Glasgow Caledonian University’s GCU London campus has been designated a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre (WHOCC) in Sustainable Child and Adolescent Health and Wellbeing (SCAHW).
GCU London’s Professor in Public Health Antony Morgan and Professor in Global Adolescent Health Candace Currie are Co-Directors of the new Centre.
Professor Peter Jones, Director of GCU London, said the new designation highlights the expertise in global child and adolescent health at Glasgow Caledonian University’s GCU London campus and School of Health and Life Sciences (SHLS) Research Centre for Health (ReaCH) in Glasgow.
Glasgow Caledonian University Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Steve Decent, said he was delighted at the announcement and it was “testament to the dedication of our academic staff working in this area”.
The new WHOCC is part of an international collaborative network of centres, designated by the WHO Director-General, with the role of supporting WHO’s strategic programmes around world.
The Co-Directors said the health and wellbeing of young people had gained momentum as a global priority in recent years and that in establishing the new Centre, WHO recognises the need for an interdisciplinary approach to tackle this real-world challenge.
They highlighted that this work clearly fits with GCU’s mission as the University for the Common Good, delivering social benefit and impact through research that underpins and drives policy and practice.
The new WHOCC workplan addresses the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals SDG3 (good health and wellbeing), SDG5 (gender equality) and SDG10 (reduced inequalities within and between countries).
Professors Morgan and Currie developed the WHOCC SCAHW workplan in collaboration with WHO colleagues in the European offices of Copenhagen and Athens, as well as the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, highlighting its global significance.
The initial focus will be on child and adolescent mental health with two primary work streams: conceptual development and building evidence, led by Professor Currie, and the use of research to inform policy and design interventions, led by Professor Morgan.
Professors Morgan and Currie are members of the ReaCH Child and Adolescent Health Research Group and are confident that the WHOCC will contribute significantly to their goals and the broader context of the University’s 2030 strategy.
Professor Morgan said: “Sustained investment in children and adolescents during their critical development years can bring about a range of positive health and related outcomes which help them as they grow up but also thrive in adulthood.
“The new WHOCC presents an opportunity for GCU to take a leading role in developing research that informs policy and practice in how to optimise the supportive environments we know are necessary for that to happen.”
Professor Currie said: “Building on research we have conducted over the past 25 years on international child and adolescent health, the centre consolidates this effort to provide a focus for future work that aims to benefit young people around the world through WHO programmes and practice.”
Professor Jones added: “This is a very important development for GCU. The Centre highlights both Glasgow Caledonian and the GCU London campus’s global importance, and recognises our wealth of expertise in health and education in this area. This will further support the impact of our health research and will impact people’s lives, not only in London and Glasgow, but globally.”
SHLS Dean Professor Anita Simmers, ReaCH Co-Directors Professors Carol Emslie and Frederike van Wijck, and ReaCH Child and Adolescent Health Research Group Lead Professor Simon Hunter are delighted at the launch of the new WHOCC.
Professor Simmers said: “This is a testament to Professors Antony Morgan and Candace Currie who have worked incredibly hard and with great determination and enthusiasm to get to this point. I know they have always seen this as a University-wide venture and will work with colleagues in ReaCH to ensure there is maximum opportunity to achieve great things for the University.”
Professor Emslie said: “We are delighted that GCU will host this new WHO Centre alongside our existing WHO Collaborating Centre in Nursing and Public Health Education and Research. Many congratulations to Professors Morgan and Currie whose internationally-renowned research will now have added momentum to improve global child and adolescent health.”
Professor Hunter added: “The WHOCC is an exciting opportunity to transform the lives of children and young people across the world, and its goals align perfectly with those of the Child and Adolescent Health Research Group here at GCU.”
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