The Faculty of Environmental Studies offers the type of program that suits my learning style. I am a highly self-directed and motivated learner who does best when I am able to focus on areas that are most relevant and interesting to me. However, it is also important that I have a mentor who I can learn from and who can provide candid feedback and assessment of my work. The Faculty of Environmental Studies encourages alternative ways of gaining knowledge and I am impressed by the global perspective. Interdisciplinary work is a concept that nurses are very familiar with as caring for patients involves many professionals all working synergistically to improve the patient’s health outcomes. York has recognized the importance to society of an interdisciplinary focus to understand the societal factors that affect the health of individuals, communities and populations through the creation of our new Faculty of Health. My particular focus in my PhD will be online collaborative “Communities of Learning” to empower health care practitioners to make and support change that will have an impact on the social determinants of health with the goal of improved societal health outcomes. This program of study will have practical application not only for educating students here at York, but also for the health care community with respect to generating and sharing new knowledge in an increasingly global environment. York University is partnered with the University of Victoria in developing effective knowledge mobilization units to connect knowledge creators with knowledge users in the health and society fields. This kind of academic and community synergy can be facilitated through interactive online communities of learning.