Mission
 

Use a transdisciplinary, systems approach to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges that involve the inter-dependent health of people, animals, and the ecosystems on which all life depends.

Changing the World
 

Our department represents a bold new approach in academia. Rather than organize around a common discipline or approach, Public & Ecosystem Health brings public health professionals, biophysical and social scientists, and veterinarians together to address three of the world’s greatest challenges: achieving healthy food systems, tackling emerging health threats, and conserving biodiversity. We seek not only to understand these wicked problems through research, but also to address them directly through public health and clinical veterinary practice. Quite simply, our students, staff, and faculty seek to change the world.
 

Principles
 

Our department commits to the principles of sustainability, equity, and engagement. The complex problems we work on often arise from the unsustainable ways that people interact with the environment, and the inequitable ways that people interact with each other. For our research and practice to have an impact, we must engage with communities and partner with government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and businesses. This approach also extends to how we train our students—whether pursuing an MPH, DVM, or PhD—so that they have the real-world skills needed to effect change throughout their careers.