For more information about Erasmus University College – Department of Healthcare and Landscape Architecture, click here.
By Gerrit Lesaffer
What are the aims of the Department of Healthcare and Landscape Architecture?
Within the Erasmus University College, the department of Healthcare teaches young adults to be tolerant, engaged and critical civilians of the world who interact in a respectful way with man and society. Finally, education, research and internationalisation are linked continuously. In the near future these three pillars will – together with innovation – be used as a lever for entrepreneurship.
Our aims are to provide outstanding education in nursing, midwifery, biomedical laboratory technology, dietetics, landscape and Gardening Architecture.
We also aim to conduct (practice oriented) Research and provide Public Service with an emphasis on the following spear points:
- Innovative forms of diagnosis and treatment
- Care professions in a multicultural environment
What kind of research do you do that is linked to public health and health promotion?
Most research is Practice oriented and concentrated around the fields of Innovative forms of diagnosis and treatment and care professions in a multicultural environment
Our research domains are Social inequality, Health inequality, Caretaking in multicultural Brussels, Innovating forms of diagnosis and treatment, Student’s feeding habits, Mobile applications in health, Urban development, Perception of the profession of midwife, Promotion of Breastfeeding
In the future, we will have more attention for ‘active and healthy ageing’ too. Where appropriate, and if the opportunity emerges, research will focus on a European context in collaboration with international partners.
Why did you decide to become a Member of EuroHealthNet?
EuroHealthNet offers us the opportunity to build an international network, thus facilitating our aim to do research in an international context and offer our students the opportunity to be mobile across Europe while at the same time being able to work on innovative multidisciplinary and international projects.
EuroHealtNet can also offer a facilitating factor in the submission process of project proposals and in organising seminars and events and in the dissemination of the research outcomes.
Finally, as a member of EuroHealthNet we would be able to do Capacity Building and as a participant in one of the Policy Action groups, we would have the opportunity to work on European Policies
What is your vision (ideal scenario) for public health and health promotion in the EU? How can EuroHealthNet contribute to achieving this?
In order to optimize efficiency of health promotion and attain a better public health in the EU, the governments of all member states could support and initiate synchronous actions and projects. EuroHealthNet could act as a facilitator in this process.
Gerrit Lesaffer
Gerrit owns degrees of ‘Industrial Engineering’ (1994) and ‘Biomedical and Clinical Engineering’ (1997). He was then invited to start his doctoral studies in medical sciences, and eager to go teaching, he also pursued a bachelor’s degree in Education (2001) and started teaching at KaHo Sint Lieven. He finally received his PhD in 2004 (University Gent). From 2004, he works at Erasmushogeschool Brussel where he teaches Metabolism, Clinical Chemistry, Immunology and Research skills. From 2010-2013, Gerrit was head of the Research and Public Service department for the entire institution.