La Trobe University and UNESCO Chair GHE join forces to reduce health and social inequities

La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, has become the newest member of the UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education community following the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Clermont Auvergne Foundation, host institution of the UNESCO Chair. The agreement was signed on 22 January 2026 at La Trobe’s Bundoora campus by Professor Coral Warr, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation, and witnessed by Professor Didier Jourdan, chair holder of the UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education.

Through this partnership, La Trobe joins a global network of universities, institutions and practitioners committed to promoting health, equity and quality education for children and young people in their everyday environments. La Trobe’s contribution will be led by Distinguished Professor Richard Osborne and the Global Health and Equity Development Hub, internationally recognised for its pioneering work in health literacy, including the Ophelia (Optimising Health Literacy and Access) process and tools to identify and respond to diverse health literacy needs.

The new collaboration will focus on co-producing knowledge, building capacities of education and health professionals, and sharing evidence-informed practices that reduce health and social inequities, particularly in rural and Indigenous communities. Planned activities include joint workshops, case studies, and the co-design of locally relevant interventions and policies at the intersection of health literacy, education and equity.

By joining the UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education, La Trobe University strengthens the Chair’s multidisciplinary and international community and reinforces its ambition to support institutions and professionals in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals related to health, education and the reduction of inequalities.