for registration: 27 March 2026.

Guide for Authors:

To submit your abstract, please click on the following link: https://sciforum.net/user/submission/create/1351.

To register for the event for free, please click on the following link: https://sciforum.net/event/IOCBS2026?section=#registration.

For more information, you may refer to: https://sciforum.net/event/iocbs2026.

For any enquiries regarding the event, please contact us at iocbs2026@mdpi.com.

We look forward to seeing you at the 1st International Online Conference on Behavioral Sciences.

MDPI is excited to announce its participation as an exhibitor at the 2026 American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, taking place in Salt Lake City, UT, USA, from 26 to 29 May 2026.

In 2026, ACSM’s Annual Meeting Spotlight will focus on the powerful convergence of Physical Activity, Exercise, and Technology. Technology transforms how physical activity is studied, prescribed, and experienced—from wearable devices and AI-driven interventions to virtual platforms and advanced diagnostics. This year’s spotlight will explore the intersection of basic, applied, and/or clinical science as it relates to the collective impact of physical activity, exercise, and technological advancement. Sessions in this track should reflect how innovations in technology enhance scientific understanding, clinical outcomes, performance, or population health. Through this spotlight, ACSM aims to highlight research and initiatives that are not only shaping the future of the field but also advancing its mission to extend and enrich lives through the power of movement.

The following open access journals will be represented at the conference:

• Sports;
• JFMK;
• Physiologia;
• Obesities;
• JCM;
• JAPMA;
• Diabetology;
• IJERPH;
• Antioxidants;
• Biomechanics.

If you are planning to attend this conference, please get in touch with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person at the booth and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://acsm.org/events-general/annual-meeting/exhibit-sponsor/.

World Health Day, observed annually on 7 April, highlights the global commitment to improving public health and ensuring that all people have access to quality healthcare. Established by the World Health Organization, the day draws attention to pressing health challenges and mobilizes collective action to strengthen health systems, advance medical research, and promote well-being worldwide.

Despite significant progress in medicine and public health, many individuals and communities continue to face barriers to healthcare, including unequal access to services, limited resources, and emerging global health threats. These interconnected challenges highlight the importance of sustained research, international collaboration, and evidence-based policies to improve health outcomes and build resilient healthcare systems.

In support of World Health Day 2026 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well‑Being, MDPI journals from the Public Health & Healthcare subject aim to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and research on global health, disease prevention, and healthcare innovation. Through Special Issues and research articles, MDPI provides platforms to explore health challenges from diverse perspectives, including public health, clinical medicine, epidemiology, and health policy.

We are delighted to announce that nominations are now open for the 2026 Tu Youyou Award. Named after Nobel Laureate Tu Youyou, whose discovery of artemisinin has saved millions of lives, this award recognizes researchers whose work advances the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry, while also contributing to human health.

“Breastfeeding in Infancy and Adult Health: A Narrative Review”
by Eleftherios Panteris, Ioanna Kakatsaki, Ourania Galani, Zoi Koukou and Eleftheria Hatzidaki
Children 2026, 13(2), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13020286

“Bridging the Gap: Health Education Needs Among Rural Populations with Chronic Illness and Low Health Literacy in Unincorporated Communities in Southern California”
by Shiloh A. Williams, Ryan C. Shriver and Candace C. Juhala
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2026, 23(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23010021

“Predicting Workplace Hazard, Stress and Burnout Among Public Health Inspectors: An AI-Driven Analysis in the Context of Climate Change”
by Ioannis Adamopoulos, Antonios Valamontes, Panagiotis Tsirkas and George Dounias
Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2025, 15(5), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe15050065

“Clinical and Public Health Challenge of Handling Synthetic Cathinone and Cannabinoid Abuse in Pediatric Care: A Narrative Review”
by Valerio Ricci and Giuseppe Maina
Pediatr. Rep. 2025, 17(1), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/pediatric17010019

 “Factors Affecting Online Health Promotion Program Adherence Among People with Disabilities”
by Madison Mintz, Robert A. Oster, Jereme Wilroy and James H. Rimmer
Disabilities 2025, 5(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities5010016

“Digital Twins’ Advancements and Applications in Healthcare, Towards Precision Medicine”
by Konstantinos Papachristou, Paraskevi F. Katsakiori, Panagiotis Papadimitroulas, Lidia Strigari and George C. Kagadis
J. Pers. Med. 2024, 14(11), 1101; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm14111101

