RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has been honoured by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Exercise is Medicine® (EIM) initiative for its efforts to create a culture of well-being on campus.

The EIM On Campus initiative calls upon universities and colleges to promote physical activity as a vital sign of health and encourages faculty, staff and students to work together to improve the health and well-being of the campus community.

RCSI earned the silver level award for implementing physical activity as a vital sign for health on campus and offering programmes to increase physical activity amongst students and staff. The university also earned EIM's COVID Conqueror badge, a new honour given to campuses that demonstrated creative adaptations to physical activity programming during the COVID-19 pandemic, led by the RCSI Gym.

Welcoming the announcement, Professor Cathal Kelly, RCSI CEO, said: "The COVID crisis has accelerated a global focus on well-being. For more than 230 years, RCSI has provided leadership in education, training and research with an exclusive focus on improving health and decreasing the burden of disease. Our programmes are based on abundant evidence that physical activity reduces the risk of chronic disease and exercise should be incorporated as a key health indicator. This designation from the American College of Sports Medicine recognises our staff expertise in the field and our commitment to advancing initiatives for good health and well-being."

Robyn Stuhr, Vice President of EIM, said: "We are thrilled to recognise RCSI's commitment to make movement a part of daily campus culture and equip students with tools to cultivate lifelong physical activity habits, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Professor Suzanne McDonough, Head of the RCSI School of Physiotherapy, said: "As educators and researchers, we are committed to using our knowledge and discoveries to foster improvements in health and well-being. Our on-campus and online initiatives provide a range of resources to equip our students and staff with the supports needed to take more control of their own health, to help people increase their chances of living longer, healthier lives."

Of the 153 campuses recognized this year, 73 received gold, 59 silver and 21 bronze. All gold, silver and bronze universities and colleges will be officially recognised on Wednesday, 2 June as part of the 2021 virtual World Congress on Exercise is Medicine, held in conjunction with the American College of Sports Medicine's Annual Meeting.