Climate & Health Foundation
US and Global Initiatives
in Climate Medicine
First Climate & Health Science Policy Fellowship
The Climate & Health Science Policy Fellowship, sponsored by the Climate and Health Foundation (CHF), reinforces the increasing need for medical professionals' adeptness regarding this crucial issue which has taken on unprecedented urgency.
Our goal is to foster highly credible, knowledgeable health leaders in all facets of climate change and health in clinical, basic science, and policy settings to empower health care professionals through education, policy, and communication skills. In response to growing demand from health professionals across the world, the fellowship has been scaled up, growing from one training position in 2019 to five annually, from 2021.
Global Climate Action
The University of Colorado has provided educational opportunities for its Fellows that range from trans-disciplinary collaboration with public health agencies, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions.
In addition, CHF has been able to provide vital support for health professionals as they engage in climate action through education and advocacy. For example, prior fellows have presented at local, national, and international conferences such as the Emergency Medicine Society of South Africa Conference, the 2021 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Meetings at COP 26, the APHA Annual Meeting, CleanMed, the National Academy of Medicine meeting, the American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting, the Lancet Countdown Annual Report, and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Annual Summit.
Ensuring these subject matter experts continue to have opportunities to influence change at future COP sessions fills a critical gap in the current dialogue about global resilience and worldwide synergy necessary to fight climate change as a health emergency.
First Diploma in
Climate Medicine
CHF further supports the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Diploma in Climate Medicine, a new professional development program for health care providers of all clinical specialties to gain expertise and leadership in this growing health crisis.
Few clinicians can effectively articulate the complex interplay between public health, energy policy, geopolitics, earth and atmospheric sciences, government, and medicine. Policy has stalled due to the difficulty in translating complex earth science into convincing connections between extreme heat and illness in urban communities, pandemics, loss of biodiversity, or severe weather and food insecurity.
Climate Medicine Diplomates can fill that gap, crafting patient-centric narratives when working with CEOs, community leaders, and policy makers by advocating for climate-resilient policies, credibly addressing deeply rooted environmental justice issues, and effectively leading health systems to decarbonize.
First Endowed Chair
in Climate Medicine
To continue the growth of the mission, the Climate and Health Foundation is sponsoring the first academic Endowed Chair for Climate Medicine in the United States codified at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.