title: Ecohealth as a field: looking forward.
abstract: This forum paper proposes a reflection on the "field of ecohealth" and on how best to sustain a supportive environment that enables the evolution of diverse partnerships and forms of collaboration in the field. It is based on the results of a preconference workshop held in October 2012, in Kunming, China at the fourth biennial conference of the International Association for Ecology and Health. Attended by 105 persons from 38 countries, this workshop aimed to have a large-group and encompassing discussion about ecohealth as an emerging field, touching on subjects such as actors, processes, structures, standards, and resources. Notes taken were used to conduct a qualitative thematic analysis combined with a semantic network analysis. Commonalities highlighted by these discussions draw a portrait of a field in which human health, complex systems thinking, action, and ecosystem health are considered central issues. The need to reach outside of academia to government and the general public was identified as a shared goal. A disconnect between participants' main concerns and what they perceived as the main concerns of funding agencies emerged as a primary roadblock for the future.
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Well-Being, Health, Society and Environment, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888, succ. Centre-ville, Montreal, QC, Canada, saint-charles.johanne@uqam.ca.
authors.forename: Johanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saint-Charles
authors.forename: Jena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Andres
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Hein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mallee
authors.forename: Berna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van Wendel de Joode
authors.forename: Hung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nguyen-Viet
mesh_terms: D057191:Capacity Building; D017753:Ecosystem; D004782:Environmental Health; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation
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