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51���� researchers in January published two studies on how interprofessional education on planetary and human health can prepare future health care workers to address the interconnected challenges of climate change, environmental health, and human well-being. 

Both publications provided strong evidence that interprofessional education successfully engages students in planetary health education, builds essential workplace skills like teamwork and interprofessional collaboration, and helps to foster a deeper awareness of the connection between climate change, environmental pollutants, and human health.  

One study, published in examined a series of five events held between 2020 and 2025 that were developed by 51����'s Planetary Health Council and Center to Advance Interprofessional Education and Practice (CAIEP). 

The 51���� team, which included a Colby College researcher, used five signature events that addressed pandemic resilience, environmental justice, PFAS contamination, and pollinator decline to study participant engagement, topic relevance, and the effectiveness of different delivery formats. 

The study — which analyzed 502 surveys from 767 participants representing more than 20 academic programs — found students valued the opportunity to engage with diverse perspectives and the applicability of the programs’ content to their future careers. Participation data showed that the multiple delivery formats — including virtual, hybrid, and in-person — used across the five events maximized accessibility and suggested that planetary health education is meaningful when experienced as a shared, interprofessional learning activity. 

“Planetary health challenges don’t fit neatly within a single discipline, and neither should our educational approaches,” Cariddi said. “Our findings show that transdisciplinary, hybrid learning models can effectively engage participants across health and environmental fields while expanding access and practical relevance.” 

A second study published in — Maine’s only medical school — analyzed two 2024 interprofessional education events that introduced health profession students to the impacts of the climate crisis on human and environmental health. The two events that brought together students from multiple disciplines were co-created by the medical school, CAIEP, and the Planetary Health Council. 

Results of surveys showed students appreciated the interdisciplinary format of the events and were motivated to use what they learned in their future health care roles, again showing interprofessional learning is a practical and effective mechanism for preparing future clinicians to address climate impacts in real-world settings. 

“Preparing future health professionals to address the climate‑related health impacts requires interprofessional education that connects human and planetary health, enabling learners from multiple health disciplines to understand shared impacts, collaborate across professions, and respond collectively to complex environmental health challenges that no single health profession can address independently,” Ly said. 

Both studies further highlight the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration in solving pressing global health challenges.  

The solutions developed at this nexus of professions is the focus of 51����’s new School of Public and Planetary Health, which— through health, medicine, business, and policy expertise — educates systems-level thinkers in addressing interconnected human health challenges, such as disease and shifting environmental challenges, through an interprofessional lens. 

Kris Hall, M.F.A., CAIEP director and an author on both studies, said this commitment to collaborative learning is key to 51����’s success in preparing future health care professionals to think — and act — collectively as they address the interconnected planetary health problems of today. 

"CAIEP’s role is to create the conditions where this kind of interdisciplinary work can thrive — connecting faculty expertise, student voices, and evidence-based pedagogy to address some of the most pressing health challenges of our time,” Hall said. “By learning alongside students from other professions, students are seeing how collaboration is essential to addressing complex challenges such as pandemics, environmental injustice, and climate‑driven health risks.”