The EcoHealth research group consists of the Eco-epidemiology unit, the Socio-Ecological Health Research unit and the Complexity & Health unit.

Our current thematic areas include

• Adaptation of health systems to climate change
• Urbanisation
• Sustainable disease control and elimination                                                   
• Health system resilience
• Complexity-oriented research methodologies

The Ecohealth group brings together researchers from different backgrounds and disciplines, such as eco-epidemiology, social sciences, anthropology, health systems research, urban studies and public health.

Our starting point is that research on the current health challenges that occur at the interface between humans and their natural, social and political environments requires systems approaches.

To this end, we adopt the Ecohealth approach:

• Most health problems have complex causal pathways.
• This demands systems thinking and transdisciplinary approaches to research, decision-making, implementation and evaluation.
• Participation and co-creation are not only methods to deal with uncertainty, they are also goals in themselves. The end goal is not only well-being, but also sustainability and equity.  

Our current international cooperation projects

• We (co-)lead several programmes within the framework greement programme of DGD.
• We lead EcoHub, the Thematic Global Network Climate change, urbanisation and health, which connects researchers from ITM’s partners all over the world.
• We contribute to the country programmes of RD Congo, Rwanda, Benin, South Africa, Cuba, Peru and Vietnam

 Our current projects and educational activities can be found on our unit webpages.