Over 600 students and teachers promote health research from the classroom at the V “Escoles Sentinella” Congress

On 23 May, CosmoCaixa Barcelona hosted the V Escoles Sentinella Congress: Research in health with and for the educational community, an event that brought together over 600 students and teachers from 12 schools across Catalonia, along with researchers and institutional representatives, to share the results of school-based research projects on mental health and infectious diseases.

The event, organised by the Escoles Sentinella project - an initiative led by the Department of Health of the Catalan Government with the support of the Department of Education and Vocational Training - highlighted the transformative impact of participatory research in the school setting. The project is coordinated by the Centre for Epidemiological Studies on HIV/AIDS and STI of Catalonia (CEEISCAT), a research group at Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), in collaboration with IrsiCaixa - Living Lab for Health, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and IDIAP Jordi Gol.

During the congress, participating centres presented a variety of research projects and took part in spaces for dialogue with other students, teachers, scientists and public administration officials. The format encouraged the exchange of experiences and joint reflection on the role of schools as active environments for health promotion and disease prevention.

Notable speakers included Jordi Casabona, director of CEEISCAT and principal investigator of the project; Rosina Malagrida, head of the Living Lab for Health at IrsiCaixa; Esteve Fernández, secretary of Public Health; Roser Cervera, deputy director general for Guidance, Participation and Student Wellbeing; and Josep Basora, director of IDIAP Jordi Gol.

The congress aimed to:

• Foster scientific communication among students.
• Disseminate the results of participatory health research.
• Strengthen collaboration between the education and research systems.

Since its launch in 2020, Escoles Sentinella has become a pioneering model of citizen science within the education system, promoting a culture of research from the classroom and contributing to the improvement of public health and education policies.