“FIRST be your own HEALTH CAPTAIN”

“FIRST be your own HEALTH CAPTAIN – for your Family, Friends, Colleagues and Employees in your Community as an Role Model for Healthy Longevity and as Concerend Citizen for sustainable Healthcare in your Town, your Region, on your Island”: We all have the Privilege of being “The First Generations” on the Turning Point of Medicine from “Sickcare” in “Silos” towards “Lifecare” in scaleable “Ecosystems”:

“LEADERSHIP FOR EXPLORING SUSTAINABLE HEALTH”

TOGETHER TOWARDS sustainable MEDICINE 4.0 & CARE 4.0 and HEALTH 4.0 and the SUPERCONVERGENCE of

1. Sustainable value-based Healthcare,
2. Healthy Longevity for All
3. Blue Zone Community Care
4. One Health Life Care

begins with All of us: You Can Make a Difference by your Impact:

YOUR IMPACT TODAY FOR TOMORROW

WELCOME ABOARD AS MEMBER.

Vision Statement

The Mentorship Academy of The Health Captains College

“Passing the Compass: From Hippocratic Healing to One Health Leadership”

Introduction

The Mentorship Academy of The Health Captains College serves as a cornerstone initiative of The Health Captains Club, rooted in the Club’s vision to build a unified, value-based, and innovation-driven health ecosystem. Drawing from the ancient teachings of the Medical School of Hippocrates on Kos Island and the enduring traditions of knowledge stewardship on the Captains Islands—Föhr, Amrum, and Sylt—the Academy provides a platform for intergenerational leadership development focused on the future of sustainable health systems.

This Academy is founded on the belief that values, ethics, and leadership must be passed from generation to generation, just as seafaring captains once trained their successors in both skill and character. It responds to the growing gap between academic education and the leadership competencies required in modern medicine, public health, health IT, sustainability, and One Health strategies.

Vision Pillars

1. Anchored in Hippocratic Ethics and One Health

The Academy is inspired by the original Hippocratic Oath and the holistic approach to healing that defined the Medical School of Hippocrates on Kos. This foundation is modernized through the integration of One Health principles—recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. The Academy will help co-create a modern “One Health Hippocratic Oath” to be adopted by the next generation of health professionals.

2. Captains Islands as a Living Classroom

Föhr (Leadership), Amrum (Entrepreneurship), and Sylt (Philanthropy) are the physical and symbolic homes of the Mentorship Academy. These “Captains Islands” host immersive retreats where students and mentors engage in deep dialogue, structured training, and collaborative problem-solving. Kos Island, the birthplace of Western medicine, serves as a spiritual and ethical anchor, where annual summits connect ancient wisdom with modern innovation.

3. Beyond Academia: Delivering What Universities Don’t

The Academy fills the critical gaps left by traditional education. It equips emerging professionals with practical leadership skills, digital fluency, cross-sector collaboration strategies, and systems thinking abilities—capabilities essential to navigate the complexity of modern health and care systems. These competencies are delivered through hands-on projects, interdisciplinary modules, and mentor-guided learning.

4. Intergenerational Network Transfer

The Academy formalizes network-based mentorship, leveraging the intellectual capital of The Health Captains Club. Through structured mentorship pods and “Network Transfer Dialogues,” knowledge and leadership strategies are passed from senior leaders to rising stars. This design supports the Club’s ambition to create a resilient, diverse, and globally connected leadership ecosystem.

5. Systemic Leadership for Health Transformation

Through its training and mentorship, the Academy cultivates leadership capable of accelerating the transition toward sustainable medicine, Health 4.0, and patient-centered care. This includes competencies in ethical AI use, health equity, value-based health delivery, green health logistics, and health innovation financing.

Structure and Programs

1. Island-Based Leadership Retreats

Annual gatherings on Kos, Föhr, Amrum, and Sylt bring together mentors, mentees, and invited thought leaders for intensive exchange. Each island serves a thematic purpose:

• Kos Island: Ethics, healing, and One Health.

• Föhr Island: System leadership and transformation.

• Amrum Island: Entrepreneurial innovation.

• Sylt Island: Philanthropy and long-term impact.

These retreats serve as incubators for mentorship relationships and long-term collaborations.

2. Mentorship Pods

Each pod consists of experienced Health Captains and early-career mentees across disciplines (medicine, law, technology, economics, etc.). Pods work on real-world challenges and meet quarterly for joint sessions, peer coaching, and project reviews.

3. Applied Leadership Projects

Mentees co-develop and lead action-oriented projects with societal impact—ranging from digital health equity pilots to biobank interoperability initiatives. Each project is mentored, tracked, and presented annually to the broader Health Captains network.

4. The One Health Hippocratic Oath Program

This flagship initiative engages mentees and mentors in drafting and refining a modern ethical code for One Health professionals, culminating in a ceremonial oath-taking event on Kos.

5. Global Network Forum

Supported by The Health Captains Club digital infrastructure, the Academy provides a continuous learning and engagement platform. It includes webinars, leadership masterclasses, and access to Club-wide activities and partner organizations.

Impact Objectives

The Mentorship Academy of The Health Captains College is built on five key objectives designed to shape the future of health leadership:

First, Legacy Continuation ensures that timeless ethical principles—rooted in the Hippocratic tradition—are embedded in the values and practices of future leaders. This serves as a moral compass for those navigating complex, modern health systems.

Second, Skill Empowerment focuses on equipping participants with practical, cross-sector leadership capabilities that go beyond what traditional academic programs offer. This includes competencies in digital health, systems thinking, entrepreneurship, and ethical innovation.

Third, Network Expansion aims to establish a global, intergenerational leadership ecosystem of up to 150 members. This network operates as a living, dynamic platform for collaboration, mentorship, and strategic dialogue.

Fourth, Systems Transformation seeks to accelerate the convergence of medicine, technology, sustainability, and health policy. Leaders are trained to navigate and influence these intersections to drive meaningful, systemic change.

Finally, Knowledge Transfer ensures that strategic leadership insights, experiences, and professional networks are passed from one generation to the next—creating continuity, resilience, and shared purpose across time and disciplines.

Europe’s and the World’s Opportunity

In a time of health system strain, rising costs, workforce shortages, and climate-driven health threats, the need for adaptive, values-based leadership is urgent. The Mentorship Academy empowers young leaders to rise to this challenge by combining ancient wisdom, modern systems thinking, and intergenerational collaboration. Europe, with its intellectual, scientific, and ethical legacy, has a unique role to play—and the Captains Islands and Kos form a symbolic and practical anchor for this vision.

Call to Action

We invite young professionals, early-career researchers, clinicians, digital innovators, policy analysts, and social entrepreneurs to apply to the Mentorship Academy. Likewise, we call on experienced Health Captains to contribute their knowledge, networks, and wisdom to mentor the next generation.

By joining the Mentorship Academy, participants become part of a living chain of knowledge transfer—one that links Hippocrates to Health 4.0, and ancient values to future health systems.

References and Sources

• The Health Captains Club – Patronage and Leadership Islands

• Doctors Island – Kos Island Events and Vision

• The Captains Islands – Föhr, Amrum, Sylt Events

• The College: The Board of Young Leaders

• One Health Approach – The Health Captains Club