About Us

What is Planetary Health?

Planetary health is an emerging, transdisciplinary area of work that is informed by environmental health, ecosystem approaches to health, built environment, planning, earth sciences, agriculture, Indigenous knowledges, and other diverse ways of studying, knowing, and being. As an international discipline, planetary health is expressed differently in different regions.

At its heart, planetary health research strives to answer questions such as: how do we improve the health of humans and the health of natural and built environments collectively? How can we live within our planetary boundaries? And how do we do that for generations to come?

There is a wealth of knowledge to draw upon about the problems we face, but we need to get better at working together on finding and testing sustainable solutions that translate the best available evidence into policy and practice. The interdisciplinary approach of FHS makes it possible to work collaboratively in tackling some of the big, complex challenges facing our planet.

What is the Planetary Health Research Group?

The Planetary Health Research Group is a space where ideas, expertise, and perspectives come together to contribute to solutions to global challenges such as health inequity, climate change, biodiversity loss, and more.

The Planetary Health research group is a diverse mix of faculty and students who operate at the interface of the social and ecological determinants of health. This group’s work includes:

• Growing and informing the SFU Planetary Health Research Challenge Area
• Incorporating planetary health concepts into curriculums across the health sciences faculty and the new medical school
• Supporting planetary health focused research by faculty and graduate students
• Hosting information sessions, seminars, journal clubs, and other events to support knowledge of planetary health actions and concepts in the health sciences faculty
• Creating opportunities for collaboration on planetary health research and research funding across SFU, the country and internationally
• Engaging with the broader community to increase understanding of the connections between environmental and human health, and living within our planetary boundaries