Prof. Dr. Tobias Kowatsch serves as Associate Chair for CHI 2025 Health and, thus, invites submissions that highlight the importance of human factors in health research, esp. with a focus on care for older adults, women’s health, and other important and pressing health issues, such as metabolic health. submissions are also welcome that improve our understanding on how to reach and engage vulnerable individuals to lower the socioeconomic inequalities in health, a topic highly relevant at CDHI (e.g., Healthification, AI in healthcare).

The conference embraces the theme of Ikigai, a Japanese concept referring to what gives a person a sense of purpose, a reason for living. In today’s world, people are facing a multitude of challenges in climate change, growing inequality, technological disruption, global conflict, and health crises. Ikigai concerns the ability of a person to find their purpose and balance their agency, their passion, their capabilities, and the impact they can have. The CHI community consists of people with many passions and talents, people from different disciplines and walks of life. In harnessing our ‘Ikigai’ into a communal ‘IkiCHI’ we can be greater than the sum of our efforts and offer unique contributions to solving the difficult challenges ahead.

The cherry blossom or ‘Sakura’ as depicted in the CHI’25 logo signifies a time of renewal and optimism. The conference takes place in the period of cherry blossom growth and in this environment of optimism and renewal, we wish you will find your IkiCHI.