EUPHA webinar: The transdisciplinary working model of the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health to create societal impact

Nowadays, it is acknowledged that transdisciplinarity and societal impact are a crucial component of public health research and practice. However, little is known on how to implement transdisciplinary public health initiatives that lead to societal impact. Moreover, we have little knowledge about the role that schools of public health can play in generating societal impact. This point raises a key question what are schools of public health for, how and what should they deliver and for whom?

In this webinar, we will present the transdisciplinary working model of the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health, which is based in the north of the Netherlands. We will address its implications for generating societal impact through education, research, regional cooperation and public engagement.

This webinar is a collaboration between representatives of the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health (AJSPH) and the Faculty of Law / Groningen Centre for Health Law from the University of Groningen, who participates in the ‘Aletta Model’.

The specific objectives of this webinar are:

• To reflect with the audience on the utility and services offered by schools of public health.
• To present a particular organizational structure with a transdisciplinary working model for a school of public health and to show how it can contribute to societal impact in public health.

By organizing this webinar, we want to raise awareness about the role that schools of public health can play in creating transdisciplinary working models generating societal impact.

In the last three decades, there has been a strong emphasis on societal impact within academic institutions. However, it is not clear yet how the activities organized by schools of public health are contributing to additional benefits (outside of academia and beyond research impact) the social, economic and environmental settings.