The Planetary Health Report Card (PHRC) - a student-led initiative originally developed by medical students - has released its 2025 results which report on the status of the previous academic year, with the University of Sheffield featured in both Medicine and Dentistry.
The PHRC uses a metric-based evaluation tool to assess and improve the inclusion of planetary health in health professional education. It examines environmental sustainability across curriculum, research, engagement, and operations, identifying opportunities for schools to enhance their climate-conscious practices.
The initiative defines ‘planetary health’ broadly, encompassing environmental factors that impact human health - from climate change and air pollution to biodiversity loss, land use change, and resource scarcity. These contribute to pressing health issues such as heat-related mortality, mental illness, and the spread of vector-borne diseases.
Established to assess sustainability in medicine courses, the PHRC now spans ten health-related professions. Notably, Dentistry joined the initiative last year, thanks to the University of Sheffield’s School of Clinical Dentistry, which led the development and implementation of a dentistry-specific audit mechanism. What began with three pilot schools in 2024 has grown to include eight dental schools in 2025.
The Medical and Dentistry School PHRC teams include both students and faculty support members. The School of Dentistry’s report card highlights the School’s strengths in interdisciplinary research and its support for student-led sustainability initiatives, including PhD research and quality improvement projects focused on environmental responsibility.
The report card also recognises the University for its campus-wide sustainability efforts, reinforcing its ambition to be a leading research-intensive institution committed to environmental stewardship.
The Medical School earned high scores across multiple domains - curriculum, research, student leadership, and campus sustainability. Commendations include the integration of planetary health into teaching (such as sustainable prescribing and quality improvement) and research on the environmental impact of healthcare systems, which is coordinated through the Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research.
Sam Segal, Medicine Student and lead contact for the PHRC in the Medical School, said: "This year’s results show that student leadership can drive meaningful change. As we expand across disciplines, it’s clear that sustainability must be embedded in every corner of health education. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved so far, and I hope it inspires even more students to get involved and help shape the future of planetary health."
Nicolas Martin, Professor in Restorative Dentistry and Faculty Member contact for the PHRC in the School of Dentistry, said: "We are proud to have spearheaded the inclusion of Dentistry in the PHRC, and particularly of the progress that has been made in our School, as well as others. It’s been inspiring to see our students take ownership of sustainability, not just through research, but also by leading initiatives that shape how dentistry is taught and practiced.
“The growing international participation in PHRC shows a real appetite across the profession to integrate planetary health into core training, and we’re excited to continue supporting this movement."
Thank you to those who drive this work in the Schools of Dentistry and Medicine here at the University of Sheffield. The School of Clinical Dentistry’s PHRC team includes students Amelia Cowie, Salih Gajoum, Thomas Marwood, Mard Khoshnaw, Amani Sadiq, and Isabel Taylor, with faculty support from Professor Nicolas Martin and Dr. Jonathon Dixon.
In the Medical School, the PHRC initiative is led by student Sam Segal and Dr. Pirashanthie Vivekananda-Schmidt.
For more details, you can find the Dentistry PHRC here (PDF). The Medicine PHRC can also be found here (PDF).
To find out more about the Planetary Health Report Card initiative visit their website.