Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, are responsible for the greatest burden of death and disability globally. No longer viewed as diseases of affluence, NCDs are of critical importance to all countries and are firmly on the global political agenda.

Successfully addressing the complex causes of these diseases and reducing the global burden will involve interdisciplinary approaches and a systems viewpoint. Researchers and policy makers from around the world working in this field thus require a critical understanding of the commonalities and differences in perspectives across sectors, which will enable them to work effectively within a ‘global’ ecological perspective on NCDs.