Keele University named global leader in planetary health across three subjects

Keele University has been ranked as the top-performing university globally in three categories in the 2025 Planetary Health Report Card.

Medicine, Pharmacy and Physiotherapy at Keele all secured top rankings in their respective categories in the student-led initiative, which highlights how planetary health and environmental sustainability are being integrated into curriculum, research and policies within healthcare education.

This year's annual report is the biggest yet, with more than 1,500 students at 188 schools in 21 countries taking part across medicine, pharmacy, nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, audiology, healthcare management, and nutrition and dietetics.

The report praised Keele's School of Medicine, and School of Allied Health Professions and Pharmacy, for the variety of well-supported student initiatives including dedicated funding for sustainability-focused projects, and a mechanism to connect students with academics participating in sustainability-focused research.

It also highlighted how there is a dedicated 'student voice' representative for sustainability who sits in leadership meetings and on the university’s sustainability working group, to represent the student voice on sustainability matters.

Professor Mark Ormerod OBE, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at Keele, said: "To be ranked first in the world in three different subject areas is a tremendous achievement and really highlights our genuine institutional commitment to embedding sustainability into all aspects of our operations, including the curriculum.

"Our staff and students have really gone above and beyond in their commitment to planetary health and sustainable healthcare in education, and it is fantastic to see Keele leading the way internationally in these key global challenges."

The Planetary Health Report Card scheme was founded by medical students and faculty mentors at the University of California San Francisco's School of Medicine, to track work done by institutions to improve planetary health engagement and to inspire medical schools to focus on the importance of climate change and sustainability in healthcare education.