The Yale School of Nursing is honored to welcome Professor Susan L. Prescott, pediatrician, immunologist, artist, author, and global leader in planetary health, as our inaugural Artist-in-Residence for the Spring 2026 semester. Her appointment reflects Yale School of Nursing’s growing commitment to integrating creativity, reflection, and planetary consciousness into health education and practice.
Professor Prescott’s career defies disciplinary boundaries. An internationally recognized clinician-scientist and thought leader, she has been at the forefront of research on the early environmental determinants of health and disease, illuminating how our social and ecological conditions shape lifelong well-being. Her work spanning medicine, immunology, public scholarship, and the arts embodies a vision of personal and planetary health as inseparable, interdependent, and rooted in reciprocity.
Academic and Global Leadership
Dr. Prescott currently serves as Professor of Planetary Health at the University of Western Australia, where she founded The ORIGINS Project, one of the world’s most comprehensive early-life intervention cohort studies involving 10,000 families. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Maryland, Baltimore; Editor-in-Chief of Challenges; and founding Director of the Center for Planetary Consciousness and Global Flourishing and the Nova Network.
This work includes her leadership of Earthrise, a contemplative community inspiring spiritual and cultural transformation for a new era of planetary health.
Distinguished Career and Publications
A Fellow of both the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, Dr. Prescott has secured over $52 million in competitive research funding as chief investigator and authored more than 400 scientific publications. Her award-winning public-facing books include The Allergy Epidemic, The Calling, Origins, and the gold-medal winner The Secret Life of Your Microbiome.
Art as a Catalyst for Healing
Beyond her scientific accomplishments, Susan Prescott is a gifted artist and storyteller whose paintings and creative works explore ecological interconnectedness and the emotional landscapes of healing. Her artistic practice embodies the belief that art is a catalyst for empathy, imagination, and societal transformation.
A Residency Rooted in Creativity, Connection, and Community
Dr. Prescott’s appointment builds on her recent presentation at the Imagining a Healthier Planet event at Yale, which inspired students, faculty, and community partners to reimagine the role of creativity in advancing health and environmental justice.
“This appointment reflects our shared belief that art, reflection, and creativity are essential to advancing health, healing, and planetary well-being. Dr. Prescott’s leadership through the Imagining a Healthier Planet events last semester inspired us to explore the intersections of art, health, and social transformation in meaningful ways.”
— Dean Azita Emami
Residency Highlights (January–May 2026)
- Creative and reflective workshops, including a painting-based experience early in the semester
- An interdisciplinary event at Yale West Campus in partnership with the Yale University Art Gallery
- Collaborations with students and faculty, including leadership programming and seminars
- Co-design of pilot initiatives to inform a future, long-term Artist-in-Residence model at YSN
The residency will be hosted by the Office of Planetary Health and Global Engagement in partnership with the Office of Student Life and the Strategic Engagement Team, with Dr. Asia Neupane serving as the primary point of contact.
Shaping Flourishing Futures Through Art and Health
Dr. Prescott’s dedication to connecting art, science, and planetary health resonates deeply with YSN’s mission. She reminds us that the futures we create—ecological, clinical, and communal—depend on our capacity to imagine differently.
As we welcome Professor Prescott to Yale as our inaugural Artist-in-Residence, we celebrate not only her distinguished contributions to planetary health, but also the creative energy she brings—a force that challenges us to envision more just, resilient, and flourishing futures.
We look forward to the semester ahead with gratitude and anticipation.