Environment: The impact of our education on a healthier world

Which Planetary Health developments were embedded in education and training at UMC Utrecht in 2025? 

Human health and the health of our planet are inseparable. That is why Planetary Health is a structural part of The New Utrecht School and our educational programs. 

Planetary Health training for lecturers

In 2025, we developed a training program for lecturers to integrate Planetary Health into their courses. In this training, lecturers explore the relationship between planetary and human health, learn why this topic is essential in (medical) education, and receive practical tools to incorporate it into their lessons.

A central element of the training is how to encourage students to think critically about their own actions and explore sustainable alternatives. Twenty lecturers from various academic and healthcare programs completed the training in 2025. They rated the training an average of 8. 

Planetary Health in healthcare programs

Through the Planetary Health Integration Team (PHIT), we work on structurally embedding planetary health and sustainability in education. In 2025, three students joined the team as permanent members. 

In 2025, Planetary Health was also further integrated into the training programs for operating room assistants, anesthesia staff, infection-prevention specialists, and oncology nursing specializations at the UMC Utrecht Academy. Four educators from these programs joined the PHIT team as permanent members. This work will continue in 2026, enabling these programs to serve as examples for other medical support and nursing (postgraduate) programs.