”European Nurses’ Burnout before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on Patient Safety: A Scoping Review”
by Goitseone Mogomotsi and Jennifer Creese
Hospitals 2024, 1(2), 151-171; https://doi.org/10.3390/hospitals1020013

“Framework to Support the Transfer of Innovative Interventions in the Disability Field: Lessons from the Transferability of Complex Interventions in Public Health: A Review”
by Eléonore Ségard, Philippe Chervin and Linda Cambon
Disabilities 2024, 4(3), 724-740; https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities4030044

“Body-Related Attitudes, Self-Esteem, and Psychological Wellbeing” Guest Editors: Dr. Anne-Mette Hermans, Dr. Rebecca Nash and Dr. Helena Lewis-Smith Submission deadline: 30 June 2026	“Reducing Health Disparities: The Role of Health Literacy and Health Promotion” Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Hae-Ra Han Submission deadline: 31 July 2026
“Ehealth, Telemedicine, and AI in the Precision Medicine Era” Guest Editor: Dr. Mirella Veras Submission deadline: 20 August 2026	“Emergency and Disaster Medicine: Preparedness, Response, and Resilience in Health Systems” Guest Editor: Dr. Ulrich Sack Submission deadline: 31 October 2026

The 2nd International One Health Conference Location: Barcelona, Spain Volume Editors: Margherita Ferrante and Gea Oliveri Conti Highlights: “Climate Crises Associated with Epidemiological, Environmental, and Ecosystem Effects of a Storm: Flooding, Landslides, and Damage to Urban and Rural Areas (Extreme Weather Events of Storm Daniel in Thessaly, Greece)” by Ioannis Adamopoulos, Aikaterini Frantzana and Niki Syrou “Public Health Implications of Antimicrobial Resistance in Wildlife at the One Health Interface” by Julio A. Benavides, Marilia Salgado-Caxito, Carmen Torres and Sylvain Godreuil Click here to read the full list of papers.

We are delighted to announce that nominations are now open for the 2026 Tu Youyou Award. Named after Nobel Laureate Tu Youyou, whose discovery of artemisinin has saved millions of lives, this award recognizes researchers whose work advances the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry, while also contributing to human health.

Prize

– CHF 100,000;
– A medal;
– A certificate.

The monetary prize will be shared equally should there be multiple recipients.

Who May Be Nominated?

– Scientists with outstanding achievements and contributions in the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

Nominees must be individuals; team or group nominations are not permitted. Nominations are valid only for the current award cycle.

Who May Submit a Nomination?

– The director of the nominee’s host research institution or recognized scientists within the field.

Self-nominations will not be considered.

Nomination Materials

– A biographical sketch;
– A detailed description of the nominee’s contributions;
– 5–10 representative academic publications;
– A list of academic honors, awards, and funded projects;
– A nomination letter signed by two nominators.

How to Submit?

Submit nominations online via the following link: https://tuyouyouprize.org/nomination

Important Dates

– Nomination Deadline: 31 October 2026
– Winner Announcement: March 2027

For further information, please visit the Tu Youyou Award website (https://tuyouyouprize.org/). For any inquiries, please contact the Tu Youyou Award Team at tuyouyouaward@mdpi.com.

Name: Prof. Dr. Paulo Farinatti
Affiliations: Graduate Program in Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Rio de Janeiro State, Rio de Janeiro 20550-900, Brazil

“Bone Health in Former Artistic Gymnasts Aged 45 Years and Over: Case–Control Comparison with Controls and Reference Populations”
by Patrícia Arruda de Albuquerque Farinatti, Cinthia Sousa, Rodrigo Zacca, Lurdes Ávila Carvalho, Jorge Mota, Igor Monteiro, Joana Carvalho, Nádia Souza Lima da Silva and Paulo Farinatti
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2026, 23(2), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23020159

The following is an interview with Prof. Dr. Paulo Farinatti:

1. Congratulations on your recent publication! Could you briefly introduce yourself and your current research focus?
My name is Paulo Farinatti, and I'm a Full Professor at the University of Rio de Janeiro State in Brazil. I also founded and currently coordinate the Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion (LABSAU-UERJ), where we study how different types of exercise affect health across the lifespan.
My research interests revolve around the acute and chronic effects of exercise, including aerobic, resistance, flexibility, and combined training. Much of our work focuses on exercise prescription for populations with specific health needs, such as older adults and people living with chronic conditions like hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and so on.
In recent years, our lab has also become increasingly interested in physical activity earlier in life and how it influences health decades later. The study we published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health actually fits exactly into that perspective because it looks at how intensive physical training during youth may affect bone health many years later.

