No images? Click here
A Note from Christa Wagner, PhD
MCW SHE Center Inaugural Director
Welcome to the first edition of MCW's Center for Sustainability, Health, and the Environment (SHE Center) newsletter!
It has been an absolute privilege and truly an exciting journey getting to know the MCW campus, our healthcare partners, and the local community since assuming this role as Inaugural Director in the summer of 2023. I am proud to lead the SHE Center, an innovative model for academic medicine, drawing on the expertise and passion across the four MCW missions in research, education, patient care, and community engagement. As stewards of public health and advocates for a healthy and sustainable environment, the SHE Center is dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across MCW’s mission areas to address the intricate relationship between human health and the environment, and the importance of supporting the delivery of more sustainable, high quality health care to enhance community resilience in the face of a changing climate.
In this newsletter, you will discover updates on our latest initiatives and events, opportunities to partner with us, insightful articles, helpful resources, and profiles of individuals driving positive change in sustainability and academic medicine. We hope you will join us on this journey as we explore the intersection of sustainability, health, and the environment at the forefront of medical innovation.
Thank you for your interest in the SHE Center! We look forward to learning and growing with you. Please feel free to connect with me via email (christawagner@mcw.edu) on LinkedIn, or follow me on X (@christa_w).
Christa Wagner, PhD
Learn more about the SHE Center
SHE Center News & Updates
SHE Center Receives Planning Year Funds from Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment
In February 2024, the SHE Center was awarded $500,000 from Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW) to support planning year activities and growth of the Center. The SHE Center’s goal is to unify MCW efforts to address the changing climate as a major public health threat while improving environmental stewardship. The aims are to define research strategic priorities, engage diverse communities, develop education about climate and health, and improve campus sustainability. The planning year will result in readiness to support and perform research, collaborate with partners, and educate on campus and beyond. Learn more about this award on the AHW website.
SHE Center Partners with MCW Physicians, Froedtert Staff on Greening the Operating Room
In January 2024, the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment initiated nearly $50,000 in funding for a one-year pilot proposal to support development of a “Green Operating Room” toolkit. This partnership includes an interdisciplinary team of MCW surgeons and anesthesiologists, and Froedtert Hospital staff, and aims to expand existing best practices at Froedtert Hospital to nearby Froedtert Health system members. Learn more about this seed grant on the AHW website.
Seeking Medical Student Partners – Join the Climate Med Ed Scholar Program!
The SHE Center seeks medical students to join the Climate Med Ed Scholar Program to partner with a faculty leader, review existing curriculum and propose new educational opportunities within the space of climate change and health, environmental determinants of health, health equity and environmental justice. Contact Joanne Bernstein, MD, MS (Jbernstein@mcw.edu) to join. Tentative start date is April 15.
MCW and Froedtert Highlighted in “Climate-Smart Healthcare” Success Story
Wisconsin nonprofit, Healthy Climate Wisconsin, recently featured the climate action activities of MCW’s Dr. Joanne Bernstein and fourth-year medical student Alexis Puyleart and their support for MCW to establish the SHE Center. Read the full success story here and learn about additional Wisconsin healthcare sustainability stories here.
SHE Center Featured on MCW’s Office of Faculty Affairs Podcast
Learn more about the SHE Center in the March 7 episode of the OFA Pod where Jennifer Apps, PhD talks to Christa Wagner, PhD where they discuss the purpose of the new center and ways in which MCW has already been working on sustainability. Dr. Wagner then talks about ways faculty in all mission areas can collaborate on work related to climate and health.
Earth Month Events
April 1-30: One Healthcare Ecochallenge – join Team MCW!
One Healthcare EcoChallenge is a 30-day challenge created specifically for members of healthcare communities to promote individual, community, and environmental health. During this challenge, MCW faculty, staff, and learners will use the EcoChallenge platform to select actions to complete at work, at home, and in our communities with the goal of forming healthy and sustainable habits. Click here to join MCW’s team and contact Chelsea Rowley for additional information (Crowley@mcw.edu).
April 20: Milwaukee Riverkeeper Spring Cleanup – Country Grounds Park near the MCW campus is a volunteer location; register here.
April 22: Join Us to Celebrate Earth Day and the SHE Center’s 1st Birthday! This will be a hybrid event; members of the MCW campus community can register to participate in person to enjoy refreshments, receive a native Wisconsin sapling (while supplies last), and enter to win a sustainability-themed gift basket when you bring select items for our recycling drive. Register here and learn more on Infoscope.
Conferences & Seminars
April 4 and 11: Office of Climate Change and Health Equity Webinars. The US Department of Health and Human Services is hosting a Catalytic Program on the Inflation Reduction Act and funding opportunities for sustainable infrastructure at hospitals. The final two webinars in the series will take place on April 4 at 11am CT and April 11 between 11am – 2pm CT. View all previous recordings and register here.
April 22: Addressing Research Gaps at the Intersection of Climate Change, Health, and Equity. The National Academy of Medicine, supported by Kaiser Permanente, is hosting a virtual convening on Monday, April 22 at 10 am CT, to address research gaps at the intersection of climate change, human health, and equity. This free event will discuss how to adapt to and mitigate climate change's impacts on health and equity through interdisciplinary research and innovative methodologies. Register here.
April 22: Environmental Sustainability in Healthcare: Leveraging ESG Principles for Impactful Leadership. This webinar on April 22 from 11am-noon CT will spotlight innovative strategies for reducing healthcare's environmental footprint and promote health equity while fostering ethical governance practices. From sustainable procurement to community health initiatives, presenters will showcase best practices and actionable insights tailored to healthcare executives' unique challenges and offer a roadmap for integrating sustainability into an organization's mission and operations. Register here.
April 26: Climate Conversations: Environmental Justice. Join the National Academies and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on Friday, April 26 from 11:30am to 12:45pm CT for a discussion about reconciling different understandings of environmental justice, the importance of community engagement in a just transition, and how centering environmental justice can accelerate implementation of climate-friendly policies. Register here.
May 21-24: CleanMed Annual Meeting. Founded in 2001 and presented by the non-profit organizations Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth, CleanMed has gained a global reputation as the premier conference on environmental sustainability in the health care sector. Consider joining the MCW and Froedtert faculty and staff attending this year – Register here.
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 an introduction to the SHE Center at an upcoming MCW departmental, institute, or center faculty and/or staff meeting? Email Dr. Wagner to schedule.
What We're Reading
How will climate change affect Wisconsin weather by the year 2060? (jsonline.com)
There's a New Fungus in Town and It Won't Be the Last | MedPage Today
U.S. Health Workers Want Employers to Address Climate Change | Commonwealth Fund
How Physicians Should Respond to Climate Change | American Board of Family Medicine (jabfm.org)
Funding Opportunities
Deadline November 21, 2024: Environmental Protection Agency Community Change Grant: Approximately $2 billion dollars in Inflation Reduction Act funds is available to support environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. Learn more.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign-up here.
Questions, Comments, & Suggestions - contact Crowley@mcw.edu
Connect to the SHE Center on Social!
Medical College of Wisconsin | 8701 Watertown Plank Road | Milwaukee, WI 53226
You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the SHE Center Notes.
© 2021 Medical College of Wisconsin. All rights reserved.
