Deutsch Intern
Department of General Practice

Publication in "The Lancet - Planetary Health"

01/12/2023

Our colleague Dr. Eva-Maria Schwienhorst-Stich is one of the principal authors of an article titled "The Planetary Health Academy - a virtual lecture series for transformative education in Germany" which was published in "The Lancet - Planetary Health" beginning of January 2023.

The article in the special journal of the renowned medical journal "The Lancet" addresses the need to raise awareness among health professionals of the interlinkages between health and environmental changes and to impart knowledge about how to reduce ecological harm (ie, ecological footprint) and promote positive change (ie, ecological handprint)

However, health professions' education and training are mostly lacking these aspects. In the article, the authors report findings from the evaluation of the Planetary Health Academy, the first open online lecture series for transformative planetary health education in Germany.

In a retrospective online survey, 458 of 3656 Planetary Health Academy participants reported on their emotions toward climate change, attitudes towards health professionals' responsibilities, self-efficacy, and the contribuation of the Planetary Health Academy to their knowledge and actions. Additionally, motivators and barriers to actiing were assessed.

The evaluation findings provide insights that can inform future efforts for transformative education. Combined with network and movement building, education could act as a social tipping element toward actions to mitigate global environmental changes.

You can download the article here.

More information about Dr. Schwienhorst-Stich's projects in the area of "Planetary Health" can be found on the following website: Common Working Group Planetary Health.

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