Books Aguirre, A.A., Ostfeld, R.S., Tabor, G.M., House, Carol, Pearl, M. C. (2002). Conservation medicine: ecological health in practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. This is one of the only, well reviewed, scientifically respected books published on the topic so far. It combines the expertise of several different experts and scientists from different fields and their commentary as well as examples and studies of conservation medicine in action. ActionBioscience.org This database is free and bilingual and includes full text resources, many of them peerreviewed, that fall in the realm of biological sciences. It’s produced by the American Institute of Biological Sciences. The Cochrane Library Search terms : Ecological health, conservation medicine, ecological medicine EBSCO’s CINAH Plus with full-text, Health and Nursing Family, and Environment Complete. Suggested search terms: Conservation Medicine, Ecological Health, Ecological Medicine. It’s easiest to search using all three terms at the same time using the “OR” option. All three of these databases in the Ebsco Family contain many of the same full-text articles from many different journals. Human Ecology. Bill Freedman.The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Vol. 3. 3rd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2004. p2031.Word Count:627. This discusses human effect on ecology, which is one half of the equation in ecological health. The other side includes what ramifications have on our health. So, while this isn’t about the entire process, it is a good article to gain understanding of how what humans do influence our ecological integrity. 1. Ecological Integrity. Bill Freedman.The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Vol. 2. 3rd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2004. p13431346.Word Count:1816. This encyclopedic entry discusses ecological integrity and how the ecological integrity is defined and determined. It also talks about how humans and different factors affect the integrity of the environment by helping and hurting certain components. It gives a nice breakdown of the environmental stressors on the ecosystem, many that humans impact, and also lists the components of ecological integrity. Although it isn’t directly about ecological medicine, changes in ecological integrity can affect human health, therefore playing a part in ecological health. Websites
Despommier, D, & Chen, S. X. (2011). Medical Ecology. Retrieved from http://www.medicalecology.org This website gives an overview of Medical Ecology, and describes how humans, as a part of the ecosystem, effect the biological and ecological processes within in it. This includes negative effects on humans as a result of their effect on the earth. I chose this website because it’s maintained by two people who work for the Division of Environmental Health Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, and because they are tied to a large, well-reputed institution they can be relied on to give good information. I also liked that the website is broken down into areas such as the atmosphere, water, food, and infection diseases and clearly shows how medical ecology is related to all of these things. It also has a copy of the Medical Ecology Course Syllabus. Despommier, D.(2011). The Vertical Farm. Retrieved from: http://www.verticalfarm.com. Here, Dr. Despommier of Columbia University (see above), proposes a real life use and solution to medical ecology. He suggests vertical farming, which, in it’s basic form, is building green houses on top of each other, powered by green energy. This can work anywhere, including large cities, places where crops are hard to grow, and places where traditional farming has taken it’s toll on the ecosystem. It’s a relatively cheap, efficient way to produce food in large enough quantities to feed everyone, with little or no effect on the ecosystem. If this idea took off, it could help eliminate some the trouble humans are causing the earth, and thus help eliminate some of the heath ramifications we bring to ourselves. The website includes informative videos, a blog, pictures of vertical farm designs, and a “Learn More” page that describes the problem and why vertical farming is a potential solution. Because this site is agriculturally based, it shows the scope of interdisciplarity that this topic involves. Peter Daszak, Eds. (2011). EcoHealth Alliance. Retrieved from: http://www.ecohealthalliance.org/. The EcoHealth Alliance, formerly known as Wildlife Trust, is an international Organization of scientists who strive to protect human and animal health through conservation and global solutions to emerging diseases. It works on the grassroots level and through research to attain its goals. It features a free newsletter, news and events, a blog, featured stories, information protecting animal and human health, and ways to offer your support. This is a really good resource to see what things are being done within the world of conservation medicine, and for a synopsis of the issues. (2011). EcoHealth: Environmental Changes and Our Health. Retrieved from: http://www.ecohealth101.org/index.php
This website is geared towards students and teachers, but offers a lot of great introductory material for people new to the subject. It includes subjects such as “Taking Our Temperature”, “Hole in the ‘Zone” “What’s Left To Eat?” and “Our Small World”. It also includes lesson plans, a glossary, and a “Q&A”. It is a companion site to PBS’. It is partnered with and/or funded by John Hopkins, University of Wisconsin, Madison, the EPA, the WHO, and is a companion site to PBS’ Journey to Planet Earth. This is a great site to gain a basic understanding of the issues in medical ecology, learn some of the terminology, and get good background information before starting more serious research. Journals Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development,. Taylor & Frances Group. Retrieved from http://www.environmentmagazine.org This magazine had many current articles about the environment, consercation, and public policy, many hitting on aspects of ecological health. It’s geared toward a more general audience. BioScience. American Institute of Biological Sciences. This journal is geared more towards scientists and researches and contains information and articles from all over the biological sciences spectrum. It’s published 12 times a year and available from JSTOR. It is also available for purchase both in print and online. International Association for Ecology and Health. (2011). EcoHealth. Retrieved from: http://www.ecohealth.net/
This interdisciplinary Journal is published quarterly. It is international and peer-reviewed. It includes cover art, news, and a variety of articles from different disciplines all pertaining to ecological health. It was launched in 2004 after merging “Global Change and Human Health” and “Ecosystem Health” journals. It is available from or listed on Springer, Ebsco, PubMed/Medical, Google Scholar, ISI Web of Science, and Gale, and is published by the International Association for Ecology and Health. Sound Recordings Colwell, R., Frumkin, H, & Patz, J. (2010, Feb. 5) “Climate Change and Human Health”. American Meteorological Society Climate Briefing Series. Retrieved from: http://www.ametsoc.org/atmospolicy/climatebriefing/feb2010.html In this recording, Dr. Rita Colwell discusses major ecological health threats. Next, Dr. Howard Frumkin from the CDC discusses the public response to these threats, and finally, Dr. Johnatham Patz, a big name in medical ecology, discusses the co-benefit concept. This is when changing behavior to help combat detrimental effects on the environment (benefit 1) also benefits another area, like health, society, or quality of life.
This presented in partnership with the American Geophysical Union. While it is geared toward other scientists, it is surprisingly easy to follow and offers great information and anecdotes not previously mentioned. Journal Articles Alders, R.G. (2009). Conservation medicine. Environment. 51(4), 7-9. Retrieved from academic search premier. This Journal Article discusses and defines conservation medicine and gives a brief history of the topic. It also gives an overview of the Conservation Medicine Consortium. Norris, S. (2001). A New Voice in Conservation. BioScience. 51(1). Retrieved from Ebsco. References Conservation medicine; ecological health in practice. (2003). Scitech Book News, 27(1). Retrieved fromhttp://search.proquest.com/docview/200112460?accountid=14604