Climate change is the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century. The Spring 2021 climate change and health speaker series - chaired by Sheri Weiser, MD, MPH, MA and hosted by the UCSF School of Medicine Office of Population Health and Health Equity and the UCSF Center for Climate, Health, and Equity - features three virtual 90-minute sessions dedicated some of the most pressing health and equity issues driven by the climate crisis, with a spotlight on California.
The speaker series seeks to build and engage the UCSF community working at the intersection of climate and health. Each session features short presentations, a panel discussion and opportunities for audience Q&A with leading experts from UCSF and other California universities, community organizations, local government, and policy and research organizations. The sessions are held remotely via Zoom and recorded for those unable to join the live event.
Session 1: The Age of Big Wildfires: Confronting an Urgent Health Threat
Thursday, March 18, 2:30-4pm PDT
See here for detailed agenda and speaker bios.
2020 marked the West’s worst fire season in modern history, with over four million acres burned in California alone. This session explores the role of climate change in accelerating the frequency and scale of wildfires, new evidence of the health and equity impacts of wildfire exposure, and the opportunities and challenges we face in mitigating the threat of wildfire disasters and protecting human health and the environment.
Featured Speakers: Talmadge E. King, Jr., MD; Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS; Sheri Weiser, MD, MPH, MA; Gina Solomon, MD, MPH; Marshall Burke, PhD; Stephanie Holm, MD, MPH; Ranyee Chiang, PhD; Richard Jackson, MD, MPH; Ashley Conrad-Saydah, MS
Session 2: Converging Threats, Cascading Health Risks: Climate Change, Food Security, and Migration
Thursday, April 15, 2:30-4pm PDT
See here for detailed agenda and speaker bios.
Climate change is anticipated to unleash unprecedented threats to global food security and drive the largest wave of human migration in history. This session evaluates the intersection of climate change with the social determinants of health, emphasizing the compounding connections between a warming climate, food and water security, and migration.
Featured Speakers: Tere Almaguer; Lujain Alqodmani, BMSc, MBBS, MIHMEP; Edwin J. Castellanos, PhD, MS; Samuel S. Myers, MD, MPH; Veerabhadran Ramanathan, PhD, MS; Sheri Weiser, MD, MPH, MA; Arianne Teherani, PhD; Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS
Session 3: Now, More Than Ever: Movement Building for Climate, Racial, and Health Justice
Thursday, May 20, time 2:30-4pm PDT
See here for detailed agenda and speaker bios.
There has never been a more critical time for advancing health, equity and social justice while addressing climate change. This session focuses on the synergies between climate and racial justice movements and their promise for improving health, as well as community-based advocacy and policy initiatives to promote climate and racial justice in California and beyond.
Featured Speakers: Rupa Marya, MD; Daniel Lowenstein, MD; Linda Rudolph, MD, MPH; Amee Raval, MS; Alvaro Sanchez, MUP; Veronica Garibay, MPA; Sheri Weiser, MD, MPH, MA; Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS
Planning and Advisory Committee
Sheri Weiser, MD, MPH, MA (Chair)
Arianne Teherani, PhD
Orlando Harris, PhD, FNP, MPH
Laura Schmidt, PhD, MPH
Elissa Epel, PhD
Katherine Gundling, MD
Gail Lee, REHS, MS, HEM
Gina Solomon, MD, MPH
Jennifer Monroe Zakaras, MPH
Naomi Beyeler, MPH, MCP
Annemarie Charlesworth, MA
Sarah Schear, MS
Courtney Lyles, PhD
Jessica Fields, BA
Collaborating Partners
