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HEA National Health and Wellbeing Conference 2024

The HEA's 2nd National Health and Wellbeing Conference took place on Wednesday 5th of June in Dublin with the theme "A Whole of Institution Approach to Health and Wellbeing". The aim of the conference was to bring together leadership and staff from across the higher education sector working on the implementation of the HEA Healthy Campus Charter and Framework and the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework. Experts in campus health & wellbeing, mental health, health promotion and suicide prevention shared insights and provided guidance on effective implementation of these frameworks.

Over 100 people attended including staff and student representatives from public and private higher education institutions, as well as representatives from the HEA Student and Staff Health and Wellbeing Advisory Group and colleagues from the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive.

Keynote speakers included Professor Mark Dooris, Emeritus Professor in Health & Sustainability at the University of Central Lancashire presenting on ‘Healthy Campuses: Mobilising for the Future Wellbeing of People, Places & Planet’ and Professor Barbara Dooley, Dean of Graduate Studies and Professor of Psychology at University College Dublin on ‘The complexity of student mental health: risk and protective factors’. The Chair of the Healthy UCD Steering Committee, SPHPSS Dr Celine Murrin, was part of the panel discussion on the day which focused on challenges and opportunities around the implementation of the Healthy Campus framework in HEI's. Healthy Campus Case Studies were showcased, including one from UCD on the successful UCD Commuter Breakfasts initiative.