UCL PALS

Congratulations to Dr Martin Vasilev and Dr Rachel Rees, who have been recognised at this year’s UCL Education Awards, celebrating outstanding contributions to education and student support across the university.

Martin received a Provost’s Education Award for Improving the Student Experience, while Rachel received the Student Choice Award for Inspiring Teaching Delivery.

A fantastic achievement and a proud moment for the PALS community.

Read more here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-sciences/news/pals-academics-recognised-ucl-education-awards

The World Health Organization has designated UCL’s Centre for Behaviour Change, based within PALS, as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Applying Behavioural and Implementation Sciences to Improve Health.

The designation recognises CBC’s global leadership in using behavioural and implementation sciences to help improve public health policy and practice.

Through the new collaboration, WHO and UCL will work together to develop practical tools, guidance, training and knowledge-sharing activities to support better health outcomes worldwide.

Read more: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-sciences/news/pals-centre-behaviour-change-designated-who-collaborating-centre

Explore UCL’s past and present on a guided UCL200 Walking Tour. The next tour takes place on Wednesday 15 July, offering the chance to discover the people, places and stories that have shaped UCL’s historic Bloomsbury campus over the past 200 years. Tours are free, last 90 minutes, and start from UCL’s Main Quad. Places are limited, so booking is essential.

🔗 Find out more and book: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/about/events/2026/jun/ucl200-walking-tour

UCL has been awarded the Race Equality Charter (REC) Silver Award by Advance HE in recognition of our sustained commitment to advancing race equality. Our university is one of just nine higher education institutions in the UK to gain Silver status, currently the highest level achievable.

🔗 Find out more here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/may/ucl-achieves-race-equality-charter-silver-award

How can research drive real change in mental health? During Mental Health Awareness Week, UCL highlighted various projects showing how collaboration, community and innovation can support mental health and wellbeing.

The case studies include creative approaches for young people with Parkinson’s, support for care-experienced young people, wearable tech to explore student wellbeing, and research into how the built environment affects our brains.

🔗 Find out more here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/may/driving-change-mental-health-ucl-research-action

Meet Angel Au, UCL PALS alumna, mental health advocate and charity founder. Angel launched a bilingual campaign to challenge stigma and raise awareness in Hong Kong. During her MSci in Psychology at UCL, she continued this work through student societies, helplines, hospital volunteering and crisis support services. She later co-founded Overcome, a charity training volunteers to deliver peer-led online mental health support to people around the world.

🔗 Read more of Angel’s story here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/about/search-faces-ucl/changing-conversation-angel-au-mental-health-advocate-and-charity-founder

📚 Looking for your next read? UCL’s Mental Health Awareness Week book recommendations bring together more than 40 suggestions from students, staff and alumni.

The list includes books that support self-care, help us better understand others, explore wider mental health challenges, and offer uplifting stories or a sense of escape.

🔗 Browse the recommendations and share your own: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/news/2026/may/book-recommendations-mental-health-awareness-week

Join colleagues from across UCL for this year’s Staff Celebration on Tuesday 16 June, marking 200 years of UCL with a community gathering in the Main Quad. Drop in between 11am and 3pm to enjoy fairground games, crazy golf, live music, magicians, photo opportunities, food stands and more. Bring your lunch, come with your team, or stop by on your own for a well-earned break in the newly refurbished Quad.

🔗 Find out more here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/may/join-us-our-annual-staff-celebration-16-june

Take part in UCL’s Guinness World Record attempt by volunteering on campus! Join the attempt to set a new world record for the most people decorating a card at the same time. To help the record count, participants must be present for the full two-hour session. Get involved and be part of a world record attempt at UCL.

🔗 Find out more here: https://studentsunionucl.org/index.php/here-community-happens