This month the RSU Aesthetic Gymnastics Team represented Latvia at the 16th World Gymnaestrada in Dornbirn, Austria.

In recent years, Latvia has been represented by RSU gymnasts in three age groups: 20+ (students), 30+ and 40+ (graduates). The students could fulfil their dream of participating at the Gymnaestrada thanks to the financial support of the Student Union. The gymnasts gave an excellent performance at the event: our small delegation stood out, and their programmes and emotional contribution received a lot of praise.

If the Brussels-based European External Action Service acts as the foreign policy heart of the European Union (EU), then the approximately 140 EU Delegations and offices located in all regions of the world act as the sophisticated blood circulation system that keeps it beating. By managing the Political, Press and Information Section of the EU Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic Raimonds Vingris, a graduate of Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU), is the eyes, ears and mouth of the EU in this vibrant Central Asian country.

The summer admission period concluded on Tuesday 9 July with a record number of applications for Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) undergraduate study programmes. This year RSU received 7099 applications submitted by 2273 persons. This is an increase of 20% in the number of applicants compared to last year.

Young people who choose to study international relations and join the Latvian diplomatic corps are usually interested in geography, history and languages and Arvils Zeltiņš was no exception. Unlike many of his peers, however, Zeltiņš was interested in diplomacy to such a degree that he chose to study two Master’s programmes in International Relations at the same time.

Following a several decade long tradition, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) invites all freshmen to participate in the traditional Sports Day. This will be held in Uzvaras Park on Friday, 5 September from 11:00 to 17:00.

Freshers are encouraged to join a basketball, football or volleyball team to showcase their skills and team spirit on the court or to demonstrate their speed by running in the 100-meter sprint, 1000-meter run or the relay race.

Sports Day will take place in both Latvian and English.

Since 2018 Prof. Gunta Lazdāne, the Director of the RSU Institute of Public Health (pictured: back row, first from the left), has been a member of an international group of experts at the Federal Centre for Health Education (Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung – BZgA) and an active participant in several projects implemented by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cooperation centre.

An active lifestyle, self-care, a balanced diet – no one doubts that these healthy activities are beneficial, but there is often a tendency to exaggerate these practices. This is linked to the duality of healthism, which on the one hand means being aware of personal health as something valuable, and on the other hand can mean embracing it to an extreme bordering on behavioural addiction.

The latest international QS World University Rankings has listed Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) among the leading 801-1000 universities in the world.

We live in a world that is always ‘switched on’, where your phone is an extension of your arm, and where leaving an email unanswered for more than an hour is almost viewed as a crime. While striving to deliver more in less time it is easy to confuse an increase in activity with an increase in output. The former can make you feel stressed and lead you to loosing motivation, inspiration and creativity – you could, however, achieve the latter from improved productivity which could eventually release you from the vicious cycle of an unfinished workload.