6th May 2024
In the realm of education for sustainable healthcare, where interconnected challenges demand innovative solutions, the Planetary Health Report Card (PHRC) emerges as a beacon of progress. As an international student organisation, the PHRC is dedicated to advocating for the integration of planetary health education within health professional schools worldwide. Through meticulous assessment and collaborative efforts, the PHRC aims to catalyse positive change in curricula, research, community engagement, student initiatives support, and campus sustainability initiatives.
At the heart of the PHRC’s mission lies its annual metric-based reports, meticulously crafted by student teams across participating institutions. These reports, divided into five sections, serve as comprehensive evaluations of each institution’s approach to planetary health:
- Curriculum
- Interdisciplinary Research
- Community Outreach
- Support for Student-Led Initiatives
- Campus Sustainability
By evaluating these key areas, the PHRC not only identifies areas of strength but also highlights opportunities for improvement. This process fosters a culture of continuous enhancement, driving institutions towards excellence in planetary health education.
The impact of the PHRC reaches far and wide, with 151 schools across 18 countries and 7 disciplines participating this year. What’s more inspiring is the tangible progress observed – 78% of schools that completed a previous report showcased improvement, a testament to the efficacy of the PHRC’s methodology.
Some of the student teams have shared with us the PHRC inspired changes they have seen at their institutions:
“We developed a class on climate justice that was guided by the components of the PHRC, raising our Curriculum score to a B this year!” – Rush Medical College
“We have continued to update our new Planetary Health Curriculum to incorporate student feedback and cover topics in more depth. In the past year two new lectures have been delivered for the first time. We have also successfully implemented a small-scale composting program at the Spokane Health Sciences campus.” -Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
If you’d like to get involved in the PHRC please email phreportcard@gmail.com or reach out to us on socials @phreportcard. Our 2024 summary report was published on 22 of April 2024 on our website pherportcard.org, please share this far and wide so we can share the amazing work the PHRC students are doing around the world.