Side Program
Elements Throughout the Meeting
Beyond the main sessions and keynotes, HCIM 2026 offers a rich side program designed to inspire, engage, and connect participants in unique ways. From special exhibitions and interactive installations to playful experiences and networking opportunities, these activities complement the main program and bring an extra layer of creativity and engagement to your congress journey.
| Location | Activity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Main Hall | Photo Exhibition by Alfonso Novo | A selection of impactful images from the various programmes of the Theodora Foundation across Europe. |
| Main Hall |
Heart Stand by Elisabeth Helland Larsen and Sykehusklovnene |
The project features a mobile podcast space on site, where healthcare clowns are invited to sit down for short conversations about life, death, and their experiences in pediatric palliative care. These recorded reflections aim to foster dialogue, reduce taboo, and highlight the role of art and imagination in end-of-life care. |
| Outside the Main Entrance |
SPECIAL FEATURE: Rethinking Healthcare Clowning of the future: The ClownBulance and the Mobile Pop-Up Conversation Salon |
A mobile, playful care unit presented by Danske Hospitalsklovne & Design School Kolding. The ClownBulance serves as a creative hub for conversations, interaction, and inspiration around mobile emotional support in healthcare. |
| Outside the Main Entrance |
The Theodora Smiling Bus |
Come capture a joyful souvenir of HCIM 2026 ! Share a smile, and take a memorable photo to keep. |
Poster Sessions (Main Hall)
Humour workshops for staff working in palliative care
Discover how targeted humour workshops can reduce distress and increase cheerfulness among palliative care staff, enhancing team wellbeing and resilience. Lea Böttger
Project Manager, Stiftung Humor Hilft Heilen
| Poster Title & Summary | Presenter |
|---|---|
| Medical clowns improve sleep and shorten hospitalization duration in hospitalized children By comparing intervention and control groups, the study reveals that bedside clown encounters improve pediatric sleep and decrease hospitalization time. |
Giora Pilar Director of the Pediatrics Department Maja Shimshi Pediatrician, British Columbia Children's Hospital |
| The Clownbulance: an ambulance for the soul This presentation showcases the Clownbulance project, where medical clowns take hospitalized children on personalized Wish Days to foster emotional healing, resilience, and family engagement beyond the hospital setting. |
Smadar Harpak Founder and Project Director, The Dream Doctors Project Israel |
| 10 things you should know before bringing your clown into school Based on long-term school clown practice in Germany, the presentation outlines ten essential learnings about entering schools, understanding their unspoken rules, and adapting clowning to classroom realities. |
Andrea Geser-Novotny True!moments gUG (haftungsbeschränkt) |
| Breaking the silence through laughter: power relations and the clown's performance in the hospital setting Drawing on interviews with hospital clown organizations worldwide, the presentation explores how institutional power dynamics influence clown practice and identifies emerging best practices for building effective relationships with hospitals. |
Maria Rosa University Professor, State University of Health Sciences of Alagoas |
| From adversity to innovation: how virtual visits expanded healthcare clowning after the pandemic Through digital pivoting, corporate partnerships, and hybrid programming, this case study demonstrates how Theodora Foundation Spain expanded its hospital reach nationwide despite financial and logistical constraints after the pandemic. |
Juan Naranjo Project Manager |
| Healthcare clowning in a paediatric allergology department: perspectives of children, their parents, medical staff, and clown artists Using ethnographic observation and interviews, this research examines how healthcare clowning during invasive procedures benefits younger children, parents, and medical staff, while highlighting limited engagement among adolescents. |
Pérola Ribeiro Društvo Rdeči Noski |
| Clowns on wheels: bringing joy to seniors living in isolation Through stories, evaluation insights, and real-life outcomes, this session explores how visiting isolated elderly people with mobile clowning created deep emotional impact while revealing logistical and collaborative challenges. |
Marija Žemaitytė RAUDONOS NOSYS (RED NOSES Lithuania) |
| What if clowns could ‘pre-read’ a patient’s humor before entering their room? Inspired by HCIM 2018, this session presents an artistic and therapeutic journey combining clowning, digital performance, and symbolic healing, culminating in a new personalized pre-visit video approach for hospital patients in Mexico. |
Nano Lara Healthcare Clown, La Bufón S.o.s.ial |
| Virtual reality to reduce preoperative anxiety in pediatric outpatients undergoing surgery This randomized controlled trial evaluates whether a 5-minute immersive VR tour of the surgical pathway narrated by hospital clowns can reduce preoperative anxiety and cortisol levels in children undergoing major ambulatory surgery and their caregivers. |
Jordi Solé Artistic Director |
| Embracing dementia: building of a positive outlook about people living with dementia This presentation explores how healthcare clowns can challenge the prevailing pessimistic view of dementia by fostering meaningful relationships, presence, playfulness, and new cultural perspectives around people living with the disease. |
