Skip to main content Skip to footer unit links

Nature and Health

Illuminating the connections between nature and human well-being

  •

    The UW Center for Nature and Health seeks to illuminate the connections between nature and human health and well-being. We work to translate that understanding into programs, practices, policies, and the design of healthcare, educational, and community settings that benefit all people and nature.

    • News and Events

    | In the News

    Breathing Nature In: How Our Environments Shape The Nasal Microbiome and Human Well-Being

    The benefits of nature exposure for human well-being are well-recognized, yet much remains to be understood about the underlying mechanisms as to how these effects occur. Research out of UW’s Environment & Well Being Lab led by SEFS’ graduate student Connor Lashus is helping us close the gap in understanding the role that microbes in the human nose might play in the relationship between nature exposure and well-being. 

    Continue reading at UW SEFS
    See all News
    Back to Top

    Featured Research

    The Routledge Handbook of Cultural Ecosystem Services cover

    Psychological Ecosystem Services

    Psychological Ecosystem Services include the diverse ways in which nature contributes to the mental and emotional well-being of individuals and communities, and encompass the psychological benefits derived from interactions with natural environments. In this new chapter, Gregory Bratman, PhD, Nature and Health’s co-director, considers a range of studies within environmental psychology, epidemiology, and exposure science that fall under the umbrella of psychological ecosystem services.

    Support Nature & Health

    Four children hiking in a deciduous forest

    With your support, we can better understand how nature affects human health, how to best leverage these benefits, and how to implement policies that make nature more accessible to all communities.