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Our Work

Advancing One Health

Human health and wellbeing are inextricably linked to the health of wildlife, livestock, and the environment. Improved food, water, and energy infrastructure are urgently needed to protect the natural systems that provide opportunities for recreation, hunting, and fishing and to minimize human exposure to parasites, pathogens, and pollution. Likewise, the development of urban environments must harness the powerful positive effect that trees and green spaces have on human health and happiness. With Cornell’s deep and broad knowledge base and vital connections to corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies, Cornell Atkinson is working in partnership with researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine to build interdisciplinary approaches and drive new research to advance One Health, creating a future in which people and nature thrive.

Elephants - photo credit: M. Atkinson/AHEAD

Radical Collaboration

Raina Plowright joins Cornell

World-renowned ecologist and epidemiologist who studies the mechanisms that drive the spillover of pathogens between species – such as the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic – will become a Cornell Atkinson Scholar and join the College of Veterinary Medicine to bolster pandemic prevention effort.

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Raina Plowright

Projects

Macropis Nuda, Oil Bee - provided by Bryan Danforth

Wild Bee Diversity Prediction Tool

This tool compares the performance of indicators of bee richness that were constructed from data on birds, land cover, or a combination of both. The goal is to provide a tool to guide monitoring, land management, and bee conservation efforts across large spatial scales until sufficient bee data become available.

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Cornell Atkinson - Water Pollution

Social Cost of Water Pollution

A complex mix of policies and practices are required to ensure access to clean water everywhere—for everyone. The Social Cost of Water Pollution Working Group is focused on effective tools for decision-making by the government, NGOs, and private industry on water quality, analogous to the social cost of carbon estimates that are visible metrics of the costs of global warming.

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sustainable forestry

Conservation Finance

To slow and stop the global loss of biodiversity, we must fundamentally rethink our relationship with nature and transform our economic models and market systems. Research in Conservation Finance offers new, long-term, diversified sources of revenue supporting biodiversity conservation.

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Environment
Report

Responding to the Climate Change and Health Crisis: A Framework for Academic Public Health

The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health released a summary of recommendations for academic public health programs, including contributions from Senior Faculty Fellow Alex Travis, outlining the vision and principles, strategies for engagement, and measures of impact and challenges posed by climate change.

Botswana field with cows
Report

The ‘Beef’ with Foot and Mouth Disease: Academia Helps Farmers Balance Production and Conservation

Fellow Steve Osofsky leads research on integrating safe meat production while supporting wildlife migrations. A 2017 Cornell Atkinson Academic Venture Fund supported this research.

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water quality
Report

Water Shutoff Protections Prevented Covid Infections and Deaths

New research supported by Cornell Atkinson shows significantly lower Covid infection and death rates in states that imposed water shutoff moratoria.

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Combating Misinformation about COVID-19 in Low-Resource Environments
Report

Cornell Atkinson Faculty Director News

David Drinkwater '94 Endows Faculty Director Position in One Health

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Faculty Fellow Highlight

Vital Connections

Working at the intersection of agriculture and public health, specifically sustainable dairy production, Cornell Atkinson Faculty Director Daryl Nydam (CVM) is advancing One Health, making sure milk is produced safely for cattle and consumers alike.

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Daryl Nydam

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