The new collaboration adds Edinburgh Napier University to AAF’s growing network of academic partners, alongside the University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University.

Through the collaboration, students will have the opportunity to apply their academic knowledge within a working environment, develop professional skills and contribute to projects that support AAF’s mission to improve awareness, understanding and management of asthma and allergies.

The first placement student, Callum Murrison, a 4^th year undergraduate, will contribute to AAF’s work through a structured placement designed around meaningful organisational needs, with opportunities to develop practical experience while supporting the Foundation’s ongoing projects.

Stephen, Project Manager and Placement Supervisor at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, said: “We are delighted to welcome our first Edinburgh Napier University placement student, Callum, and to officially begin this new academic collaboration. For us, student placements are about much more than completing a set number of hours. We want students to work on meaningful projects, develop professionally and leave AAF with experience they can genuinely take forward into their careers.

“We have seen the positive impact students can make through our existing relationships with the University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University, and we are excited to build on that experience with Edinburgh Napier. There is a real opportunity for students to bring fresh ideas, knowledge and skills into our work while gaining first-hand experience of public health, community engagement and the third sector.

“I am particularly excited about what this collaboration can achieve in the years ahead. This first placement is the beginning, and we look forward to celebrating the successes and opportunities that will grow from it.

Asthma and Allergy Foundation CEO, Dr Martina Chukwuma-Ezike said: “We are very pleased to welcome Edinburgh Napier University as a new academic partner of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation. Collaborations with universities are an important part of how we strengthen our work, develop future professionals and create opportunities for students to make a meaningful contribution to the communities we serve.

“We are proud of the relationships we have developed with the University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University, and this new collaboration represents another exciting step forward. We look forward to seeing our first Edinburgh Napier placement student grow in confidence, develop new skills and contribute to the Foundation’s work.

“We believe that when organisations and universities work together, everyone benefits. Students gain valuable experience, organisations gain new perspectives and communities benefit from the knowledge, energy and ideas that students bring.”

Kimberley Ritchie, Placement Coordinator at Edinburgh Napier University, said: “We are delighted to begin this collaboration with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation and to see our first student embark on their placement. AAF provides an exciting environment for students to take their academic learning into a real-world setting, develop their professional skills and contribute to work that has a clear impact within the community.

“We are very grateful to Stephen and the AAF team for their enthusiasm, support and commitment to making this opportunity possible. We look forward to seeing the collaboration develop and to celebrating the achievements of our students and the Foundation in the future.”

The collaboration reflects AAF’s wider commitment to student development and professional learning. The Foundation has supported students from different academic backgrounds through placements, volunteering, community engagement and health promotion activities, with some students going on to develop their careers within health, public health and other professional fields.

For AAF, the Edinburgh Napier collaboration represents not only a new placement opportunity, but the beginning of a longer-term relationship with the university.

As the first student begins their placement, both organisations are looking forward to building on the collaboration, creating further opportunities for students and celebrating the impact that their contributions will have on AAF’s work and the communities it serves.