CleanMed Europe conference: Pathways to Sustainable Healthcare

Oxford, September 17th- 19th 2013



The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare would like to invite a small group of students and trainee doctors to take an active part in our sustainable healthcare conference later on this year, coordinated by Healthy Planet UK.  As well as being the future and having an interest in what happens to both healthcare and our health, young people are also faster at learning and more open to new ideas than many who are already embedded in the healthcare system.  The narrative for the conference is simple: sustainability is a journey from where we are now to where we want to be.

We would like to use the conference to bring together a small group of students and junior doctors/other healthcare professionals who are already committed to sustainability or are interested in learning how they can become more involved. We can offer a limited number free places (which would normally be £500 full price) for people who are committed to sustainability and willing to help with communications/social media and logistical support during the conference.  

We are also offering 10 student places at £120 each (this is for the full 3 days; you can share your place with someone else if you cannot make the full time, though we encourage you to stay for as much as possible).  This is a European conference and will be an opportunity to meet experts in sustainable healthcare as well as top level healthcare professionals, researchers and industry representatives who are working in sustainability.  You can find the programme and further info at http://www.cleanmedeurope.org/

You will need to seek funding elsewhere for travel to the conference and accommodation (approximately £20/night for 2 nights, Tuesday and Wednesday) and food in the evenings, although we're intending to set up a deal so this won't be too much.  The plan is for the support team to stay as a group in a local youth hostel, coordinated by representatives of the student group Healthy Planet, who will be helping to select and brief the group beforehand and in coordinating the team's activities during the conference.  There's also the option of joining the Gala dinner and ceilidh on the last night; however, this will cost extra.  Your medical school, student union or deanery may be able to support you with these costs, and we will help how we can in pointing you towards possible funding.

There will also be some student-oriented workshops, focusing on subjects such as integrating sustainability into medical education (linked to an ongoing project happening at many medical schools), project management and the basics of care pathway environmental footprinting, as well as a social programme in the evenings.

Either fill in the form below (preferred option), or send an application covering the same points by email to Izzy at healthyplanet@medsin.org and Inge at Ingeborg.Steinbach@sustainablehealthcare.org.uk by June 25th; you can also email us both for further information.

We'd like to know a bit of background about yourself and what stage you’re at, why this is an area that interests you, any skills or relevant experience you feel you would bring, and what you might like to do after the conference related to sustainability in healthcare in your own setting.  We will be in touch as soon as possible after the deadline; depending on the number of applications we may organise telephone interviews as free places are limited.