St. Luke’s and ICCH Present:
2024 Lecture Series on Climate and Health
Lecture Series: Hot, Hot, Hot
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - Noon to 1PM MST
Heat is just something we know we need to be really worried about,” Dr. Geoff Comp, an emergency medicine specialist at Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ. Emergency departments in places like Arizona and Texas have long experience in dealing with heat waves and adaptation and Dr. Comp will speak to the changing number and severity of heat related illness he sees in clinical practice, as well as some novel treatment strategies for extreme heat. As the planet warms, areas not used to extreme heat have the potential to become a “mass casualty event”. The greatest pressure on emergency care comes when temperatures stay high for several days, and brownouts or power outages occur. “There’s a domino effect." Dr. Comp will address how his community has begun to adapt and the City of Boise will discuss how they are planning for a climate resilient community in the face of extreme heat.
Past Lecture Series
Watch previous lectures on St. Luke’s Youtube Channel
Saving Us with Katharine Hayhoe
September 13th, 2023 - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist and studies climate change. She doesn’t accept global warming on faith: she crunches the data, she analyzes the models, she help engineers and city managers and ecologists quantify the impacts. Katherine also is an author and speaker. Hear from her on climate and what we can do to move the needle toward solutions and invite allies under the big tent.
HHS: Office of Climate Change and Health Equity
September 20th, 2023 - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Hear directly from Joe McCannon, Health Care Sector Lead at the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity and Jenny Petrovic, Senior Policy Advisor on the importance of engagement in the U.S. Health Sectors efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and the HHS Pledge.
Hope, Health, and the Climate Crisis
November 1st, 2023 - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Dr. Howard Frumkin is an internist, environmental and occupational medicine specialist and epidemiologist. His research interests include public health aspects of the built environment, climate change, energy policy and nature contact. Dr. Frumkin will discuss how hope has been viewed since ancient times as a bedrock of human thriving, and contemporary evidence suggests that hope is a determinant of health, and one we need in this time of climate crisis.
The Health Benefits of Climate Action
November 15th, 2023 - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Dr. Gaurab Basu will discuss why health equity is important to everyone and the intersection and complexity between environmental and health impacts. He will discuss developing resources for clinicians and students. And he will share how and why he electrified his home and what he discovered on that journey. In 2021, Dr. Basu was named to the Grist 50 list of national climate leaders. This is one among many other awards he’s received.
The Joint Commission’s Sustainable Healthcare Certification Program
Wednesday, February 7, 2024 - Noon to 1PM MST
Hear directly from Dr. Jonathan Perlin, President and CEO of The Joint Commission, on the importance of engagement in the U.S. Health Sector’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and the HHS Pledge. Learn how The Joint Commission is launching the Sustainable Healthcare Certification program for U.S hospitals and critical access hospitals. As a steering committee member for the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) “Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the US Health Sector,” Dr. Perlin will also offer an update on the exciting work being done at NAM. Presenter: Dr. Jonathan Perlin, President and CEO of The Joint Commission.
Mental Health and Climate Change
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 - Noon to 1PM MST
Hear from Dr. Elizabeth Pinsky, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Associate Director for Advocacy at MGH Center for Environment and Health. Dr. Pinsky is a renowned speaker on the topic of climate change and its impacts on our mental health. She will share her insights about the impacts of extreme heat, wildfire smoke, floods, droughts and other climate-fueled natural disasters on levels of stress, anxiety and depression, and how this is particularly impacting children, teens and young adults.
Health Benefits of Trees
Wednesday, April 10, 2024 - Noon to 1PM MST
Join national urban forestry & climate action experts from research & practice who are advancing nature based solutions by planning for planting and caring for trees in cities across the US. Lance Davisson, Executive Director of Treasure Valley Canopy Network (TVCN), will moderate a panel with Dr. Vivek Shandas from Portland State University and national expert in measuring and mitigating urban heat and Dr. Geoffrey Donovan, leading researcher with the USDA Forest Service who is advancing research links between trees and human health. Learn about the important connections between trees and human health and explore how these leaders and Idaho organizations are partnering to improve health and resilience in Idaho communities by investing in these important nature based solutions.