Nova National School of Public Health (NNSPH) presented, on September 29, 2020, in Lisbon, The Gate – Public Health Knowledge Centre, a project on a global scale that proposes to find innovative solutions for the current and future challenges of humanity.
With innovation inscribed in its DNA, NNSPH has been contributing for over 50 years to the improvement of the health of populations, health systems and society and is now taking on a project on a global scale. “We want to do more. Not more of the same, but more and better ”, says Carla Nunes, NNSPH Dean.
The Gate is a knowledge center dedicated to scientific research and innovation in Public Health, open to the community, which will extend science, research and innovation beyond the walls of academia.
With a strong digital, technological and innovation component, The Gate will develop and disseminate digital programming, permanent and itinerant activities and exhibitions, using simulators, gaming, multimedia and laboratories, for different audiences and literacies, focused on the epidemiology of infectious diseases, health policies and research, environmental health, occupational health, health literacy and inequalities.
“The Center will be a powerful instrument for the exercise of citizenship, arousing interest in issues of science, technology and public health, providing citizens with the necessary knowledge to interpret information conveyed in the media or to make informed decisions about their style, such as food and medical treatments. It will encourage people to assess risks and confront ethical issues and moral choices facing society today in areas such as infectious diseases, climate change, clean energy, or stem cells. All of this based on scientific methodology, experimentation and inductive learning. ” says Carla Nunes.
The Gate has already identified some national and international partners, namely science and technology institutions, to guarantee its quality, recognition, innovation and sustainability. It now seeks to ally itself with other similar centers, in other parts of the globe, with the objective of constituting a global network of knowledge centers based on scientific research.
Despite the construction of a building for The Gate in Lisbon, being part of the plans, Carla Nunes adds that “the strong digital component of the Center makes its development and activities totally independent of the existence of a physical building”.
The Gate was presented at Ceremony 52 | 25 National School of Public Health, which celebrated the institution’s 52 years of existence and its 25 years at the NOVA University of Lisbon.