World Sight Day 2026 will be marked in Covilhã and Fundão with two community initiatives promoted by the Valorizar, Educar e Responsabilizar para a Saúde Visual (VER+) programme. The events will take place on 6 October, at 5:30 p.m., at the Covilhã Municipal Library, and on 8 October, at 5:30 p.m., at the Fundão Municipal Library. The NOVA National School of Public Health is a partner in this project, which, in just one year, has already provided vision screenings to more than 1,500 children and young people.

The initiatives will present the results of VER+’s first year and raise awareness in the community of the importance of visual health for the development, well-being and academic success of children and young people. In addition to the presentation of the results, there will be a session dedicated to visual health, vision screenings and recreational activities, providing a space for information, exchange and the promotion of healthy visual habits.

The events are part of the international #LoveYourEyes campaign, promoted by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), which this year is reinforcing the importance of ensuring that visual health care is accessible, available and affordable for all, in line with the priorities of the World Health Organization.

NOVA NSPH is participating in the project with Cristina Godinho, a member of the School’s teaching staff, as part of the scientific and coordination team. Her contribution focuses on assessing the impact of the interventions, monitoring visual health behaviours and supporting the development of educational and communication strategies that promote health literacy among young people and families.

“Promoting visual health also means empowering children, young people and families to recognise the importance of prevention and adopt healthier behaviours. At NOVA NSPH, we seek to assess the impact of these interventions and contribute to increasingly effective health literacy strategies,” says Cristina Godinho.

On 23 September 2026, the NOVA National School of Public Health received a delegation from Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB), Romania, for a session dedicated to the topic “Health Systems, Policies and Global Health Challenges”.

The meeting took place in the Senate Room at the Rectorate of NOVA University Lisbon and brought together representatives from both institutions for a session of presentations, exchange and discussion on potential areas of collaboration.

The session began with a presentation of NOVA NSPH by Gonçalo Mota, from the Strategy and Development Directorate, who presented the School’s positioning and international dimension. This was followed by contributions from Ana Lívio, Coordinator of the External Relations Office, and Cláudia Almeida, NOVA representative on the EUTOPIA Students’ Council, who presented NOVA NSPH’s involvement in the EUTOPIA Alliance and shared the experience developed in this context.

Alexandre Lourenço, Professor at NOVA NSPH, addressed the topic of global health governance in a session marked by interaction and dialogue with members of the UBB delegation. Carolina Santos, also a Professor at NOVA NSPH, presented different possibilities for collaboration between the two institutions, with a focus on joint education, research, innovation and mobility.

At the end of the session, the two delegations began to outline potential partnerships and forms of future collaboration, including opportunities for joint teaching, research and mobility for students, academic staff and staff.