The World Health Organization has called climate change the “biggest health threat facing humanity” (WHO Newsroom, 2021) and The Lancet has identified addressing climate change the “greatest opportunity to redefine the social and environmental determinants of health” (Lancet Countdown, 2021).
The connections between environment and health are clear. From air pollution and disease outbreaks to changing landscapes and natural disasters, disruptions to Earth’s natural systems are impacting our physiology, nutrition, mental health, and overall well-being.
Is your clinical practice ready to address the impacts of climate change on human health?
Our newest digital certificate program, Taking Action on Planetary Health, will equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to respond to the challenges posed by climate change on human health. Ultimately, learners will develop and implement a climate-resilient plan of action in their own practices to improve the health of their patients and communities.
Over the course of 7 team-based, online sessions running from February 17 – June 23, 2023, participants will explore key planetary health concepts and frameworks, collaborate with a diverse group of learners, and apply planetary health principles through several group-based exercises.
Our program co-directors, Samantha Green, MD, CCFP and Leslie Solomonian, ND, MPH are passionate about elevating the capacity of healthcare providers to act on planetary health.
“I’ve met so many health professionals who are worried about the climate and ecological crises, and understand the multiple intersections with health, but are overwhelmed when they think about taking action,” says Green. “I am so excited this program will support teams of healthcare workers to take real action on planetary health.”
A truly collaborative program, we welcome participation from primary care and specialist physicians, residents, nurses and nurse practitioners, naturopathic doctors, and allied health professionals who are interested in learning more about the relationship between the environment and health through interdisciplinary perspectives.
Solomonian is looking forward to how “this program will nudge clinicians to expand beyond patient-centered clinical practice to consider the reciprocal relationships between the health of individuals, community, and the planetary ecosystem.”
We hope you will take part in this innovative offering and share this news with those who may be interested. Registration is now open.
Visit the program website to learn more and register today.