The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, in conjunction with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will appoint a Steering Committee to develop and guide the U.S.-China Collaborative for Planetary Health, a program of scientific understanding and joint action between key scientists from the U.S. and China. The Collaborative’s program of activities will focus on topics that address globally important issues where combined scientific effort will be critical to advising policy action, in an uncertain geopolitical context. Initial domains for joint scientific effort will be human health, food systems, and urbanization. The human health research domain may include such topics as 1) healthy aging, 2) environmental exposures and health, 3) nutrition and health, 4) extreme weather events and health, and 5) access to and availability of safe water and sanitation. The food systems research domain may include such topics as 1) resilient food systems, 2) water and nutrient use efficiency of crops, 3) nutrition, heath, and food security, and 4) increased food production while conserving biodiversity. The urbanization research domain may include such topics as 1) resilience of urban infrastructure to extreme weather events, 2) circular economy, sustainable construction, and resource access, 3) mitigation of urban-related pollution and human health impacts, and 4) urban and peri-urban ecosystem health. The following types of activities will be included in the overall initiative, with the goal of developing approaches to bringing together experts, including early career researchers, for sustained and effective interactions: informal symposia held at public global meetings, joint consensus studies and workshops, and summer institutes. As a joint program with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, each Collaborative activity will require approval by the National Academies and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Approved activities under the Collaborative will be planned and implemented by ad hoc committees, which may include members of the Steering Committee. Scientists participating in project activities will be funded by their own country. All activities will be conducted in compliance with U.S. regulations and laws.