UOC will contribute to the CATA-EARTH project by co-leading WP1 and WP3 with UI and UGM, respectively. In WP1, the primary objective will be to analyze existing frameworks in Planetary Health education and propose a new framework that considers the context, needs, and potential barriers of various third-country institutions, focusing on addressing community needs. This effort will result in the creation of a toolkit to support the replication of project results. In WP3, the goal will be to train academic teachers to deliver Planetary Health courses by developing site-specific training materials.

UOC will contribute to Cata-Earth with its experience in setting up the first master degree program on Planetary Health, which was launched in October 2021. It is a fully online inter-university master’s program created in partnership with Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), that provides comprehensive training for professionals from various fields. It teaches them to analyze the risks that global environmental and climate crises pose to human health, assess potential impacts, and propose adaptation and mitigation solutions. These include designing, planning, and implementing actions to maintain human health and well-being within the planet’s environmental limits. This master’s program aligns perfectly with Cata-Earth’s objectives and will contribute valuable expertise in developing and delivering training materials in Planetary Health. 

Through discussions with the newly graduated students from the MSc on Planetary Health, UOC has gained insights into the needs and skills required for graduates to succeed in the workforce. This understanding helps develop the employability framework, which is one of the objectives of WP1. It aims not only to train students but also to create a pathway for them to apply their knowledge in their workplaces and seek jobs where they can contribute to planetary health.

UOC has a lot to learn from this project, particularly by understanding the local contexts in Bangladesh and Indonesia where the project is focused. It is crucial to identify the unique challenges faced by each community to develop training materials that are specifically tailored to their needs. Each context presents distinct challenges, making it valuable for UOC to learn from the experiences of other partners and the specific planetary health issues they are addressing. This knowledge will also help UOC understand the obstacles faced in implementing the course at other higher education institutions worldwide.