The National School of Public Health of NOVA University Lisbon (NOVA NSPH) has launched the first groups of the HERA Labs programme, an initiative integrated into the European project HERA – Helping Empower Women through Reskilling and Advancement, coordinated by Sónia Dias, director of NOVA NSPH and full professor. The project aims to empower women over the age of 45 by promoting professional reskilling and equal opportunities in the labour market, in a context of rapid social and digital transformation.

Group 1 began on 4 February in partnership with NOVA SBE, in Carcavelos, with the participation of around 18 women motivated to make the most of the opportunities offered by the programme. On the following day, the second group started in collaboration with Prosaudesc, in Sacavém (Loures), gathering around 15 participants who are equally interested in developing new skills and strengthening their employability.

Coordinated by NOVA NSPH, the HERA project brings together a consortium of 10 partners from eight countries and promotes innovative reskilling methodologies tailored to the needs of the participants. The initiative seeks to address challenges related to social and gender inequalities, acting on factors that limit access to employment, education and professional development.

NOVA NSPH highlights the relevance of this initiative for empowering women and promoting equal opportunities, reinforcing the School’s role in social inclusion, educational innovation and professional development.

For more information on the HERA project and the HERA Labs: https://herawomen.eu/

The NOVA National School of Public Health (NOVA NSPH) participated in the 2025 Annual Event of Local Health Units, part of the IMPULSO project, through the involvement of Ana Rita Goes, NOVA NSPH faculty member and head of ACAD – Academy for the Empowerment of Patient Associations, in a panel dedicated to strategic reflection on the future of the National Health Service.

The discussion panel, entitled “From Evidence to Practice – Future Strategies for Local Health Units”, brought together national and international decision-makers, health managers and institutional representatives, in a debate focused on transformative opportunities to improve health and equity in Portugal over the coming decades.

In her intervention, Ana Rita Goes emphasised the importance of placing people at the centre of the design and implementation of health policies, advocating for a more participatory and inclusive approach to healthcare organisation. She highlighted the work carried out by ACAD, an initiative focused on empowering patient associations, strengthening their health literacy, their capacity for informed participation, and their engagement in decision-making processes.

According to Ana Rita Goes, listening to and involving patients is not only a matter of equity but an essential condition for building more effective, sustainable health systems that respond to the real needs of populations. She further stressed that integrating the perspective of citizens and patients is crucial for the success of Local Health Units, particularly in a context of organisational transformation and increasing complexity of health challenges.

The panel also featured the Executive Director of the NHS, the Director-General of Health, leaders from several Local Health Units, as well as international organisations such as the World Health Organization and the European Commission, fostering a plural debate on leadership, governance, innovation, and citizen engagement.

NOVA NSPH’s participation in this event reinforces its active role in strategic reflection on the future of the Portuguese health system, as well as its commitment to promoting governance models that are more participatory, people-centred, and grounded in scientific evidence.

The NOVA National School of Public Health marked its first appearance at Futurália this year with a bachelor’s degree, bringing to the country’s largest education, training and employability fair the new Bachelor’s Degree in Global Public Health, which will begin in September.

Integrated into the stand of NOVA University Lisbon, NOVA NSPH’s participation took place over four days, from 11 to 14 March, in an environment of close interaction with visitors, marked by enthusiasm, curiosity and a strong interest in learning more about a pioneering programme aligned with major global health challenges.

Throughout the fair, the NOVA NSPH space stood out for its dynamic and interactive approach. To introduce the world of global public health in an accessible and engaging way, the School invested in a stand with a playful component, centred on an activity inspired by board games, specially designed to raise participants’ awareness of the importance of global public health and its impact on population wellbeing.

The initiative created moments of direct contact and discovery, bringing secondary school students and their families closer to topics shaping the present and future of health, such as prevention, social determinants, health inequalities, health crises, health literacy and the global dimension of contemporary challenges.

NOVA NSPH’s presence was ensured mainly by students from the School, who played a central role in welcoming visitors, sharing information and leading activities throughout the four days. Their involvement contributed to an authentic, welcoming and engaging atmosphere, enabling visitors to interact directly with students already living the NOVA NSPH experience.

The stand also received a visit from the Dean of NOVA NSPH, Sónia Dias, the Deputy Dean for Education, Rui Santana, and the executive administrator, Pedro Rodrigues, during a moment of monitoring the School’s participation and engaging with the activities taking place at the stand.

Interest in the Bachelor’s Degree in Global Public Health exceeded expectations: more than 1,000 people sought in-person information about the programme. It is estimated that the fair received around 60,000 visitors.

Futurália once again asserted itself as a privileged space for contact between educational institutions, students and families, maintaining its focus on applications to higher education, understanding the labour market and supporting 12th-grade students in their decision-making process. In this edition, the fair also placed particular emphasis on the introduction of artificial intelligence in education through Tech_Edu, a parallel event dedicated to digital transformation and the connection between educational institutions and technology companies.

For NOVA NSPH, this debut represents more than an institutional presence: it is also the affirmation of a new stage in its educational offer and an opportunity to present to new audiences a bachelor’s degree that responds to emerging global health challenges.

These were intense days, marked by the energy of the students, the interest of visitors and many inspiring conversations – an experience that reinforces NOVA NSPH’s motivation to continue training new generations prepared to think about and transform public health in Portugal and across the world.

Find out more about the new Bachelor’s Degree: https://www.ensp.unl.pt/en/curso/bachelors-in-global-public-health/