Olivier-Hugues Terreault Trainer and Clown |
| Clown therapy for enhancing cooperation in children with ASDs during dental visits: a randomized controlled trial This randomized controlled trial compares dentist-only and clown-assisted familiarization sessions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, showing greater step completion over time in the clown-assisted group despite no statistically significant between-group differences. |
Aesha Allam University Of Milan |
| Why elder-clowning matters; and how to evaluate it This presentation uses an ethnographic study of the “Creatief met clowns” project to explore alternative, story-based approaches to evaluating art-based and elder-clown practices in person-centred dementia care. |
Ruud Hendriks Assistant Professor, Maastricht University |
| Using AI for music storytelling for children with different profiles: an interdisciplinary approach for Giggle Doctors Drawing on hospital-based artistic work and digital storytelling during the pandemic, this presentation examines how generative AI tools support music- and narrative-based interaction as a human-centered, creative engagement method with children. |
Murat Anıl Soykok Researcher, Meddahan |
| Sonrisologos: smile specialists and humanization in pediatric oncology Through coordinated, ethically grounded clown interventions at Sótero del Rio Hospital, this case study illustrates how hospital clowning has become an active agent of humanized care with expanding clinical and community impact. |
Susana Alegria Lopez De Vergara Healthcare Clown Carola Garabano Asociacion Sonrisologos de Chile |
| The “Clownerna” mobile app: a digital extension of the connection between children and healthcare clowns This presentation introduces the Swedish “Clownerna” app, a shared digital platform where children can meet, play with, message, and follow healthcare clowns across hospitals before and after in-person visits. |
Vanilla Karlsvärd Executive Director, Östergötlands Sjukhusclowner |
| Emergency smiles: healthcare clowning in the wake of a natural disaster This presentation highlights how Theodora Foundation Spain’s Emergency Smiles project used healthcare clowning to provide emotional relief and resilience for children and families affected by the La Palma volcanic eruption. |
Juan Naranjo Project Manager Daniel Mesa Fundación Theodora España |
| Humour workshops for staff working in palliative care Discover how targeted humour workshops can reduce distress and increase cheerfulness among palliative care staff, enhancing team wellbeing and resilience. |
Lea Böttger Project Manager, Stiftung Humor Hilft Heilen |
|
The transformational power of healthcare clowning: the example of the doctor Payaso programme in Mexico This presentation examines the transformational potential of healthcare clowning through ®ClownCare, a structured training course in clown-based expressive arts delivered to medical students in Mexico (n = 46). A mixed-methods pilot evaluation demonstrated statistically meaningful improvements among trained participants in psychological well-being, emotional regulation, and adaptive coping, together with qualitative shifts toward authenticity, connection, and play. These findings support healthcare clowning training as a culturally grounded, low-cost intervention to promote emotional well-being and humanization in health professionals education. |
Jorge Alejandro García-Rodríguez; Ana Carolina Sepúlveda Vildósola; Gabriela Borrayo Sánchez; José Benjamín Guerrero López; Mónica Beatriz Aburto Arciniega; Guillermo Wakida; Mirna Edith de Lucio Vázquez; Joaquín Ricardo Gutiérrez-Soriano Faculty of Medicine of the National Autonomous University of Mexico UNAM |
Video Station (Main Hall)
| Video & Summary | Presenter |
|---|---|
| Nose Size M Through an unpretentious, dialogue-free film, this screening reveals the philosophy, challenges, and humor of training new healthcare clowns, with the option for post-film discussion on auditions and education. Duration: 50 min |
Lukáš Houdek
Lecturer and Coach, Zdravotní Klaun, O.p.s. |
| This is where we meet: video portraits and documentary from the ClowNexus project Through intimate video portraits and a documentary, this presentation delves into the emotional and artistic process of healthcare clowning, highlighting the power of humor, play, and silence in building inclusive, trust-based relationships. Duration: 32 min |
Viltautė Žemelytė
Head of International Programme Department, Red Noses International |
| Theatre for climate justice: clowning for connection and empowerment in displaced communities Discover how applied clowning in Cairo empowered refugee children to tackle climate change through story, play, and interactive theatre. |
Hannah Gaff
Professor, Vassar College |
| Healthcare clown organisations: Message to the Future Generations This short film explores the experiences of healthcare clowning pioneers worldwide, revealing how organisational strategies, shared methodologies and professionalisation shaped the global consolidation of the practice. Duration: 10 min |
Morgana Masetti
Vice President, Healthcare Clowning Research International Network (H-CRIN) |
| The Power of Imagination The Power of Imagination showcases the Giggle Doctors’ work with Theodora Foundation, demonstrating how humor and imagination reduce fear, pain, and isolation for hospitalized children, enhancing their healing process. Duration: 30 min |
Theodora Foundation
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