"No single discipline can solve the major challenges for health and well-being on its own," states Sandra van Dijk, Associate Professor of Health Psychology at Leiden University and coordinator of the minor. In today's society, 'wicked problems' are increasingly prevalent—issues that transcend specific fields of expertise. To solve these problems, professionals from various disciplines must collaborate with societal stakeholders. This is known as transdisciplinary collaboration.
This is exactly what ten students from diverse disciplines did in the first edition of the minor 'Co-creating a Healthy Society,' in collaboration with LDE, Medical Delta, and Learning with the City, and with guest lectures from the universities of applied sciences of Vitale Delta.
Practical Solutions
In the minor, 'Challenge-based learning' is a core principle. Students work intensively with various stakeholders from practice. On behalf of the Municipality of Leiden, students tackled wicked problems such as mental health among migrants and stress among vocational education students. Together, they came up with practical solutions that are being taken up by the municipality and other organizations.
In this interview , coordinators Sandra van Dijk and Coen Wirtz share their experiences with the minor.
