Public and Planetary Health

UNE is uniquely positioned to lead in this space, uniting expertise across disciplines with deep community partnerships.

B.S. and M.S. Public Health Programs

Nationally recognized B.S. and M.S. Public Health programs with renowned faculty experts and thriving community partnerships

Leaders in Applied Research

Discovery and applied research are at the heart of our mission, driving innovation across health, environment, and sustainability

UNE North + Marine and Environmental School

Climate and sustainability leadership through UNE North and the School of Marine and Environmental Programs

© 2026 University of New England. All rights reserved.

Healthy People, Healthy Planet

David Evans Shaw is a visionary leader whose life work has been about building bridges between entrepreneurial achievement and the public good — through innovation with purpose, collaboration with competition, and passion with optimism. One of Shaw’s guiding principles is to question conventional wisdom and challenge conventional paradigms. 

Top Health Science School in Maine

Maine’s only medical school, with top programs in osteopathic medicine, dental medicine and the health sciences

Interprofessional Innovation

Expanding innovation in biomedical sciences, computer science, AI, business, and supply chain management

Thriving Community Partnerships

Partnerships with MaineHealth, Maine CDC, NGOs, and UNE’s Tangier Campus

The Institute of Public and Planetary Health fosters an environment of self-discovery, growth, and community — where interdisciplinary collaboration prepares students to address the complex planetary challenges of our time.

Center for Public Health Practice

For UNE Students: Clear interdisciplinary pathways to advanced degrees, experiential learning opportunities, planetary health competencies, and the chance to be part of something larger

For UNE Faculty: A community for collaboration and innovation across disciplines

Center for North Atlantic Studies

Building sustainable communities across the North Atlantic and Arctic regions

For Maine. For the Nation. For the Planet.

Strength Across Disciplines. Impact Across Communities.

SHAW INSTITUTE OF

For Maine: A strengthened workforce prepared to address urgent state needs

For the World: Contributions to national and global solutions redefining what health means in the 21st century

Office of Sustainability

Creating collaborative solutions for a thriving planet and equitable future

Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Fostering cross-disciplinary innovation to turn ideas into real-world impact; home of the Shaw Innovation Fellows

Center for  Healthy Aging

The Shaw Institute of Public and Planetary Health at the University of New England is inspired by David Shaw’s legacy. From the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic to the accelerating impacts of climate change leading to the degradation of vital ecosystems, recent events have underscored how human health and planetary health are inextricably woven together. They are, in effect, one and the same, with the health of one contingent on the health of the other. We are also living at a time when universities are being asked to do more than confer degrees. We are being challenged to serve, to lead, and to respond to the needs of our communities and of our shared future. The Shaw Institute is our answer to that call. It is rooted in science. It is inspired by our mission, and it is driven by the belief that the health of people and the planet depends on our ability to innovate and to work across boundaries.

By design, the Shaw Institute unites expertise in health sciences, public health, environmental and marine science, and sustainable business to solve planetary health challenges, such as coastal resilience, sustainable farming and ocean food systems, mental health, and healthy aging. For our students, the Shaw Institute provides a sense of identity, purpose, and community within a multidisciplinary learning environment. For our faculty and professional staff, the Shaw Institute serves as a launching pad for collaboration and innovation. And for our external partners, the Shaw Institute will become a hub for productive collaboration across Maine, the region, and the globe. It will strengthen our service to the community, educating a workforce for Maine that understands how to simultaneously care for people, the communities in which they are embedded, and our shared planet.

Through deep and intentional collaboration, we will engage diverse external partners and prepare students as systems-level thinkers, leaders, innovators, and problem-solvers. The Shaw Institute is committed to educating future leaders who understand and act collaboratively on grand challenges; create value for people, society, and the planet; and blend professional achievement with a passion for stewardship and impact. By bearing his name, the Shaw Institute will highlight David Shaw’s extraordinary legacy of boldly transcending boundaries to address the biggest challenges of our time.

John Vitale

Dean, Westbrook College of Health Professions

Gwendolyn Mahon

Acting Director, Institute of Public and Planetary Health

Beth Taylor Nolan

Dean, College of Professional Studies

Karin Lapping

Director, Center for Public Health Practice

Michele Polacsek

Director, Public Health Research and Strategy

Alethea Carridi

Director, Office of 
Sustainability

Cameron Wake

Director, Center for North Atlantic Studies

Director, Center for 
Healthy Aging

Karen Houseknecht

Vice President, Research 
and Innovation

Mary Bachman DeSilva

Provost, Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs