Health Systems Leadership for Sustainable Development: The UCL Global Business School for Health and the Higher Education Imperative for SDG3

The University College London (UCL) Global Business School for Health (GBSH), launched in 2021, represents a bold innovation in higher education’s response to Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) ‘Good Health and Well-being’. Positioned at the intersection of business, health, and public policy, GBSH is the world’s first business school dedicated solely to health. This chapter explores how GBSH reimagines higher education’s role in addressing global health challenges through a purpose-built model that integrates civic engagement, transdisciplinary learning, and systems leadership. GBSH redefines how students are trained to lead in complex health systems, and its programmes combine academic rigour with real-world application, focusing on health equity, system resilience, and cross-sector collaboration. These innovations directly support SDG3 targets, including targets 3.c (health workforce development), 3.8 (universal health coverage), and 3.d (health systems strengthening). Located at UCL but globally networked, GBSH exemplifies the ‘glonacal’ mission of higher education with partnerships that span policy, industry, civil society, and academia for long-term social impact. Students are embedded in this ecosystem as co-designers, leaders, and changemakers. GBSH’s mission-driven, innovation-oriented model provides a replicable framework for how higher education can be a catalyst for SDG3 and beyond.