The University and Sanitas promote a chair for research and training on the relationship between health and environment

The University of Navarra, through the Institute of Biodiversity and Environment (BIOMA), and Sanitas are promoting a new chair to promote research and training on the relationship between human health and the environment, in line with the One Health concept promoted, among others, by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Paloma Grau, Vice Chancellor for Research and Sustainability of the University; and the CEO of Sanitas and Bupa ELA, Iñaki Peralta, have signed the collaboration agreement that also aims to promote scientific dissemination through projects, conferences, publications and other activities, to raise awareness in society of the need to incorporate sustainable development models to take care of the environment in which we live and its direct influence on people's health.

Among the objectives of the chair, which will be called "Sanitas Chair of Health and the Environment" are: to generate research and knowledge on the relationship between health and the environment; to train new generations in this concept; to disseminate, communicate and publicly recommend that greater visibility be given to the relationship between human health and the health of ecosystems; and to incorporate the knowledge generated by the chair in the transformation of the health sector and other environments. 

Sanitas' funding of the Chair will be used to support research projects and dissemination activities promoted by researchers at the University of Navarra. The collaboration agreement is valid for three years. The chair will be directed by Jesús Miguel Santamaría, director of the Institute of Biodiversity and Environment of the University of Navarra.

"The University of Navarra promotes rigorous, multidisciplinary and applied scientific research, at the service of business innovation, especially now that we are facing important challenges," said Jesús Miguel Santamaría, director of the BIOMA Institute. "This new chair will undoubtedly contribute to improving the care of people and the environment, to the dissemination of knowledge and to generating the necessary awareness so that, together, we can prosper as a society, establishing a link between health and nature."

For his part, the CEO of Sanitas and Bupa ELA, Iñaki Peralta, commented: "We want to provide scientific evidence on the link between people's health and healthy environments. Our idea is to apply this knowledge in our centers to turn them into healthier spaces and extend this knowledge to the rest of the sector. The idea is to incorporate sustainable and positive design criteria for health, selecting the best architectural, equipment and biophilic solutions for the people who live near, visit or work in Sanitas centers. All this while working to ensure that our facilities have zero net CO2 emissions and therefore generate less impact on the planet".

Among the first actions of the Chair is the preparation of a guide with evidence about the impact in Spain of climate change and pollution on people's health. This evidence will be accompanied by recommendations to mitigate the contribution of buildings to this phenomenon to transform them into healthy spaces, with a special focus on healthcare centers. 

On the other hand, it is proposed to develop an innovative testing model to test the findings generated by the research lines of the Chair. This will be done through a digital twin that will allow simulating different scenarios to determine the success of the implementation of measures that improve health outcomes, patient experience and the impact on the environment in which the center is located. The realization of the digital twin will be achieved by obtaining a massive amount of data generated through the deployment of a network of sensors (temperature, humidity, particulate matter and pollutant gases) that will monitor in real time the interior rooms and the exterior of the hospital taken as a model.