Neira and Romanello to keynote Health Systems Implementing Climate Action event at Climate Week
Two visionary leaders in climate change and health will deliver keynotes at the inaugural Health Systems Implementing Climate Action event at Climate Week NYC: Dr. María Neira, MD, Director of Public Health, Environment and Social Determinants of Health at the World Health Organization, and Dr. Marina Romanello, PhD, Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change. Co-hosted by the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health and The New York Academy of Medicine, this first-of-its-kind convening of business and health sector leaders will highlight the leading edge of low carbon, resilient health care delivery.
Dr. Colin Carlson launches new online database for climate and health impact studies
Dr. Colin Carlson, a new YCCCH Affiliated Faculty member, along with Dr. Christopher Trisos from the Climate Risk Lab at the University of Cape Town, has launched an early beta version of a new resource: the Health Attribution Library. This online database compiles end-to-end attribution studies on the human health impacts of human-caused climate change. The Health Attribution Library aims to support scientific research, journalism, public interest, litigation, and political negotiations by providing evidence-based studies focused on human health.
New report from YCCCH students highlights critical public health needs in Connecticut affordable housing
In collaboration with the Connecticut Green Bank, the Clean Energy Group, and Operation Fuel, students from YCCCH’s Clinic in Climate Justice and Public Health have released a report emphasizing the urgent need for climate-smart technology in affordable housing. The report, “Emerging Public Health Needs for Climate Smart Technology in Connecticut Affordable Housing,” highlights the critical importance of investing in backup power and stable indoor temperature solutions to protect residents who depend on home medical devices, especially in communities most vulnerable to climate change.
Now accepting applications for online Climate Change and Health Certificate Program
The Yale Center on Climate Change and Health is still accepting applications for the twelfth offering of our 21-week, fully online, Climate Change and Health Certificate Program for working professionals, including public health professionals, clinicians, mental health professionals, college and university faculty, health educators, policymakers, environmental professionals, government officials, and advocates.
Applications are due by September 20, 2024, and the program starts September 30, 2024.We give deep tuition discounts to applicants from low-income countries and lower middle-income countries. Candidates can visit the certificate program website to learn more about the program and start their application here.
YCCCH experts urge greater protections for people with serious mental illness amid rising heat risks
YCCCH Affiliated Faculty members Dr. Annie Harper, a cultural anthropologist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, and Dr. Caroline Dumont, a community psychiatrist and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, have published a commentary in the Hartford Courant. The op-ed argues that despite the increasing awareness of extreme heat risks, there are not enough measures being taken to protect individuals with serious mental illness, who face significantly higher risk of illness and death in high temperatures.
Dr. Jodi Sherman and colleagues call for stronger metrics and accountability in health care sustainability
Dr. Jodi Sherman, Director of YCCCH’s Program on Health Care Environmental Sustainability, along with colleagues from Harvard Medical School and the University of Sydney, recently published an editorial in BMJ. Their commentary responds to the newly released Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice. While the Concordat aims to guide the sector toward a sustainable future, there are several limitations that risk its failing to drive scaling impact. The authors advocate for mandatory, verified reporting of emissions and stronger incentives by funders to ensure grantees fully commit to the Concordat’s goals.
Dr. Jodi Sherman, alongside colleagues from Northeastern University, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, recently published an article in The Lancet Planetary Health. The article
highlights the urgent need for improved sustainability metrics in the health care sector to effectively address the climate crisis and environmental challenges. Current measurement frameworks, often borrowed from other sectors, fall short of capturing the specific needs of health care delivery organizations. To drive meaningful change, future metrics must be standardized, reliable, and aligned with health care's core mission while also addressing potential contradictions in sustainability goals.
Drs. Kai Chen, Siqi Zhang, and Yiqun Ma represent the CHEN lab at ISEE 2024
From August 25-28, Drs. Kai Chen, Siqi Zhang, and Yiqun Ma participated in the 36th Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology in Santiago, Chile. This meeting focused on addressing how the scientific community faces current health, environmental justice, and epidemiological challenges, with discussions on empirical evidence, methodological approaches, and ethical and theoretical developments. Drs. Ma and Zhang presented research from the
Climate, Health, and Environment Nexus (CHEN) Lab on the impacts of long-term wildfire exposure on mortality in the United States, and on the short-term association between ozone and acute myocardial infarction onset, respectively.
Dr. Kai Chen comments on the urgent need for target cardiovascular interventions amid cold spells
Dr. Kai Chen, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and co-Faculty Director at the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health, alongside Dr. Khurram Nasir, Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Prevention and Wellness at Houston Methodist, recently published an editorial comment in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. This commentary
highlights the significant cardiovascular risks posed by cold spells, which can increase the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) beyond the effects of daily low temperatures. A study in Sweden found that cold spells are associated with a delayed but significant increase in MI risk, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions and preparedness in health care systems, especially under increasingly unpredictable climate conditions. The authors argue that a balanced approach to addressing both cold and heat-related health risks in the context of global climate change is necessary to ensure equity and resilience in cardiovascular health strategies.
