The HESAV (Haute École de Santé Vaud – Lausanne) has been awarded the FISU Healthy Campus Silver Certification, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to promoting health, wellbeing, and social responsibility within its academic community.
With a total of 66 criteria successfully validated, the School of Health Sciences (Haute Ecole de Santé Vaud (HESAV) – Lausanne), as part of the Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO), stands out as a leading institution in adopting a holistic approach to health—integrating physical, mental, and social wellbeing into its educational and institutional framework.
Particularly noteworthy is the institution’s strong performance across all areas of the standard, with outstanding achievements in identifying community needs through research, internal analysis, and existing initiatives and events to support strategic planning and Establishing clear leadership roles and responsibilities to manage the Healthy Campus approach, ensuring a coherent and sustainable development pathway in all seven domains of the programme.
During the awarding ceremony, FISU President Leonz Eder highlighted the rapid growth and impact of the programme:
“The Healthy Campus Programme is a major achievement for FISU. In just five years, it has reached over 218 universities across all five continents. Its importance goes beyond physical activity and sport—it plays a crucial role in mental and social health, community cohesion, and environmental responsibility.”
HESAV’s Director General, Carole Wyser, welcomed the FISU delegation and expressed pride in the institution’s collective effort:
“This recognition reflects the strong commitment of our entire community—from leadership and staff to students. Our upcoming move to the new campus will offer even greater opportunities to strengthen this vision and further develop the Healthy Campus approach.”
A holistic vision of health and education
HESAV’s approach goes beyond traditional health sciences education. As highlighted by the institution, “Training health professionals is not limited to the transmission of knowledge and technical skills. It also means promoting a global approach to care, integrating physical, mental, and social health—for both patients and those who care for them.”
The Healthy Campus label reinforces a wide range of ongoing initiatives at HESAV, including:
- Integration of wellbeing into learning environments
- Promotion of daily physical activity and movement
- Awareness and support for mental health
- Development of participatory initiatives involving students and staff
The certification reflects a strong coordinated effort led by Margaux Baron, Mathilde Hyvärinen and Jennifer Masset, supported by a broad network of institutional stakeholders, including student representatives.
A growing and forward-looking institution
HESAV brings together five bachelor programmes and a community of around 2,000 people, including students, academic staff, and administrative personnel, on a single campus.
From September 2026, the institution will move into a new, emblematic and sustainable building within the Health Campus, located alongside the University of Lausanne and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.
The new facility will span 15,000 m² across five floors, designed to foster collaboration, learning, and research—fully aligned with HESAV’s ambition to place health and well-being at the centre of academic life.
Looking ahead: European collaboration
As part of its continued international engagement, FISU will collaborate with HESAV, UNIL, EPFL and the organisers of the European College of Sport Science Congress to coordinate a pre-congress activity on Healthy Campuses in Europe, scheduled for 6 July.
This initiative will further strengthen the international dimension of the programme and promote knowledge exchange on student wellbeing and sustainable campus development.
European College of Sport Science Congress
Find out more about the pre-congress programme held at the Swiss Tech Convention Center in Lausanne, Switzerland.
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