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November 26, 2024
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, we are grateful for the work of the community work in supporting environmental stewardship and climate action in academic medicine. Your efforts and engagement make a difference!
Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with joy and gratitude.
Get to Know the Environmental Health & Safety Team
The Medical College of Wisconsin’s (MCW) Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) team is housed within the Facilities and Operations Division and monitors biological, chemical, clinical, and workplace safety. The EHS team supports key safety processes and is an integral part of campus sustainability! If you are interested in cutting down emissions costs associated with ordering lab supplies, learn more about the surplus chemical inventory to see what lab materials are already available on campus for free. For additional resources and trainings read more on InfoScope.
EHS hosts office hours (listed on InfoScope) where they will answer your questions and share resources, such as safety stickers and documentation.
News & Updates
MCW Staff and Faculty Participate in Healthy Climate Wisconsin Conference
Representatives from MCW attended and presented at the Healthy Climate Wisconsin conference at Gunderson Health System in La Crosse, WI on Nov. 15-16. This year’s conference theme was Power Shift: Turning the Tide for Health and Energy Justice, which focused on the impacts of excessive and inequitable energy burden for Wisconsin residents, the health impacts of carbon emissions from utilities, and the role healthcare workers have in making a difference.
Joanne Bernstein, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, led a session on incorporating climate medicine into patient visits, with help from other MCW affiliates Alexis Puyleart, MD (MD ’24), and Alex Zielinski, DNP. The weekend was full of high spirits, motivated community members, and low-carbon-emissions meals! Learn more about Healthy Climate Wisconsin here.
(Left to Right): Tour of Gunderson on-site energy production facilities and Dr. Joanne Bernstein's session at the Healthy Climate Wisconsin Conference.
The Department of Natural Resources Visits MCW to Educate on Urban Tree Growth and Health
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) visited MCW’s recently planted almond grove to teach the best practices for tracking tree growth and health. MCW, Froedtert Hospital and Milwaukee Regional Medical Center (MRMC) attendees learned the indicators of a thriving tree, how to measure tree growth, and when growth will occur seasonally and throughout its lifespan. A group of MCW students have volunteered to take measurements throughout the year, monitoring the viability of cold weather almonds here in Milwaukee, WI. Stay tuned in the coming months for more almond tree updates and volunteer opportunities.
DNR staff member showing volunteers how to measure the diameter of the almond trees.
Student Presents Community Garden Results at Community Engagement Poster Session
Nathan Schimpf, M3, presented a poster on MCW’s first Community Garden at the Nov. 14 Community Engagement poster session. He discussed the ways the community garden can help fight food insecurity among graduate and medical students here at MCW. This year's harvested vegetables from the garden went to support MCW’s student food pantry. View the abstract from Nathan’s poster as well as the other poster session participants. After the poster session, student volunteers continued the garden by planting winter vegetables in the Hub Quad! Feel free to step outside to watch them grow.
(Left to Right): Nathan Schimpf and his poster and SHE Center staff and student volunteers planting the winter garden.
Second annual Health Day at UN Climate Conference
The United Nations hosted its 29th annual Climate Change Conference, COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan from Nov. 11-22. The conference observed its second annual Health Day where Climate-Health discussions were held for mechanisms of financing health solutions, climate-health accomplishments around the world, and fostering greater collaboration to strengthen resilient health systems in the face of climate change. The major accomplishment from Health Day was the establishment of the Baku COP Presidencies Continuity Coalition for Climate and Health. The coalition, led by past, present, and future climate conference host countries, will establish a framework and improve health outcomes using present and past climate commitments. View the WHO’s full description of Health Day at COP29 on their website.
ISCRAM 2025: Call for Conference Abstract Submissions
Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM) is calling for abstract submissions for their May 2025 conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. This year’s conference theme is “Responding to Coastal Disasters and Climate Change,” with 19 sub-themes, such as “Digital Information Ecosystem Resilience to Climate Change Risk” and “Emergency Management for Remote Communities and Infrastructures in Harsh Environments.” There are submission categories for completed and ongoing research, with Jan. 5 and Feb. 16 due dates, respectively. For more details regarding submission and the proposed sub-themes review the ISCRAM 2025 Call for Papers.
Upcoming Events
Bad River Screening at MCW in Collaboration with Global Health, Dec. 5, 12pm
The SHE Center and the Office of Global Health will co-host a screening of the documentary film Bad River as a part of MCW Global Health Week and the Global Health Scholarly Concentration. The documentary follows the Wisconsin-based Bad River Band’s struggle for sovereignty and the protection of Lake Superior. There will be a discussion featuring Dr. Brian Jackson, Assistant Professor in the Institute for Health & Equity, and Dr. Sonny Smart (featured in the film), Professor Emeritus, UW-Steven's Point, following the screening of the film. To RSVP for lunch, use this link or scan the QR code below.
Healthy Schools, Healthy Children Virtual Seminar from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, December 11, 12pm
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will continue its virtual Environmental Health seminar series on Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 12:00 p.m. CST. This session will feature a conversation between Icahn faculty members Maida Galvez, MD, MPH, Professor, Department of Environmental Medicine and Climate Science, and Sarah Evens, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Medicine and Climate science. They will discuss case examples of common exposures in school environments and how parents can promote learning, given the importance of clean air and water to children’s health and well-being. Click here to register.
Funding Opportunities
Burroughs Wellcome Fund Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grants:
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is accepting applications for grants of $2,500-$50,000 focused on climate change and human health, with rolling deadlines starting Jan. 23, 2025 and extending through July 24, 2026. The Fund plans to dedicate $1 million during that time to projects that pilot ways to reduce healthcare’s climate impact, explore connections between basic science approaches and planetary health, and prepare for climate-related natural disasters. For more information, review the grant details on the Fund website.
NIH Calling for Climate Change and Health Grant Applications: The NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative (CCHI), an urgent, cross-cutting NIH effort to stimulate research to reduce health threats from climate change across the lifespan, is seeking applications that propose implementation studies to understand and address barriers and facilitators to the adoption, implementation, scale-up, and sustainment of effective interventions to prevent or mitigate the health effects of climate change in the United States and globally. Applications are due Feb. 5, 2025. For more information, read the Notice of Special Interest.
Resources & More
MCW is a member of several consortia and membership organizations with different resources to support engagement in climate action in academic medicine. Contact us for any assistance in signing up!
Global Consortium for Climate and Health Education (GCCHE) aims to unite health professional training institutions, health societies, and regional health organizations to create a global climate-ready health sector, prepared to mobilize and lead health promotion and response in the era of climate change, while restoring the health of the planet. Learn more and join here.
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Climate Action Virtual Community provides meaningful connection to the myriad people in academic medical centers working across mission areas to address the climate crisis and improve institutional resiliency. Request an account using your MCW email address here. Once your account has been approved, click here to join the Climate Action and Sustainability group.
Practice Greenhealth is the health care sector’s go-to source for information, tools, data, resources, and expert technical support on sustainability initiatives that help hospitals and health systems meet their health, financial, and community goals. Learn more.
Interested in learning more about the SHE Center at an upcoming MCW departmental, institute, or center faculty and/or staff meeting? Email Dr. Wagner to schedule.
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