Alumni Corner
YCCCH alumni collaborate on climate and health research at the Colorado Health Institute
Karam Ahmad, MPH, a graduate of the YCCCH Climate Change and Health Certificate program, and Maggie Hart, MPH '24, who recently completed the Climate Change and Health Concentration at the Yale School of Public Health, initially connected through the YCCCH Mentorship Program where Karam served as Maggie's mentor. Today, they work at the Colorado Health Institute, focusing on climate and health research.
WE ACT for Environmental Justice is seeking to fill multiple roles in their New York City and Washington, DC offices. A full listing of positions and their descriptions can be found here.
Events in Climate Change and Health
Yale Events:
Climate Activism Without Burnout: Evidence-Based Practices to Improve Well-Being
September 5, 2024 | 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. ET
Virtual
The Yale Center on Climate Change and health is pleased to co-sponsor this webinar by Dr. Laurie Santos, the Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon Professor of Psychology and Head of Silliman College at Yale University. In addition to her work on the evolutionary origins of human cognition, Dr. Santos is an expert on the science of happiness and the ways in which our minds lie to us about what makes us happy. Dr. Santos created the most popular class in Yale University’s 300-year history in which she teaches scientifically validated strategies for living a more satisfying life. How can the climate community apply these strategies to work more effectively and avoid burnout? Join the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) for a conversation with Dr. Santos moderated by Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of the YPCCC.
Clean Energy Orientation
September 6, 2024 | 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Burke Auditorium, 195 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511
The Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY) is hosting its third annual Clean Energy Orientation for students from all Yale schools and programs. The event will feature lightening talks from various Yale centers, programs, initiatives, and student groups on clean energy academic and involvement opportunities across campus. YCCCH Program Administrator, Alix Rachman, will be present to share the center's activities and opportunities in clean energy and public health.
Climate Change and Health Seminar with Dr. Jonathan Buonocore, “Health and the energy transition”
September 9, 2024 | 12:00 – 12:50 p.m. ET
LEPH 115, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT 06510 or Virtual
Jonathan Buonocore, Sc.D. is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Health at the Boston University School of Public Health. His research focuses on evaluating the health impacts of energy systems, and modeling health “co-benefits” of climate mitigation strategies and energy policies, largely in the United States. He has evaluated air pollution-related health impacts from several sectors, including electricity generation, transportation, buildings, and oil and gas production. He has also modeled the health co-benefits of energy policies and climate mitigation strategies including further buildout of renewable energy in the United States, Federal carbon emissions standards on power plants, carbon cap-and-invest policies for transportation in the Northeast U.S. and building electrification. His current and future research includes assessing health benefits of emissions standards for buildings, understanding community exposure to hazards and environmental
justice issues around energy infrastructure, and employing remote sensing to evaluate exposure to oil & gas and other anthropogenic methane sources.
Registration is required. Yale affiliates are welcome to join us in person in the Winslow Auditorium, 60 College Street. All others may stream the event via Zoom.
YCCCH @ Climate Week NYC Events:
The Yale-UNICEF Workshop on Climate Change and Children’s Health
September 26, 2024 | 10:30 – 11:45 a.m. ET
Saybrook Room, The Yale Club, 50 Vanderbilt Ave, New York, NY 10017
The Yale Center on Climate Change and Health (YCCCH) and UNICEF welcome current and prospective partners to a dynamic workshop to spur action on climate change and children’s health at Climate Week NYC. By presenting the latest evidence from UNICEF and YCCCH on climate change’s effects on children’s health, and harnessing audience expertise on solutions and opportunities, this event seeks to mobilize action, collaboration, and investment to prioritize children’s health and wellbeing in the global climate agenda. After the 75-minute program, participants are welcome to stay for an informal networking lunch to continue building connections.
Learn more about this event here. Note that this is an in-person event only. Registration is currently at capacity; to be added to the waitlist, email jen.wang@yale.edu.
Health Systems Implementing Climate Action
September 27, 2024 | 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET
The New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029
The Yale Center on Climate Change and Health and The New York Academy of Medicine will host a first-of-its-kind, inaugural event on sustainable healthcare systems during Climate Week NYC 2024 held in tandem with the United Nations General Assembly, bringing together leading examples of health system climate readiness innovation. This event will convene business and health sector leaders to present the latest research and practice findings around low carbon, resilient health care delivery, and explore building sustainable systems through actionable and scalable solutions. Keynote speakers will include Dr. María Neira, MD, Director of the Public Health, Environment and Social Determinants of Health Department at the World Health Organization, and Dr. Marina Romanello, PhD, Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change.
Learn more and register for the event here. Note that this is an in-person event only. Space is limited.
