Working Group 4
Health and wellbeing of transnational families

Working Group 4 focuses on the particular way in which Transnational Families handle medical and welfare-related decisions and practices (i.e., the complementary use of health systems in different countries). This has been further sharpened by the Covid-19 pandemic. During the past global health crisis governments and health authorities needed to reach out to Transnational Families with adequate information of preventive measures and vaccination. It became acutely clear how strongly they competed with transnational understandings and communication. New insights can only be achieved by bringing together interdisciplinary insights, for example clarifying the role of cultural heritage, family loyalty and (mis)trust in government institutions.

See more on our members on the E-Cost Website.

More on our work:

  • 10 September 2026: Closing Conference

    The closing conference will mark the culmination of the TraFaDy network, bringing together researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and transnational families. It will present key findings from the six Working Groups, share policy and practice recommendations, and foster dialogue across disciplines and sectors. The event will strengthen the European community of practice on TNF and ensure…

  • 02 June 2026: Meeting of Working Group 4

    This Working Group meeting will be dedicated to interactive exercises on audience engagement and knowledge transfer. Participants will work in small groups to design case studies on how research outcomes can be adapted and translated into formats accessible for different target groups (e.g., migrant associations, family support services, educational institutions). The meeting will also include…

  • Working Paper 10/2025: Transnational Family Dynamics, Migration, and Health – An emerging field of interdisciplinary and participatory action

    This Working Paper is a result of a small series of face-to-face and online meetings as well as email discussions on the topic on Transnational Family Dynamics and Health and Wellbeing. The Working paper describes the challenges and context arising and identifying next steps for further investigations and policy measures. The Working Paper identifies itself…

  • 17 February 2026: Meeting of Working Group 4: Expanding impact – Sharing research beyond academia

    The meeting will focus on sharing experiences and best practices in communicating research results beyond academic circles. The WG members will focuson identifying key audiences (policy stakeholders, practitioners, migrant families, local communities), effective channels of communication (policy briefs, workshops, public events, social media), and challenges in tailoring messages to different audiences. Together, the group will…

  • 17 February 2025: Meeting of Working Group 4

    Members of Working Group 4 came toghether and discussed the current state of play of the work of the sub groups. Additional joint activites were planned. This working group meeting of WG 4 was held online.

  • 25-27 November 2024: Third General Meeting

    All Working Groups continued their work throughout 2024 by meeting several times, online and in-person. The final hybrid meeting was the General Meeting, which took place from 25-27 November in Vilnius, Lithuania. During the General Meeting several meetings took place: Core Group, Communications Group and, most important, all Working Groups, which met at least twice…

  • 19-20 September 2024: Expert Meeting on Transnational Family Dynamics and Health and Wellbeing in Vienna

    UPDATE: The working paper has been finalised and can be downloaded here: This meeting is part of a small series of face-to-face and online meetings as well as email discussions on the topic on Transnational Family Dynamics and Health and Wellbeing. Besides meeting reports of the discussions one aim is to work on a working…

  • 20-22 November 2023: Second General Meeting

    The second General Meeting took place from 20 to 22 November in Istanbul, Turkey. It was hosted by the Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University (Istanbul, Turkey). Nafiye Cigdem Aktekin and Mutasim Bavarsi are the local organisers. During the General Meeting several meetings took place. All Working Groups met twice and several Working Groups split up…

  • 28 – 29 September 2023: Stakeholder perspectives on Transnational Family Dynamics and Health and Wellbeing

    UPDATE: The working paper has been finalised and can be downloaded here: This meeting is the start of a small series of face-to-face and online meetings as well as email discussions on the topic on Transnational Family Dynamics and Health and Wellbeing. Besides meeting reports of the discussions one aim is to work on a…

  • 18 September 2023: Meeting of Working Group 4

    This working group meeting of WG 4 was held online.

  • 26 May 2023: Meeting of Working Group 4

    This working group meeting of WG 4 was held online.

  • 22.-24.02.2023: First general meeting of TraFaDy network

    The interdisciplinary network “Transnational Family Dynamics in Europe” (TraFaDy), founded on 3 October in the framework of the European COST Action programme, met for the first time for a general meeting to which all participants had been invited. In the course of the in person meeting that was held from 22 to 24 February, numerous…

Contact

Working group leader:
Dr Viorela Ducu Telegdi Csetri
UBB, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania

Co-leaders:
Dr Carlos Barros
Universidade Católica Portuguesa

Dr Karlijn Haagsman
Maastricht University

Contact:
WG4@trafady.eu

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