In recognition of World Health Day on April 7th, we have collected a selection of some of the health related projects happening across business schools around the world. This year’s theme is improving food safety, from farm to plate. Click here to read Part I of this series.
In the first part of this short series we looked at the different management programmes focused on the topic of business and health, student clubs active in this area, and events and lecture series’ aimed at not just raising awareness, but bringing together different groups to discuss sustainability and health. Schools are increasingly working in collaboration with local groups on health related projects.
Welingkar Institute of Management (India) has been working with local organisations to end polio in India. Students in collaboration with local health organisations toured the nation to spread awareness about how to eradicate polio. Students from the international marketing and publicity programme at Universidad Icesi (Columbia) work together with the Blood Bank to create public campaigns to encourage individuals to donate blood and to raise awareness around the topic. The University also has a Centre for the Study of the Social and Economic Protection of Health, which does research on the quality of public policies around social and economic protection of health services, and regularly organises conferences and seminars on the topic.
Another school actively engaged in research in this area is Glasgow Caledonian University (UK), which has the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health. The Centre aims to transform the lives of the poorest through pioneering research examining the relationship between social business and health improvement. It evaluates the impact of social business creation on the lives and health of disadvantaged communities in Glasgow and oversees. The Monieson Centre for Business Research in Healthcare at Queen’s School of Business (Canada) creates opportunities and provides on-going support to academics, business leaders and policymakers to develop research-based solutions to real-world problems. The Centre engages over 40 economic development partners in a number of projects including a conference series on “Building a National Strategy to Transform Canadian Healthcare,” and a report on Change Management in Healthcare. Many other schools have research projects in this area, including the Asian Institute of Management’s (Philippines) working paper on A Framework to Promote Good Governance in Healthcare, which gives an overview of the corruption and ethical dilemmas in the Philippine healthcare system and provides a framework of strategies and solutions to promote governance in the health sector. The School has a number of research projects and events around the topic of health including an annual Health Technology Assessment Round Table and an advocacy campaign engaging various health-related sectors to discuss their roles in the healthcare system, especially in the attainment of universal healthcare.
Schools are also exploring health topics as they relate to their campus directly. Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua (Mexico) has several events as part of their campaign, “Movement for a Healthy University,” including daily aerobic classes and a 5k organised in which over 200 students, staff and faculty participated. The University of Dubai (UAE) in cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Health organised a cancer awareness campaign across campus. Several campuses have anti smoking campaigns on campus, including the We-R-Green Club at Welingkar Institute of Management (India), who organised ‘Pedal2Green’, a cyclothon aimed at spreading the message to quit smoking. In 2015, Curtin University amended the University by-laws so that smoking anywhere on campus is prohibited. Banners are posted throughout the school to remind students and staff of the changes.
Great Lakes Institute of Management (India) is also a 100% tobacco-free campus, as part of programmes to enhance the quality of the air for all. The campus has a number of health related projects including an herbal garden that aims to teach students about traditional knowledge systems among the local communities. The garden contains botanical medicinal plants where the seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark or flowers used for medicinal purposes. The plants are made available to the local community free of cost. The school also offers specialised MBAs in Health Care.
Schools such as the University of Applied Sciences HTW Chur (Switzerland) are supporting student start-ups, several of which have been focused on health related topics. A group of business students have been developing a business concept for stationery group therapy of obese children and youths involving several professional experts in nutrition, sports and psychology. The Irish Angels at Mendoza College of Business is a network of alumni and friends with entrepreneurial experience and a passion for supporting new venture development. A number of their mentors and student projects are focused on healthcare. Seattle Pacific University, through its Centre for Applied Learning, offers mentors for undergraduate and graduate students. The school provides students with a wide range of mentors, including from healthcare services, to advise students on career options.
Finally, goal three of the proposed Sustainable Development Goals is focused on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all, at all ages. Health is embedded into almost all of the proposed goals.
For more information, visit the World Health Day website and Share your #safefood initiatives. You may also be interested in taking a look at some previous posts focused on business schools and food—the theme for this year’s World Health Day—including:
- Developing a Sustainable Food Industry in Ireland (University College Dublin)
- Sustainable Food on Campus Part 1 and Part 2
- Feeding the World – Business Schools Taking the Challenge on a Local Level Part 1 and Part 2
PRiMEtime 