The "TUM4Health" project, initiated by the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics, has been awarded the Seal of Excellence as part of the Corporate Health Awards (CHA) 2020. The award is under the patronage of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and is considered the most prestigious award for excellent corporate health management in Germany. It is awarded by the research company EuPD Research and the Handelsblatt Media Group. A total of 352 companies, authorities and institutions applied for one of the coveted prizes last year.
"An accolade for the great work of the entire Student Health Management team, especially now at this time," says Prof. Dr. Renate Oberhoffer-Fritz, Dean of the Department of Sport and Health Sciences and head of the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics, delighted about the award.
The CHA particularly wants to emphasize the exemplary function of good corporate health management by awarding prizes and seals of approval in a special way. The special "Healthy University" award in the area of student health management (SGM) also honors universities that can demonstrate above-average commitment to the health of their own students and can prove this in an appropriate form as part of a corporate health audit.
In the interests of quality assurance, a multi-stage procedure and an individual points system were developed for the Corporate Health Audit. For a better detailed analysis of the profiles of the participating institutions, the SGM was divided into several dimensions: Structures, Strategy and Controlling, Participation of Status Groups, and Health Services of the SGM.
"TUM4Health" was classified in the "Excellence" category due to its good performance in the CHA 2020 qualification questionnaire. According to the analysis report, it was possible to demonstrate that TUM's Student Health Management is "committed to the health and performance of its own students in an exemplary manner".
It goes on to say that TUM "has established an outstanding Student Health Management that is among the best in Germany. The SGM is structurally as well as strategically integrated into the university processes and promotes a university-wide health culture. Students benefit from comprehensive health services tailored precisely to their needs, and their performance and motivation are sustainably strengthened."
"We are on the right track, but there is still very, very much to do and we cannot rest on our laurels," says Dr. Thorsten Schulz, project manager of "TUM4Health" and Research Associate at the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics, classifying the results.
The Student Health Management team at TUM attaches particular importance to the participation of students, who are involved in all important processes and act as multipliers. In addition, the topic was also anchored in teaching, in the context of which health-promoting offers are designed in interdisciplinary teams and own student projects are implemented under supervision.
Furthermore, "TUM4Health" has the unique selling point of offering medical diagnostics for students, which is supplemented by extensive surveys such as the TUM Health Survey or flash surveys on social, psychological and mental health.
Particularly in times of the COVID-19 pandemic, great emphasis was placed on the topic of digitalization. The SGM working group meets weekly for a virtual exchange under the leadership of Dr. Thorsten Schulz, Barbara Reiner and Nils Olson, Research Associates at the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics. Only recently, the Instagram channel of "TUM4Health" was published. A dedicated app is currently being developed by the Assistant Professorship of Digital Health of Prof. Dr. Stephan Jonas. Digital offers are also made available on the homepage www.tum4health.de. For example, there is currently a 28-day challenge in the area of mental health, in which there is a new task or a new health tip from the four different areas of nutrition, exercise, mindfulness and relaxation every day. These are then to be completed during the course of the day.
The Corporate Health Award is the most prestigious award in Germany for excellent corporate health management and was initiated in 2009 by the research institute EuPD Research and the Handelsblatt newspaper. The aim of the extensive evaluation process that preceded the award is to strengthen the understanding of the need for investment in corporate health systems, particularly among the management positions in German business, and to ensure competitiveness through targeted corporate health management against the backdrop of structural changes and demographic change.
To the website of the Corporate Health Award
To the homepage of „TUM4Health“
To the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Renate Oberhoffer-Fritz
Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24570
e-mail: praeventive-paediatrie(at)tum.de
Dr. Thorsten Schulz
Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24574
e-mail: thorsten.schulz(at)tum.de
Text: Romy Schwaiger
Photo: Corporate Health Award