Christine Vatovec, PhD, is an environmental health social scientist who studies the interconnections between human health and planetary health, and serves as the Planetary Health Lead at the University of Vermont (UVM) Osher Center for Integrative Health. At UVM, Dr. Vatovec is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Research Assistant Professor in the Larner College of Medicine, Fellow in the Gund Institute for Environment, and Lecturer in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.
Dr. Vatovec’s interdisciplinary background includes training in both natural and social sciences. She completed her B.S. in Natural Resources at Cornell University, M.S. in Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota, and PhD in Environment and Resources at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Vatovec’s scholarship focuses on identifying opportunities to align healthcare with planetary health through interventions that improve outcomes for patients, providers, and the natural environment. Her first book, Dying Green: A Journey through End-of-Life Medicine in Search of Sustainable Healthcare, was published in April 2023 by Rutgers University Press. She teaches several courses including Human-Nature, Climate Change and Health, Planetary Health, and Reimagining Medicine: Science and Evidence of Integrative Health. She was awarded UVM’s Outstanding Part-Time Teacher of the Year in 2020, and nominated for UVM's Kroepsch-Maurice Excellence in Teaching Award in 2025 and 2026.
Outside of academia, Christine is currently training with UVM's Integrative Health and Wellness Coaching program to become a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (certification expected in 2027), and the Nature & Systems Institute to receive certification as a Forest Therapy Guide and Nature as Medicine Practitioner (certification expected in 2026). In 2015, she received certification in Permaculture Design at UVM and offers garden design, coaching, and consultation through Love at First Sprout.