Healthy People and Healthy Society: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understand Health
Health is far more than symptoms, treatments, doctors, and hospitals, it is about people and the environments they live, work, and grow in. The ways communities interact with their social, economic, and political contexts deeply shape their well-being.
In recent years, the intersection of health and society has gained critical attention due to widening inequities, demographic transitions, and the growing influence of social and commercial determinants of health. How do housing, livelihood, and policy influence health? Why do some communities stay healthier than others? How do we make sense of such patterns through data, stories, and lived experiences?
This Winter School invites participants to explore these questions through an interdisciplinary and data-informed lens, combining insights from the social sciences, health studies, and public policy.
About the Winter School
The four-day residential Winter School Healthy People and Healthy Society: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understand Health offers an immersive, inquiry-based learning experience. Participants will examine the complex relationship between society and health, learn to use diverse forms of data for public health inquiry, and engage directly with communities to reflect on real-world contexts.
The programme will be structured around five key pillars:
- Health and society interface – Exploring social and cultural contexts of health, and questions around health inequalities.
- Methods and data sources – Inquiry through quantitative and qualitative approaches, and access to available datasets.
- Data analysis tools – Hands-on learning for managing and analysing quantitative and qualitative data.
- Policy and practice implications – Using evidence for policymaking, governance, and community interventions.
- Ethics and equity – Developing ethical sensitivity and an equity lens in health research and practice.
Objectives
- Develop an interdisciplinary perspective to appreciate the dynamic relationship between society and health.
- Understand how social, cultural, and policy contexts shape health outcomes.
- Gain hands-on experience in collecting, analysing, and interpreting diverse forms of health data.
- Build awareness of how evidence informs public health policies and practices.
- Cultivate ethical sensitivity in using data for research and decision-making.
Who should join?
This Winter School is ideal for students and young professionals from backgrounds such as science, medicine, nursing, public health, nutrition, sociology, psychology, social work, management, or anyone passionate about understanding and improving community health.
If you’ve ever wondered why some communities are healthier than others, how pandemics change societies, or what makes health policies succeed or fail, this programme is for you.
| Date | Morning (9:30 – 11:00 AM) | Late Morning (11:30 – 1:00 PM) | Afternoon (2:00 – 3:30 PM) | Evening (3:45 – 5:15 PM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Dec 2025 | Who are we? Why are we here? | What do we understand by ‘health’? Is ‘community health’ different? | Are all communities equally healthy? | Why are some communities healthier than others? |
| 17 Dec 2025 | Understanding community health through numbers | Understanding community health through people’s voices | Integrating quantitative and qualitative insights | Briefing for community exposure |
| 18 Dec 2025 | Walking through a community | Interacting with families in the community | Reflecting on community exposure | Sharing community reflections |
| 19 Dec 2025 | Systems that keep communities healthy | Assessing the health of systems themselves | Contributing to healthier communities and systems | What next? Reflection and closing |
Accommodation and logistics
Accommodation will be available for up to 25 participants on a first-come-first-serve basis. Travel costs are to be borne by participants. Selected participants will be informed by the organising committee.
For any queries, please write to us at admissions@apu.edu.in.