From studying the fragile ecosystems supporting the threatened lives of gibbons, Professor Helen Chatterjee is combining that understanding of evolution and conservation, with her practice of raising awareness of the importance of sustainable green environments which can be used as “nature prescriptions” for us, especially if we live in inner cities.
Access to quality spaces is vital to our mental and physical wellbeing. She shares with us her personal story, as well as an impassioned call for the need to try to encourage social prescribing of nature-based solutions from GPs and healthcare workers. Whether it’s a walk in the park, gardening, or other connections with nature, there is extensive evidence for the bio, psycho and social health benefits to us.
Making life changes, behavioural changes sooner rather than later should be high on the agenda. Also she discusses the social predetermined health issues, some of which could be prevented if encouraged access to nature was given. Helping communities to use green space, providing access to nature spaces, whether that’s cycle routes, cheaper bus fares or creating pocket parks and green walkways for people to use should be considered when trying to plan for healthier communities.
TCV Green gym session
Professor Chatterjee is also the founder of a new MASc, the first of its kind in the world. If you are interested visit the course details at my alma mater, UCL on this link here https://www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-sciences/study/postgraduate-study . “The MASc in Creative Health will create a new generation of socially engaged scholars and practitioners to meet the needs of a changing health, social care and voluntary third sector, where personalised care, social prescribing, health equity and the patient experience are mainstreamed into public health. This programme is the first of its kind in the world, both in terms of the qualification (Masters in Arts & Sciences) and the academic field of study (Creative Health).”
For more information on Helen’s practice see links on her UCL page https://www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-sciences/people/prof-helen-chatterjee
Credits: with thanks to George Harvey Audio Production for the calming biophilic soundscape that backs all our podcasts.
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