Student portrait: Ingmar Janke - One hour of sport every day

- Master of Public Health

It is a truism that you cannot buy health. Nevertheless, Ingmar Janke has to convince his clients time and again not to neglect body and mind. The health scientist works with long-term unemployed persons. "Poverty leads to poor health. Many of those affected are overweight or have psychological problems. It is difficult for them to return to the job market," he says. Ingmar Janke works for an independent social agency. His aim is helping people to be able to earn a living again. "Everybody can do something to improve their condition - even people with chronic diseases. If I can't do ten trunk bends because of my back problems, even five can be beneficial to my health. Many clients then manage more and more each time," explains the 38-year-old.

Ingmar Janke has acquired a great deal of knowledge about health and exercise from a variety of professional careers. "I played in the German Basketball League for Leverkusen and Frankfurt. After my professional career I became a physiotherapist. Later I studied Applied Health Sciences and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree," reports the educational assistant. He wants to convey health competence: "Our inactivity is a big problem." To learn more about prevention and health promotion, Janke decided to study at the Leuphana Professional School. "I am now in my second semester of the Master's programme 'Public Health' and have already been able to apply much of what I have learned.”

The extra-occupational study programme imparts competences in occupational health management or in the key area of learning/education. It is geared to professionals and managers in the health care sector. With this offer, the Leuphana Professional School is responding to the challenges of an aging society, the rise in chronic diseases and increasing stress in the work environment. The course qualifies students for tasks in corporate health management, health research and health promotion. Janke is particularly interested in the psychological aspects and techniques of communication: "I now understand better how to approach clients in order to motivate them to do something for their health."

They experience what they are able to achieve

Upon graduation, Janke would like to work more in health promotion, and in prevention, perhaps at a health insurance company, in science, or at a university: "I have a box full of tools, I want to use them now." The extra time spent on his studies does not burden him much, although Janke continues to work part-time as a physiotherapist in addition to his main job: "Apart from the theory, I still need the physical work." Therefore he does one hour of sport every morning with his clients at the social agency. "Many of them barely manage to work ten hours a week. When they exercise, they experience what they are able to achieve," explains Janke.

Janke expects to do his master's thesis next year. He has already composed an elaborate study for his bachelor's degree. He interviewed 1000 physiotherapists about their job satisfaction. "For many of them it is hardly possible to carry out this profession full-time until retirement due to the physical strain. At some point, their hands are worn out," reports Ingmar Janke. He views it as a personal success that the results of his bachelor's thesis have been published in a professional journal. In his master's thesis he wants to explore the meaning of agility in companies. A few years ago, the Belgian management consultant Frédérick Laloux developed a multi-layered concept for reorganising companies. The personal needs of employees are to be taken more seriously in order to ensure greater satisfaction and health. His message is clear: "The best time to do something for your health was yesterday."