How it works

Participants in the Commons apply multiple perspectives, tools and expertise to the exploration of health, in complexity ranging from the molecular to the societal.

Broadly inclusive frames of examination form our seven divisions of inquiry:

• neurobiology, aging, dementias and movement disorders
• cancer prevention, detection, management and treatment
• viruses, immunity, microbiomes and infectious disease
• nutrition, obesity, exercise and lifestyle
• mental health, substance abuse, crime and behavior change
• public health and healthcare services: law, policy and equity
• culture, arts, design and humanities in health

Benefits of participating

The Wellbeing Commons offers a space for Arizona professionals of any institution concerned with health to collaborate on research, develop and use shared resources, attend yearly events, identify new interdisciplinary research alignments, enhance the mentorship of young researchers, and belong to a community that facilitates inter-institutional dialogue statewide.  

Viewing wellbeing through multiple perspectives allows fresh approaches to any number of health issues, including grand challenges such as heart disease, cancer, and dementia. New collaborations will catalyze new frameworks and improved solutions throughout the great state of Arizona.

Upcoming Events

Leadership

Joshua LaBaer, MD, PhD, leads the Commons. He is one of the nation’s foremost investigators in the rapidly expanding field of personalized diagnostics and executive director of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University. LaBaer is also director of the Biodesign Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, the Dalton Chair of Cancer Research, a professor in the ASU School of Molecular Sciences and an adjunct professor of medicine at the College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic.