As climate disruption, health inequities, and global interdependence reshape the conditions in which care is delivered, health professionals are being asked to lead in territory that traditional clinical training did not map. The Planetary Health Leadership Program, an eight-week online professional certificate program from the Yale School of Nursing, is designed to prepare them for it.

Christine Rodriguez and Asia Neupane introduce the Planetary Health Leadership Program at the Yale School of Nursing.

In this faculty spotlight, Christine Rodriguez, assistant professor and associate dean of nursing impact, and Asia Neupane, director of the Yale School of Nursing's Office of Planetary Health and Global Engagement, discuss the structure of the program, why planetary health belongs at the center of health leadership, and what participants can expect to carry back into their own institutions and communities.

The program takes what Neupane calls “a really interesting and innovative approach,” organizing each of its eight weeks around a theme drawn from the expertise of the faculty member or faculty members leading it. The aim, she says, is to teach participants how to create a healthier planet — and to develop planetary health leaders who can do that work at scale.

“Planetary health is an important topic for healthcare leaders today because the environment is inextricably linked to our human health.”

— Christine Rodriguez, Assistant Professor and Associate Dean of Nursing Impact

Rodriguez points to the many forms that link takes: zoonotic disease that emerges where humans and animals interact, the health consequences of water and pollution, the pressures of climate change, and the social inequities that determine who absorbs the damage. That interconnectedness, she says, is essential for leaders to recognize, because they are the ones who will shape health policy — and “health policy can no longer be siloed in thinking about human health as separate from the health of the planet.”

The program culminates in an individual leadership capstone, which Rodriguez describes as “where the rubber meets the road.” Threading together the thematic weeks into what she likens to a tapestry, the capstone is deliberately broad in focus so that participants can direct it at the challenges they already face — in their communities, their workplaces, or the institutions they are part of.

The program is built for clinicians, educators, researchers, and public health professionals at any stage of their careers who feel a sense of urgency about these challenges and want to approach health care more holistically. Neupane hopes participants leave with “a renewed sense of purpose and understanding of themselves as a leader,” and with a recognition that they belong to a global community — one grounded in partnership, “working with our communities, never working for our communities.”

The Planetary Health Leadership Program is delivered virtually through a combination of live and asynchronous sessions and awards a Yale non-degree certificate upon completion. Applications are open through August 15, 2026.

Explore the Planetary Health Leadership Program to learn more about the curriculum, faculty, and upcoming application deadlines.