In June 2005 representatives from Wayne State University and the University of Windsor began exploring a collaborative program of international public health research and education that would focus on urban health problems such as those found in Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan. The collaboration would provide an opportunity for comparative research into public health outcomes between countries that have very different healthcare delivery systems and public health policies, in the context of two cities with similar exposure and demographic factors. The collaboration would build on the existing public health research activities at both universities.