Planetary health education in the United States: four curricular models, one goal

ABSTRACT

Global environmental crises demand scaled-up investment in education about planetary health. We identified college and university programs in the United States that focus on the human-animal-ecosystem nexus by systematically searching the 2023–2024 catalogs of more than 1000 schools. We identified four frequently-used curricular models: (1) One Health programs offered by universities with veterinary and agriculture schools that emphasize zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety, and wildlife conservation; (2) climate change and health (climate medicine) programs for graduate and professional students at large universities with medical and public health schools; (3) global environmental public health programs focused on pollution and other exposures; and (4) sustainability and health programs emphasizing food security, environmental justice, and other health issues that can be improved with ethical design and engineering. Highlighting the shared goals of these distinct academic models may help make planetary health a more visible area of teaching, research, and practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Environment and public health
• climate change
• one health
• ecological and environmental phenomena
• interprofessional education

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Funding

The author(s) reported that there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.