History
The Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health (CIGH) and the Woods Institute for the Environment identify human and planetary health as a strategic priority and together launch the Program for Disease Ecology, Health and the Environment (DEHE).
CIGH and Woods support the first seed grant in human and planetary health – and the first graduate course in human and planetary health is offered to Stanford students. CIGH declares human and planetary health a programmatic pillar.
Stanford hosts the Planetary Health Annual Meeting – drawing together 500 participants from across the world. This conference, organized by the Planetary Health Alliance, serves as the world’s primary convening dedicated to human and planetary health.
HPH leaders launch an interdisciplinary strategic planning process, and the HPH Leadership Group is formed. In partnership with the London School of Hygeine and Tropical Medicine, Stanford launches the Human and Planetary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship. The Action Lab for Planetary Health (ALPHA) is created, and CIGH organizes several medical education initiatives.
CIGH, Woods, DEHE, and other partners across Stanford advance human and planetary health education by launching new undergraduate and graduate courses (including the popular SUSTAIN 103: Human and Planetary Health course), and initiates a Masters track in human and planetary health through the E-IPER program. Campus-wide strategic planning continues.
A series of focus group discussions and strategic planning workshops with nearly 100 faculty, staff and students are completed and the Human and Planetary Health strategic plan is endorsed by leadership, outlining a bold and solutions-oriented vision. See an overview here. Woods advances multidisciplinary research by launching the Human and Planetary Early Career Award program.
The Human and Planetary Health Initiative is formed with an administrative home at the Woods Institute and the Doerr School of Sustainability, in close partnership with CIGH and the School of Medicine. The Initiative launches the Disease Ecology in a Changing World focus area, an evolution of DEHE, a regular speaker series, an open-access resource for healthcare providers: Medicine for a Changing Planet, and the Human and Planetary Health Action Lab course series with the first course SUSTAIN 221: Blue Foods for Indonesia.
The Center for Human and Planetary Health is launched, marking a milestone for Stanford. The first HPH website goes live, and the HPH plastics and health working group is formed. The Action Lab focused on the health impacts of transitioning to renewable energy is held, and ALPHA relaunches in collaboration with the Notation in Science Communication and Masters in Environmental Communication programs to become SWAP: Science Writing Advancing Planetary Health.