The Wildlife Health & Health Policy Group's focus is on the conservation of free-ranging wildlife, as well as on the deeply intertwined relationships among sustainable conservation, system resilience, economic development, and human health and well-being – all as underpinned by environmental stewardship. We work on developing and helping to apply science-based landscape-scale approaches to conservation, particularly in terms of policy guidance to address challenges at the interface of wildlife, agriculture and other types of land use, and people. The scope of work includes engagement with various national and international governmental and non-governmental partners, as well as at local levels, and being a reliable resource on issues related to wildlife health, One Health, and Planetary Health. Wildlife, livestock, and human diseases will continue to have a significant impact on the development of sustainable land uses, protected areas, transboundary natural resource management, other biodiversity conservation approaches, and of course, livelihood opportunities around the world. Experience at the interface of wildlife health, domestic animal health, and human health and livelihoods has demonstrated that a One Health approach can build new constituencies for conservation and strengthen existing ones, while mitigating key threats to conservation success.

Our team works on launching and growing programs and policy initiatives that cut across regional and disciplinary boundaries to solve environmental and related health challenges via One Health / Planetary Health approaches. Current efforts include the AHEAD (Animal & Human Health for the Environment And Development) Program, our partnership with Harvard and The Rockefeller Foundation in the creation of the Planetary Health Alliance, and the launch of the Cornell Wildlife Health Center, which has now been endowed and renamed as the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health.   

Faculty, Research Staff, and Postdoctoral Fellows

Steven Osofsky, Jay Hyman Professor of Wildlife Health & Health Policy
Martin Gilbert, Associate Professor of Practice
Shirley Atkinson, Associate Director
Helen Lee, Associate Director
Maggie Swift, Postdoctoral Fellow

Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health

A College of Veterinary Medicine Center of Excellence working towards a healthy future for wildlife, people, and planet.

Animal & Human Health for the Environment And Development (AHEAD)

AHEAD supports real world problem-solving at the interface of wildlife health, livestock health, and human health and livelihoods.

Planetary Health Alliance

Understanding and addressing the public health impacts of human-induced environmental change.