The NOVA National School of Public Health (NOVA NSPH) will take part on 9 May in the 3rd edition of the “Mexer Contra o Cancro” (“Move Against Cancer”) event, organised by the Portuguese League Against Cancer, which will take place at the Jamor National Sports Centre between 09:00 and 18:00.
In an event where science, community, and physical activity intersect with a shared purpose – supporting cancer research – NOVA NSPH will be present with a dedicated space showcasing the work it develops in oncology and public health. The School will present research projects, promote direct engagement with the public, and reinforce the importance of prevention, health literacy, and equity in cancer response.
At the NOVA NSPH space, materials promoting the School’s educational offer will be available, as well as content on ongoing research projects related to cancer prevention. This initiative involves faculty members Sónia Dias and Marta Marques, as well as researchers Ana Gama, Maria João Marques, Patrícia Marques, and Walaa Kinaan.
NOVA NSPH’s presence at this event represents an important opportunity to present to the community the work the School has been developing in international projects with direct impact on health promotion, disease prevention, and the reduction of inequalities. Featured projects include TRACE, EquityCancer-LA, ELEVATE, and CHILI, which reflect the intersection between public health research, health literacy, equity, and cancer prevention.
More than an institutional presence, this participation reaffirms NOVA NSPH’s commitment to action-oriented research with a strong connection to society. By bringing science closer to people in a community setting, the School reinforces one of the core dimensions of its mission: placing knowledge at the service of improving population health, promoting more informed, inclusive, and effective responses.
“This initiative allows us to show how public health research can contribute in a concrete way to cancer prevention, to the promotion of health literacy, and to the reduction of inequalities. It is also an important opportunity to strengthen NOVA NSPH’s connection to the community and to highlight the role of science in the service of society,” says NOVA NSPH Director Sónia Dias. “Taking part in this event is a way of bringing our work closer to people, reinforcing our third mission and our commitment to a science that informs, mobilises, and transforms,” she adds.
Participation in the Portuguese League Against Cancer event therefore aligns with NOVA NSPH’s vision, which values not only scientific and academic excellence, but also its connection to the community and social transformation, through knowledge sharing, awareness-raising on major public health challenges, and the building of bridges between research, policy, and practice.
Throughout the day, the School’s space will enable conversations with the public, dissemination of ongoing initiatives, and contact with concrete examples of applied research, making visible how NOVA NSPH contributes to addressing complex challenges such as cancer through an integrated approach centred on prevention, equity, and health literacy.
NOVA NSPH’s presence at this event is also an opportunity to demonstrate how public health research can have real and close impact, involving researchers, scholarship holders, and students in an exercise of communication and knowledge sharing with the community, in line with the School’s vocation for socially relevant science.
