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O'Callaghan-Gordo C, Moreno A, Bosque-Prous M, Castro-Sanchez E, Dadvand P, Guzmán CAF, García-Juanatey A, Gascon M, Grau O, Jordana J, Lowe R, March H, Medina FX, Mélon L, Navas G, Núñez Casal A, Ruiz-Mallén I, Sánchez-Valdivia N, Tonne C, Triguero-Mas M, Zografos C, Antó JM. Responding to the need of postgraduate education for Planetary Health: Development of an online Master's Degree. Front Public Health 2022; 10:969065. [PMID: 36388308 PMCID: PMC9643718 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.969065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Planetary Health has emerged as a new approach to respond to the existential risks that the clime and global environmental crises pose to human societies. As stated by various stakeholders, the challenges involved in Planetary Health are of such magnitude that education must be at the forefront to obtain a meaningful response. Universities and higher education institutions have been specifically called to embed the concept of planetary stewardship in all curricula and train the next generation of researchers and change makers as a matter of urgency. As a response to this call, the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) developed the first online and asynchronous Master in Science (MSc) in Planetary Health. The aim of the programme is to train a new generation of academics and professionals who understand the challenges of Planetary Health and have tools to tackle them. This article describes the development of the curriculum of this MSc, presents the main characteristics of the programme and discusses some of the challenges encountered in the development of the programme and its implementation. The design of this MSc was based on: the alignment of the programme with the principles for Planetary Health education with a focus on human health; a multi-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary approach; the urgency to respond to the Anthropocene challenges; and the commitment to the 2030 Agenda. The MSc was recognized as an official degree by the Agency for Quality of the Catalan University System, included in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education, and the Spanish National Academic Coordination body in April 2021 and launched in October 2021. There are currently more than 50 students enrolled in the program coming from a broad range of disciplines and geographic locations. The information presented in this article and the discussion on challenges encountered in developing and implementing the programme can be useful for those working in the development of similar programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina O'Callaghan-Gordo
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain,ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain,CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain,*Correspondence: Cristina O'Callaghan-Gordo
| | | | - Marina Bosque-Prous
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Enrique Castro-Sanchez
- College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare, University of West London, Brentford, United Kingdom,Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Payam Dadvand
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain,CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos A. Faerron Guzmán
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain,ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain,Graduate School, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States,Planetary Health Alliance, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ana García-Juanatey
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain,CEI International Affairs, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mireia Gascon
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain,ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain,CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Oriol Grau
- Plants and Ecosystems, University of Antwerpen, Antwerpen, Belgium,Global Ecology Unit (CREAF), Catalonia, Spain
| | - Jacint Jordana
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain,Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rachel Lowe
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona, Spain,Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain,Centre on Climate Change & Planetary Health and Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hug March
- Estudis d'Economia i Empresa, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain,Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3), Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - F. Xavier Medina
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain,Unesco Chair on Food, Culture and Development, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lela Mélon
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain,UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change, ESCI-UPF, Barcelona, Spain,Department of Law, Faculty of Law, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Grettel Navas
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain,Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain,Faculty of Government, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Andrea Núñez Casal
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain,Departamento de Ciencia, Tecnología y Sociedad, Insituto de Filosofía, Spanish National Research Council (IFS-CSIC), Madrid, Spain,Departamento de Filosofía y Antropología, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC), Santiago, Spain
| | - Isabel Ruiz-Mallén
- Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3), Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain,Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nacho Sánchez-Valdivia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain,COVID-19 Early Detection, Surveillance and Control Department, Public Health Agency of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cathryn Tonne
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain,CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Margarita Triguero-Mas
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain,Mariana Arcaya's Research Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Christos Zografos
- Johns Hopkins University - Universitat Pompeu Fabra (JHU-UPF) Public Policy Center, UPF-BSM, Department of Political and Social Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain,Research Group on Health Inequalities, Environment, and Employment Conditions (GREDS-EMCONET), Department of Political and Social Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep M. Antó
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain,CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain,IMIM Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
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