On Campus

New ecohealth course to be offered at three Canadian universities

Professors from three universities are teaming up to design a new course looking at the environment and human health.The 11-day ecohealth course will be offered annually and rotate among the three universities – the University of Guelph in Ontario, the University of British Columbia and Universite du Quebec a Montreal.

The initiative is backed by a $1-million grant from the International Development Research Centre.

“Ecohealth has developed in response to the recognition that human health and well-being is embedded within the health of the ecosystem,” said Prof. Bruce Hunter of the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Guelph.

“When you focus on a human health problem, you have to consider how humans interact with animals and their environment and the problem is influenced by a wide range of other critical factors including socio-economic factors and cultural and spiritual practices. Effective solutions come from looking at the big picture.”

The first course will be offered Aug. 5-15 in Vancouver. It will be held in Guelph in 2009 and Quebec the following year.

“Over the next two years the course will be upgraded to become an accepted graduate level course within each of the universities,” Hunter said in a news release.

Twenty-five graduate students and five professionals will be accepted into the course this year, Hunter said.

Scholarships will be offered to help support graduate students.

-with a report from CP

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