RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has signed the Healthy Campus Charter with the Higher Education Authority at an official signing event that took place at the university’s St Stephen’s Green campus.

RCSI Vice-Chancellor Professor Cathal Kelly signed the charter along with Professor Suzanne McDonough, Chair of the RCSI Healthy Campus Committee and Head of RCSI School of Physiotherapy, and Amit Kalra, President of the RCSI Undergraduate Students' Union.

The event formally marked RCSI’s commitment to the Healthy Campus Charter and Framework which was launched by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris to help Higher Education Institutions across Ireland embed health and well-being into campus life for staff and students.

The Healthy Campus initiative encourages a holistic understanding of health, takes a whole campus approach and aspires to create a learning environment and organisational culture that enhances the health and well-being of its community and enables people to achieve their full potential.

The Framework offers guidelines to third-level institutions to build on existing well-being actions and assists with the integration of health and well-being across the campus including teaching and learning, student supports and services, staff development, policies.

Delivery and measurement

RCSI established the Healthy Campus Committee in 2022, which includes staff and student members. The committee is now developing a Healthy Campus Charter plan outlining the RCSI vision, objectives, action plan and key performance indicators for successful delivery and measurement of the initiative. 

The plan builds on existing RCSI initiatives in support of health and well-being. From 2021 to date RCSI has been recognised 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. 

Other recent developments to support health and well-being included the introduction of lifestyle medicine through an optional Certificate in Lifestyle Medicine open to all medical, physiotherapy and pharmacy undergraduate students. 

A number of Healthy Campus initiatives have already taken place under the RCSI Student Engagement and Partnership (StEP) programme including the 'student success' initiative to develop a definition of student success in the unique context of RCSI and build a framework to appropriately address students’ needs in this area. The university has also introduced a new 'Positive RCSI' annual staff survey to measure RCSI as a positive organisation.

A whole-campus approach

RCSI Vice-Chancellor Professor Cathal Kelly said: "Since our foundation, RCSI has provided leadership in education, training and research with an exclusive focus on improving health outcomes to help people to live long and healthy lives. I am delighted to formally mark our commitment to the Healthy Campus Charter, bringing together our staff and students to further develop a campus that promotes good health and well-being and reinforce our commitment as signatories of the UN Sustainable Development Goals Accord."

Caroline McMahon, National Healthy Campus Coordinator at the Higher Education Authority, said: "The launch of RCSI’s Healthy Campus Initiative and official Charter signing demonstrates a strong commitment from their Vice Chancellor and Undergraduate Students' Union President in support of student and staff well-being. RCSI’s Healthy Campus Steering Committee has a broad range of stakeholders which reflects the whole campus approach required to make systemic change for health and well-being. I commend Professor Suzanne McDonough, Chair of the RCSI Healthy Campus Committee, for driving RCSI’s participation in the initiative."