McMaster launches new course on sustainability in healthcare 

 The new interdisciplinary course explores sustainable healthcare, equips students with practical skills and aims to bridge the gap between environmental sustainability and healthcare 

At the start of the winter semester, McMaster University launched SUSTAIN 3HC3: Sustainability and Healthcare, a new course open to students from all faculties and backgrounds. The course allows students to explore environmentally conscious practices in healthcare.  

Unlike traditional lecture-based courses, SUSTAIN 3HC3 emphasizes experiential learning, giving students the opportunity to apply their knowledge through case studies and group work. The course structure consists of lectures and tutorials, where students engage in discussions that focus on key topics such as green care, procurement, policy and advocacy and equity. 

Sarah Precious and Marijke Ljogar, co-instructors of the course, spent years in discussion and planning to create a curriculum driven by student interest, healthcare professionals and the need to equip the future workforce with sustainability knowledge and skills. 

Precious mentioned that they collaborated with over nine different experts across various healthcare and sustainability sectors to help co-develop the course. They worked closely with these experts to shape the learning material and pre-recorded guest lectures, allowing students to gain firsthand insights from leaders in the healthcare field. 

According to Precious, the course is capped at 200 students, with approximately 160 enrolled this semester.

“We recognize that it’s a larger class, but we have heard from students over the years that they’re often part of very large classrooms. So, we priortize giving them the opportunity for those [meaningful] interactions, not only with their peers but also with the instructors and TAs. We do things a little untraditionally in the sense of providing as much discussion and conversation time as we can to explore these topics with them,” said Precious. 

Ljogar mentioned that in each session the class will cover different topics, with one week focused on case studies relevant to the healthcare sector. These case studies will change annually and will explore topics such as healthcare leadership and management and the role of AI in sustainable healthcare. 

“We have a week dedicated to equity, where students will review modules, such as the equity module through McMaster.You can’t talk about climate change and not talk about the inequitable impacts it has on individuals in different communities. We’ll discuss these issues not only on a global level, but also on a local level, including case studies like the Code Red study in Hamilton,” said Ljogar. 

Precious mentioned that they are seeing trends in hiring, with companies increasingly seeking individuals with experience in environmental sustainability across sectors. 

“Our hope is that, regardless of what sector you work in — whether it’s environmental sustainability, healthcare or another sector — these are complex issues that require cross-sectoral approaches. We need people in all sectors to understand the impacts of environmental sustainability, and work together across systems,” said Precious. 

Ljogar noted that one critical skill exercised in the course is the ability to not only identify an issue and its intersection, but also knowing how to communicate it, especially with people who may not have the background information to understand it well. 

Additionally, students will develop communication and advocacy skills through an experiential learning project, where they will choose from real-world topics including sustainable procurement, improving healthcare access to vulnerable populations, plant-based approaches for chronic disease management and empowering patients to make sustainable healthcare choices. Students will have the opportunity to present their projects to an expert panel. 

Precious and Ljogar emphasized that they encourage students from all backgrounds to take the course, as it is not just for those pursuing careers in the healthcare sector.

“We have healthcare professionals who understand the healthcare system well and environmental scientists who are experts on climate change impact. The gap between these fields is often not very large, and that’s what we’re trying to bridge. You need to understand both to make this work. Anyone interested in this course, we would really encourage them to take it,” said Ljogar. 

As this semester is the first time the course is being offered, Ljogar and Precious are hopeful for its continuation as they actively seek feedback and work to engage students in the course.