2. Your research specifically focused on former artistic gymnasts. What makes artistic gymnastics such a unique and powerful model for studying long-term bone health compared to other sports or activities?
Compared to other sports, artistic gymnastics is a fascinating model to study bone health because it places very high mechanical loads on the skeleton during childhood and adolescence, which are precisely the years when bone is most responsive to mechanical stimulation. In some movements, especially landings from jumps, the forces transmitted through the skeleton can reach up to 15 times one’s body weight. That kind of loading is extremely osteogenic, meaning it strongly stimulates bone formation. Because many gymnasts start training early with high intensity and train with high volume for many years, the sport offers a unique opportunity to see whether the skeletal benefits gained during youth can persist decades later.
In our study, which included former gymnasts aged 45 to 87 years, we found that these individuals still showed clear advantages in bone mineral density compared with non-athletic controls. For instance, these scores at the femoral neck and total femoral were roughly four to six times, right, higher in former gymnasts, suggesting that the bone from the adaptation developed during youth may remain detectable even long after competitive training has ended. That was a very interesting result.

3. Your work connects physical activity in youth with a major public health issue, osteoporosis. How does research like yours help shift the focus from treating age-related diseases to preventing them much earlier in life?
One of the key messages of this research is that bone health in older age doesn't start in older age—it starts much earlier in life. In our study, the prevalence of osteopenia in osteoporosis was clearly lower among former gymnasts than among controls. Among men, it was about 3% in former gymnasts compared to 16% in controls in men, and among women, it was 35–36% versus 52–53%, respectively.
What was particularly striking is that when we compared our results with large reference data sets from Brazil and Portugal, we didn't observe any cases of osteoporosis among the former gymnasts, where the prevalence in the general population ranged from 6 to 12% and up to around 13% among people aged 60 and older. So what this suggests is that building a higher peak bone mass earlier in life may create a kind of bone reserve. From a public health perspective, this reinforces the importance of promoting impacts and weight-bearing physical activity during childhood and adolescence as a way of preventing osteoporosis much later in life.

4. What was the most significant challenge you encountered during this research, and how did you overcome it?
One of the biggest challenges was finding and recruiting former artistic gymnasts who are now middle-aged and older. Gymnasts’ careers usually end relatively early, and these individuals are often scattered and no longer connected to the sport in later life. We relied a lot on personal networks, former clubs, and contacts with the gymnast community to locate potential participants in Brazil and Portugal. And we also spent a year in Portugal to locate former gymnasts there. It took time, but it allowed us to identify people who had trained intensively for many years, on average, over a decade of high-level training with national or international competition experience.
Another challenge was making sure that the differences we observed were not just due to current lifestyle habits. To address this, we assess the physical activity both during and in the previous 10 years, and we adjust our analysis for factors like current activity levels and hormonal or calcium therapy. Even after these adjustments, the bone advantages of former gymnasts were significant. We were very happy with this result.

5. Based on this research, what is the next big question that either yourself or other researchers in the field should be trying to answer about exercise and lifelong bone health?
A major question moving forward is how long the skeletal benefits of early-life, high-impact exercise can really last and what factors help maintain them over time. Our study showed that these benefits can still be observed decades later, but it also saw that the effect seems to be less pronounced in older women, particularly after the age of 60. That likely reflects the accelerated bone loss associated with menopause, which can gradually reduce earlier advantages. So, an important next step is understanding how physical activity in adulthood, especially resistant and impacted exercise, can help preserve those early life benefits.
Another interesting question is whether similar long-term advantages could be achieved through structured physical activity programs for children who are not competitive athletes. This would have important implications for public health, and we should surely check if other sports can bring about the same effects that we observed in gymnastics.

6. You chose to publish this research in IJERPH. What makes this journal the right fit for your research?
Our publication was in a Special Issue dedicated to chronic disease. When people think about chronic disease, they always think about cardiometabolic disease and other types of chronic diseases. So, we thought that this could be an original input for this Special Issue. Also, this is a very respectable journal with a good reputation, and this also was an aspect that we took into consideration.

7. Based on your experience publishing with us, what aspects of our editorial process most impacted your author experience?
The quality of the reviews. We were very happy with that because sometimes we receive reviews that do not reflect all the effort we put into a study. In this case, there were four reviewers, and all of them spent a lot of energy and time to make their reviews constructive, and that was a very positive aspect of the whole process.

MDPI will attend the 41st Annual Meeting of Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control, which will take place from 9 July 2026, Yokohama, Japan.

This congress will be held at the PACIFICO Yokohama North – Exhibition Hall C + D, organized by the Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control.

The theme of this meeting is “Shaping the Future of Infection Control Together”. The Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control serves as a “hub” where professionals from diverse backgrounds—such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists, clinical laboratory technologists, and those working in long-term care facilities—come together. By bringing together a wide range of healthcare professionals, the society provides opportunities to share experiences and perspectives, from which new approaches to infection prevention and control for tomorrow are expected to emerge.

The conference will feature programs that allow each participant to rediscover the value of learning about infectious diseases and infection prevention and control in an engaging way, while also offering sessions designed for thoughtful and in-depth discussion.

The following open access journals will be represented:

• Diseases;
• Reports;
• Epidemiologia;
• Infectious Disease Reports;
• Hygiene;
• IJERPH;
• ARM;
• TropicalMed;
• JMMS;
• Medicines;
• JCM.

If you plan to attend this event, we encourage you to visit our booth and speak to our representatives. We are eager to meet you in person and assist you with any queries that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the official website: https://www.congre.co.jp/jsipc2026/index.html

This Academic Publishing Workshop will be led by MDPI Regional Journal Relations Specialist, Dr. Barnaby Crook. Dr. Crook will present on the following topics: “Academic Publishing: From Idea to Publication” and “Publication Ethics for Authors”. In the first part of the workshop, participants will receive practical advice on essential aspects of writing academic articles, finding appropriate venues to submit their research, and navigating the peer review process. In the second part of the workshop, attendees will receive an introduction to contemporary issues in publication ethics, guidance on how to avoid ethical pitfalls in research, and learn about the impact of artificial intelligence on publishing. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how to successfully contribute to scientific journals.

Date: 30 March 2026
Time: 4:00–5:20 p.m. (EDT)
Venue: Online (Zoom)

Schedule:

Speaker:

Throughout 2025, research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH, ISSN: 1660-4601) was featured over 705 times in news articles published by media sources such as Forbes, CNN News, New York Post and The Atlantic.

Learn more about this research below.

“A 2025 study published in Environmental Research and Public Health offers a simple suggestion to handle such thoughts. Researchers explored whether interacting with nature in a structured way, specifically tending to an indoor plant, could reduce rumination and improve mental well-being after stressful life events.”
Forbes—”3 Strategies To Pull You Out Of Your ‘Fall Funk,’ By A Psychologist”
IJERPH—”Thriving Through Stressful Life Events with Nature: A Mixed-Method Study on Tending Indoor Plants and Rumination Resilience”
Article link: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/3/369

“So what is the right amount of sunlight exposure? For simple vitamin-D synthesis, estimates range from nine to 15 minutes a day, depending on season, location, and skin type. Much more than this, and the effect probably does not increase.”
The Atlantic—”How to Keep on the Sunny Side of Life”
IJERPH—”Insufficient Sun Exposure Has Become a Real Public Health Problem”
Article link: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/14/5014

“A 2020 study found that drinking 500 milliliters of water, about two glasses, after 12 hours of dehydration improved memory, alleviated thirst and boosted mood. Drinking 200 milliliters provided many of these benefits, while 100 milliliters was much less effective.”
New York Post—”This easy habit first thing in the morning boosts your energy, mood, memory and metabolism”
IJERPH—”Different Amounts of Water Supplementation Improved Cognitive Performance and Mood among Young Adults after 12 h Water Restriction in Baoding, China: A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)”
Article link: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/21/7792

“…Several other studies have shown that green environments reduce stress, and green space in urban environments in particular are linked to happiness.…”
New York Post—”6 cheap and easy things you can do to be happier today, according to science”
IJERPH—”Effects of Changes in Environmental Color Chroma on Heart Rate Variability and Stress by Gender”
Article link: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/9/5711

“That means the hundreds of thousands of people who are under evacuation orders or warnings amid some of the worst wildfires in the history of the Los Angeles area face threats not just their physical safety but also their mental health—and not just immediately after the fire passes. Mishra’s studies have also showed that some people experienced problems months, or even years, after wildfires.”
CNN News—”Wildfires are a threat to mental health that can linger even years later”
IJERPH—”Chronic Mental Health Sequelae of Climate Change Extremes: A Case Study of the Deadliest Californian Wildfire”
Article link: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/4/1487