Department of Management Seminar with Dr Céline Benoit, University of Nottingham Working with the NHS and community partners to tackle health inequalities

It is estimated that poor health reduces global GDP by 15% each year, largely due to premature deaths and lost productive potential among the working-age population (HBR, 2020). Addressing barriers to better health outcomes could “not only dramatically improve people's quality of life” but also represent “a $12 trillion economic opportunity” (McKinsey Global Institute, 2020). Business schools, and Higher Education Institutions more broadly, can act as anchor institutions within their localities and play a vital role in supporting economic recovery and wellbeing by tackling health inequalities. In this paper, Dr Benoit presents insights from an innovative collaboration with Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC), Citizens-UK, and voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations in Birmingham, as they worked together to promote healthy lives and wellbeing in line with UN SDG3 (Good Health and Wellbeing).

Bio: Dr Céline Benoit is an Assistant Professor in Sociology at the University of Nottingham. For more than four years, she has been seconded one day a week to Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC), where she works on collaborative projects with voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations to address health inequalities in under-resourced communities across Birmingham and the Black Country. This partnership has been recognised through several award nominations, including the HSJ Award (2023) and the Community Inspiration Award (2024).