Abstract: Universities offer good possibilities and environment for health promotion. The 
British Network of Healthy Universities provides a "whole university approach" for health 
promotion developed by prof. Mark Doris aiming at simplifying the practical application of 
the health promoting principles and the development of a unified understanding how health 
can be embedded in all university policies and culture. The aim of this publication is to 
examine and acquaint the Bulgarian academic community with the "Whole University 
Approach" to health promotion. Material and methods: We searched for literature with the 
keywords: "whole university approach", "health promoting universities", "health promotion" 
and "Dooris" in the following databases PubMed, Science direct, Scopus. We browsed 
websites of national and international networks of health promoting universities in Google 
and Google scholar. Results and conclusions: Six literature sources were selected and 
analyzed based on predefined criteria for selection: published between 1995 and 2020; 
availability of full-text access in English; aimed at strengthening the health of the entire 
university community; analyzing the model proposed by Prof. Mark Dooris. They relate to 
both the theoretical substance of the approach and the practical experience of universities in 
the course of its application. The whole university approach is a key concept for health 
promoting universities directing the process of sustainable implementation of the initiative by 
higher education institutions. The main challenges in implementing the approach are related 
to: the commitment and integration of health in universities, the adaptation of the approach to
the cultural environment, the limitation of resources and a holistic understanding of health.
Keywords: whole university approach, health promoting universities, healthy settings

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