“Working together to foster a healthy, happy society”
Since 2023, Andrea Evers has been the lead for “Health and well-being in a healthy society”, a key theme at FSW and one of the profile areas of the University as a whole. Three new FSW health research themes will shortly be announced at the Faculty’s Health Research Event, where the FSW’s researchers can come together and inspire each other. “It is only by working together that we can foster a healthy, happy society”, Evers points out.
Why is the theme Health and well-being in a healthy society so important?
Andrea: "We face major challenges in the area of health and well-being: for example, aging, healthcare shortages, and young people’s mental health. These issues call for new solutions. Within FSW we have a lot of knowledge about mental health, prevention, and social inequality. But there are still gains to be made in terms of collaboration and visibility."
How do you encourage collaboration within the Faculty?
"Many researchers don’t know exactly what their colleagues are working on, even though there may well be links between their research areas. That's why it’s important to bring people together and combine initiatives. A good example of this was the Knowledge Fair in 2022, where we presented research in progress. This year we’re organising another such event on 26 May: Health research @ FSW: Connecting social and behavioural sciences. We also have the regular Food for Thought sessions, where we inspire each other and identify new opportunities. The three focus areas will also help us strengthen collaboration and create closer links between the different Institutes at the Faculty."
Can you give an example of successful collaboration?
"Last year, eight research projects at FSW received a booster grant. These projects focus on important themes such as resilience, the well-being of restless babies and their parents, and anxiety and stress in children. They bring together different Institutes, in this way strengthening our research field. Some of these projects have generated successful new grant applications, further enhancing collaboration within FSW. We are also working on scale-up projects as part of the regional Healthy Society Programme in collaboration with LDE, Medical Delta, and the province of Zuid-Holland. Grants allow us to scale up successful projects to other municipalities and regions."
So you also collaborate with partners from outside the University?
"Absolutely. This topic affects everyone in society, so you have to involve society as a whole. We work with many partners, both at the local and regional level. In the Leiden Healthy Society Center we join forces with partners such as Leiden University of Applied Science, mboRijnland, and Leiden municipality. Our common goal is a healthier and happier city. At the regional level, we work together within Healthy Society on projects relating to lifestyle and prevention."
What do citizens see of these initiatives?
"Much of our research has direct impact. We see this, for example, in our Knowledge Centres, such as KAS, LUBEC, and KPECG. They have initiated programmes for healthcare institutions, policymakers, and schools. But we also try to achieve greater visibility for what we do. That's why we organised the Leiden Knowledge Festival for Health and Well-being in June 2024. Participants learned about health and research in an accessible way, and could do their own health checks or experiment with light therapy and VR. The event drew about 1500 people, including many children, so it was a great success. And many of the FSW’s researchers were involved. We now plan to organise this festival annually at the end of June."
What is your personal wish for the future?
"I hope our partners see our Faculty as a hub for health and well-being, where there is intense collaboration. I want us to really make a difference for society as a whole. Everyone should feel part of this community. Visibility is crucial for us to make an impact. Leiden can continue to develop into a leading centre for health and well-being, with vibrant and vigorous collaboration initiatives!"