SYNOPSIS

The Opening Plenary session is a compelling exploration of the transformative potential of the Okanagan Charter for Health Promoting Universities in shaping the healthcare landscape in academic medicine. The session sets the tone for impactful discussions and initiatives throughout ICAM 2024, encouraging participants to consider the broader community impact of health promotion efforts and the potential for collaborative partnerships to drive lasting change.

At this session, participants will hear about common opportunities and challenges faced by institutions worldwide when implementing the vision, calls to action, and principles of the Okanagan Charter. They will learn how health promotion initiatives extend beyond academic medicine, contributing to broader public health and well-being of people, places and the planet.

At the end of this session, participants will:

1. Utilize and adapt diverse approaches and best practices from a global perspective to effectively develop health promoting environments in their contexts and settings;
2. Recognize and integrate awareness of the paradigm shifts that the Okanagan Charter represents, including the importance of embedding health and well-being into all aspects of campus culture, across the administration, operations and academic mandates;
3. Articulate a vision and actionable ideas for fostering a future where our faculties of medicine and healthcare institutions are leaders in promoting health and well-being action and collaboration locally and globally.