Together for Health. Stand with Science.
On 7 April, the World Health Organization (WHO) launches its year-long World Health Day campaign celebrating the power of scientific collaboration to protect the health of people, animals, plants and the planet.
The theme for 2026, Together for Health. Stand with Science, poses several questions and reminds me of my many experiences in both studying and teaching science.
When I first studied science, it was back in the 1960s. This was a great period, with new material being developed and discoveries being made in science, particularly with understanding of the nature of atoms and various atomic processes. Years of working on HSC material as a teacher and seeing female students respond to creative teaching, left me interested in both the processes of science and the results they could achieve.
Science is a word that has a French derivative, knowing as a present participle. It is a word I love with all the possibilities that it may change in its format, in some new situation and that the challenge it poses helps us understand.
The World Health Day campaign spotlights both scientific achievements and the multilateral cooperation needed to turn evidence into action, calling on governments, scientists, health workers, partners, and other interested members to:
- stand with science by engaging with evidence, facts, and science-based guidance to protect health
- rebuild trust in science and public health, and
- support science led solutions for a healthier future
Science is included in each of those statements and given an active role, with a focus on public health. We are all invited to participate in World Health Day, and the campaign, by celebrating scientific achievements, engaging with evidence and sharing personal stories of how science has improved lives in different settings.
The emphasis on the scientific dimensions of health and wellbeing that are involved in this discussion, challenge many anti-science statements from so-called experts. The focus and types of experiments which WHO sponsor, are those that are positive to the health and wellbeing of all peoples.
As we move closer to living as humans on some of the other parts of the universe that have different chemical environments, the statements we make about what we need as humans may also vary, and our knowledge and behaviour change.
As WHO states, the future will be shaped on how we develop and practice science-led approaches for the health of all – not only humans but also animals, plants, ecosystems and the entire planet.
In this growth and experience, I sense the presence of our loving God who, through our wonder, leads us into a greater awareness of the mystery of our environment.
Sr Pat Malone