What does it take to understand health in a changing world?

In an era of global transformation, the Research Center One Health Ruhr explores the complex interconnections between human, animal, and environmental health — from molecular mechanisms to entire ecosystems. At the intersection of water science, oncology, and neuroscience, the Center addresses some of the most urgent health challenges of our time.

Guided by the One Health approach, the Center is built on a simple yet powerful idea: human health cannot be understood separately from the health of our environment.

Our new image film offers a glimpse into this interdisciplinary research hub and the scientists behind it – including Professor Bernd Sures and Professor Onur Güntürkün, who played a key role in establishing One Health Ruhr, as well as Humboldt Professor Dana Branzei, who joined the Center in 2025 and further strengthened its expertise in molecular cancer research and biomedical biotechnology. 

Together, they explore fundamental questions: 

• How do environmental pollutants and UV-radiation affect human health at the molecular level?
• How are brain function, behaviour, and cognition connected to the environment around us?
• And how do pollutants and multiple stressors impact freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity?

Their work reflects a Center that unites three major research areas and six scientific disciplines – from biology and chemistry to medicine, neuroscience, psychology, and environmental science – bringing together more than 15 research groups compromising over 200 leading researchers. 

The Research Center is part of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr), in which the universities of Bochum, Dortmund, and Duisburg-Essen join forces to form one of Germany’s most dynamic academic networks.