The NOVA National School of Public Health and the Viseu Dão Lafões Intermunicipal Community (CIM) signed a collaboration agreement on 17 September aimed at strengthening the technical capacity of the municipalities in the region in the field of health.

The public signing ceremony took place in Viseu and also marked the official launch of the “Advanced Training in Municipal Health Management” programme, which involves 32 participants, including elected local officials, managers, technical staff from the CIM and from the 14 municipalities in the territory, as well as professionals from the Viseu Dão Lafões Local Health Unit.

With a total duration of 40 hours, delivered in a hybrid format, the programme aims to equip participants with advanced skills in planning, managing and monitoring public policies on health and well-being, in a context where municipalities are taking on increasing responsibilities in this area.

The training will cover topics such as the functioning of the health system and the National Health Service, the transfer of responsibilities in the field of health, public health and healthy cities, integrated care and digital health, health literacy, strategic planning, economic evaluation, project management and the development of intersectoral local responses.

According to Rui Santana, Deputy Director of NOVA NSPH, this agreement is a natural fit with the School’s mission, which encompasses teaching, research and service to the community. “This agreement allows us, within these three major areas of activity, to develop not only what is beginning today, namely advanced training in municipal management and its application in the field of health, but also to develop other types of initiatives that may be considered,” he said.

The Deputy Director of NOVA NSPH also expressed his hope that this collaboration will be “just the beginning of a broader journey”, both with the Viseu Dão Lafões CIM and with each of the municipalities in the territory, in areas to be jointly identified. “I hope that this initiative will be the beginning of something bigger and that the training some of you are starting today will meet your highest expectations and help you take tools back to your local communities that can translate into health gains for the population, which is what we all want,” added Rui Santana.

The session also included the participation of the President of the Viseu Dão Lafões CIM and Mayor of Viseu, João Azevedo, who stressed the importance of investing in technical capacity building. “

The partnership between NOVA NSPH and the Viseu Dão Lafões CIM also includes technical support for the development of initiatives and projects aimed at promoting the health and well-being of the population, strengthening the connection between academic knowledge, local management and action within communities.

In addition to Rui Santana and João Azevedo, the session was attended, among others, by the Vice-President of the Viseu Dão Lafões CIM, Marco Almeida, the Executive Secretary of the CIM, Nuno Martinho, the coordinator of the Advanced Training in Municipal Health Management programme, Ricardo Mestre, and the Mayor of Vila Nova de Paiva, Paulo Marques.

Through this collaboration, NOVA NSPH reinforces its commitment to building the capacity of professionals and decision-makers, helping to bring Public Health closer to local communities and supporting more integrated, qualified and health-oriented local responses.

Images @Comunidade Intermunicipal Viseu Dão Lafões

The NOVA National School of Public Health is part of the European CO-ACT project (Co-Designing Adaptive Care Transformations for Ageing Communities), a 30-month initiative focused on transforming and optimising healthcare for older people.

In response to the challenges posed by population ageing, inequalities in access to services and pressure on healthcare systems, the project brings together partners from Portugal, Finland, Ireland and the Netherlands. Its aim is to develop integrated, inclusive responses adapted to the respective local dynamics.

Fieldwork will take place in four Living Labs – real-world community settings where older people, healthcare professionals, organisations and policymakers will co-design and test solutions tailored to each context. In Portugal, NOVA NSPH will lead and coordinate the national Living Lab, facilitating direct work with the community and local partners. The project prioritises equity and the inclusion of vulnerable groups, assessing the feasibility and adaptability of the proposed solutions for other regions.

At NOVA NSPH, participation is ensured by the BE-Change team, coordinated by Marta Moreira Marques, a faculty member at the School. In addition to managing the Portuguese Living Lab, the institution leads the group dedicated to Dissemination, Communication, Scalability and Transferability (Work Package 3), and is responsible for knowledge-sharing strategies, the development of training materials, digital platforms and public policy recommendations.

The official presentation of CO-ACT by the BE-Change team will take place on 23 September at 9:30 a.m. during the Scientific Work Presentation Session, as part of the CHRC 7th Summit, in Porto.

Funding Note: The CO-ACT project is funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through the Transforming Health and Care Systems (THCS) partnership, under Grant Agreement No. 101095654 of the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme.

Marta Marques, Assistant Professor at the NOVA National School of Public Health and researcher at the Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), has been elected “President-Elect” of the European Health Psychology Society (EHPS) for the 2026-2028 term. This will be followed by a two-year term as President (2028-2030) and a two-year term as Past-President.

The election represents international recognition of Marta Marques’ scientific and academic career in the field of Health Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, as well as the growing international visibility of NOVA NSPH and CHRC in these areas. It also reflects her dedication and active involvement in EHPS activities since 2009.

The European Health Psychology Society is a European society that promotes research in Health Psychology, as well as the application of this knowledge to practice, intervention and the improvement of population health. EHPS organises an annual conference, publishes scientific journals, facilitates interest groups and promotes collaboration between researchers, professionals and international organisations.

“This election is an honour and a responsibility. Health Psychology today plays an essential role in addressing the major challenges facing Public Health: understanding behaviours, designing more effective interventions and bringing science closer to the real needs of people, communities and health systems”, says Marta Marques. “This election is also an opportunity to strengthen international collaboration and the presence of NOVA NSPH in European networks. EHPS is my scientific home”, she adds.

At NOVA NSPH, Marta Marques is Director of the BE-Change Knowledge Centre and Co-Director of the Implementation Science Knowledge Centre, structures dedicated to bringing research on behaviours and health closer to practice and the implementation of interventions, responding to the concrete needs of populations, services and public policies.

NOVA NSPH is confident that this leadership, together with the entire Executive Committee, will consolidate EHPS as the leading European reference in Health Psychology.