Medical Education
Medical Education

Environmental Health and Medicine Track

A rooftop garden

About the Environmental Health and Medicine Track

Increasingly, we as a global society must confront a range of threats affecting health. Sustained heat in excess of 1.5 C is predicted for the near future and will have major repercussions for health, mediated by extreme weather, ecosystem collapse, food insecurity and displacement. These climate upheavals are closely linked to clinical repercussions. The American Lung Association states that 44% of Americans—152.3 million people—are living in places that get failing grades for unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. Air pollution impacts cardiovascular health as well as myriad other organ systems, and poses an ongoing threat in our deregulatory environment. In addition, multiple ubiquitous substances, including plastics, pharmaceuticals, agricultural pesticides, and emerging contaminants are linked to a wide range of illness conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease and infertility.

Track Goal

This track aims to teach students how to offer preventive, protective care and provide education to help offset some of these impacts. More importantly, however, we need to provide leadership, proactively preparing for and addressing the myriad environmental threats to human health. Whatever our specialties, our aim is to train an abundance of clinicians and educators to serve as public advocates and role models.

Track Competencies

  1. Explain the clinical and mental health impacts of extreme heat, air pollution, extreme weather and fire events, vector-borne disease and exposure to environmental contaminants
  2. Define Planetary Health and its intersecting components
  3. Perform the basics of environmental advocacy
  4. Introduce aspects of health equity in educational materials and projects

Track Objectives

  1. Monitor and develop clinically relevant course content
  2. Complete Planetary Health Report Card annually
  3. Integrate environmental topics into the curriculum
  4. Complete Capstone project

Track Requirements

Track meetings M1-M4:

Environmental history-taking & practice M3:

Curriculum integration M1-M4:

Planetary Health Report Card M3:

Advocacy Learning M2-M3:

Volunteering Activity M1-M4:

Learn More

Track Director