Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

A practical guide to interdisciplinary work in public health

Nature Human Behaviour volume 9, pages 1519–1522 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to understanding and addressing complex public health challenges. On the basis of complex systems science, we suggest actions that public health funders, institutions and researchers can take to fully engage in interdisciplinary work.

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Rutter, H. et al. Lancet 390, 2602–2604 (2017).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Stronks, K., Crielaard, L. & Rod, N. H. in Handbook of Epidemiology (eds Ahrens, W. & Pigeot, I.) 1–29 (Springer, 2024).

  3. van der Wal, J. M. et al. Lancet Psychiatry 8, 991–1000 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Rod, N. H. et al. Epidemiology 34, 505–514 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Lynch, J. Int. J. Epidemiol. 35, 1119–1122 (2006).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Brown, R. R., Deletic, A. & Wong, T. H. F. Nature 525, 315–317 (2015).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Brown, R., Werbeloff, L. & Raven, R. Glob. Chall. 3, 1900020 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Uleman, J. F., Stronks, K., Rutter, H., Arah, O. A. & Rod, N. H. Int. J. Epidemiol. 53, dyae091 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Uleman, J. F. et al. Geroscience 43, 829–843 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Yanai, I. & Lercher, M. Genome Biol. 20, 179 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

N.H.R. acknowledges funding from the European Research Counsil (consolidator grant no. 101124807). T.V.V. is supported by a Data Science Investigator - Emerging 2022 grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation (grant no. NNF22OC0075284). The Copenhagen Health Complexity Center is funded by TrygFonden.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Copenhagen Health Complexity Center, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Naja Hulvej Rod & Tibor V. Varga

Authors
  1. Naja Hulvej Rod
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tibor V. Varga
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Naja Hulvej Rod.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rod, N.H., Varga, T.V. A practical guide to interdisciplinary work in public health. Nat Hum Behav 9, 1519–1522 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02257-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02257-8

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing Careers

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Careers newsletter — what matters in careers research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Careers