Health and Social Challenges
We make a positive contribution to society.
For the public benefit
Newcastle University exists for the public benefit to advance education, learning and research.
We make positive contributions to the economy, health and wellbeing and society of the places in which we operate.
We are an effective partner for local government, the NHS and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.
Public engagement and research communication maximises knowledge exchange between the University and society. They can enrich our work with new ideas and perspectives.
Social justice
The North East of England has a long history of social justice campaigning. The University shares in this tradition.
We collaborate to co-design solutions to social justice challenges facing our communities. We do this through our diverse relationships with voluntary and community groups. We also have a social justice advisory group.
Our students promote social justice through projects such as North East Solidarity and Teaching (N.E.S.T).
It's a Newcastle University Students Union (NUSU) student-run volunteer project (managed by Go Volunteer). It offers, among other things, free English lessons to the refugee community in the region.
Public health and wellbeing
Our staff ensure public and patients get involved and engaged with our world leading research from a wide range of disciplines. They achieve this by working very closely with:
- local primary and secondary NHS healthcare providers
- charities
- communities
We are visibly leading in the theme of ageing. We take a cross disciplinary approach to the challenge of how we live better for longer.
Our citizen engagement programme VOICE aims to capture the public’s vast experience and ideas about research, innovation and policy developments that affect their lives.
Student engagement
We want to be a good neighbour to communities within Newcastle and Gateshead. We can achieve this through student volunteering.
We can also build on the great work that takes place in partnership with our Students’ Union.
This encourages students to be respectful of permanent residents and contribute positively to the communities in which they live.
Widening participation
We have been committed to improving access for, and supporting, students from widening participation backgrounds for more than 20 years.
Find out more about our PARTNERS programme.
Additional video content
Explore more of our videos addressing health and social challenges: