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January 29, 2025
Get to Know the SHE Center Team - Meet Simon
Meet Simon Korotzer-Mariani, the Sustainability, Health, and the Environment Center’s winter intern. Simon is a third-year student at Oberlin College, majoring in neuroscience as part of a pre-med track. His current research project focuses on waste management in the operating room, creating a waste audit protocol to better manage surgical waste at the Medical College of Wisconsin’s (MCW) affiliate hospitals, and assisting in clinical department engagement and public health projects. He became more aware of the importance of public health and sustainability in healthcare as he developed his interest in medicine.
News & Updates
New Medical College of Wisconsin Publication: Environmental Impacts of In-Person Surgical Residency Interviews
A paper co-authored by former MCW Department of Surgery residents Ricardo Bello, MD, MPH, and Kent Peterson, MD, Surgical Residency Program Director Rana Higgins, MD, and SHE Center Director, Christa Wagner, PhD, investigates the environmental impact of in-person residency interviews. The paper is published online in the Journal of Surgical Education, Unmasking the Environmental Costs of In-Person General Surgery Residency Interviews. The research found that general surgery residency applicants in 2022 – 2023 would have taken a median 10 flights each per recruitment season if the application cycle been in-person. This air travel equates to an estimated 3,502 tons of carbon emitted across every applicant and is equivalent to the energy use of 441 homes for 1 year. The authors conclude that environmental impacts, as well as cost, equity, and adequate fit for the specialty and program level should be taken into consideration regarding interviewing modalities.
Above is a map of the in-person flights from the applicants nearest airport to the airport nearest to each residency interview, during the 2022 - 2023 General Surgery residency recruitment season.
New Qualitative Study on Drivers of Sustainability Initiative in Academic Medicine
A new qualitative study published in the New England Journal of Medicine: Catalyst titled, Leaders of Academic Health Systems as Drivers of Climate Action and Sustainability, discusses the way academic health system executives manage climate change and greenhouse gas reduction initiatives in their institutions. Some common components of institutions looking to take climate action include responding to the drivers of climate change and incorporating sustainability into their organizational strategy. The authors posit that the study supports the need for action specifically from executive leadership when addressing climate change at an academic medical center.
This figure depicts the fiver drivers for change that influence academic health system executives to lead their organizations to change. Drivers may emerge internally (first-level ring) and externally, at multiple levels (second- and third-level rings). Common themes share a common color; a darker shade indicates both a greater proximity to and influence on the executive leader than a lighter shade.
Data Shows 2024 was the Hottest Year on Record
New data indicates that 2024 was the warmest year on record, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. It was also the first calendar year with an average global temperature more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, surpassing the limit adopted by nearly 200 countries through the Paris Agreement in 2015. High temperatures have negative health impacts and are dangerous for vulnerable populations which include the elderly, individuals with chronic conditions, children, and outdoor workers.
2024 also saw an increasing number of disaster events in the United States. Overall damages reached and exceeded $1 billion each for 27 separate extreme weather incidents, for a total of $182.7 billion in damages. Incidents included 17 severe storms (tornados, high wind, hailstorms), five hurricanes, one wildfire, one drought/heatwave, and two winter storm/cold wave events. Learn more about billion-dollar disasters over time from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Upcoming Events
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Hosts Candlelight Hikes throughout February
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be hosting a series of candlelight hikes in state parks across Wisconsin throughout February to help people get outdoors at a time of year when they otherwise may not. Wisconsin winters can make it difficult to enjoy outdoor activities with the shorter daylight hours. This is a great opportunity to see your favorite state parks in a different light! For more information, visit the DNR’s event page here.
Our Planet, Our Health: 2025 Climate Action Convention, March 1 - 4
The Medical Society Consortium for Climate and Health will host its annual conference at the National Academy of Sciences and Bloomberg Hopkins Center in Washington DC from March 1-4. Sessions will center around topics such as mental resilience amid the climate crisis, children’s health, and partnering with communities that are already taking action. For those who are interested in attending but cannot travel, there will be a virtual option available for a smaller selection of sessions throughout the conference. For more information and to register, follow this link.
On Our Radar: Research, Podcasts, and More
Podcast: Climate Change - A Health Threat for Humanity | Center for Health and Wellbeing
More children are getting kidney stones. Experts think it’s their diet. | The Washington Post
Urbanites’ mental health undermined by air pollution | Nature Sustainability
Critical Steps To Address Climate, Health, And Equity | Health Affairs
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.
Health-First Climate Action Research Center Pilot Grants:
The new NIH-funded community-driven, Health-First Climate Action Research Center (The Center) announced its new pilot grants research awards. The Center will make available $90,000 for pilot grants and will fund multiple grants of up to $20,000-40,000 in total costs and seeks proposals that focus on community-engaged climate action and sustainability. This includes, but is not limited to, green energy, active transportation, reducing energy demands, sustainable food systems, green infrastructure, waste mitigation, and other potential solutions that both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and have a human health benefit. Read the full request for proposals here. Please direct any questions to
the Center's Coordinator, Caitlin-Warlick-Short at cshort2@wisc.edu. The full proposal submission deadline is March 7, 2025 at 5:00pm (CT).
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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