Free course: Climate and Health Responder Course for Latin America

2 February 2022

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education, and the Pan American Health Organization are launching a free 5-week online certificate course on climate and health.  The course aims to engage the public health research and academic communities to facilitate climate and health research used to inform health and policy decisions.

Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century and tackling climate change is one of our greatest opportunities for building and strengthening public health systems. To meet the emerging health needs imposed by climate change, both academic and research communities are urgently needed to further our understanding of the health impacts of climate change and adaptation options including: monitoring, projections, early-warning systems, and epidemiological surveillance of health outcomes. Simultaneously, close cooperation is needed with policy makers and health decision makers to ensure new knowledge can be translated into practice. 

This course serves as an introduction to the cutting-edge of climate and health research, explores case studies of successful implementation, and opportunities for engagement. 

Target Audience: Academics, Health Researchers, Environmental Researchers, Health Professionals, Health Leaders, Climate Leaders and Students, Funders

Course Structure: The course will consist of bi-weekly live-virtual didactic sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays (90 minutes) with a live question and answer following each lecture.

 

Registration Link

 

Course Dates: April 19 – May 19, 2022

Time: 09h00 CDMC/ 12h00 UTY

Course Objectives:

  1. Equip public health researchers with a knowledge base regarding the impacts of climate change on health
  2. Enable researchers to understand current methodologies and approaches used to establish connections between climate change and health impacts, assess attribution, access meteorological and climate data collection, develop monitoring systems and projections, undertake epidemiological surveillance, develop early warning systems, and create mechanisms to monitor and evaluate climate change interventions.
  3. Enable participants to engage in research that informs health policy action and implementation

Session Topics:

  • 4/19/22 - Climate Change and Health
  • 4/21/22 - Climate Vulnerability and Risk
  • 4/26/22 - Degraded Air Quality and Wildfires
  • 4/28/22 - Temperature Extremes and Climate Change
  • 5/3/22 - El Niño/La Niña Effects/extra-tropical cyclones
  • 5/5/22 - Food and Water Safety and Security 
  • 5/10/22 - Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases
  • 5/12/22 - Data Collection and Surveillance
  • 5/17/22 - Climate Adaptation and Mitigation (co-benefits)
  • 5/19/22 - Regional Climate Change Guidance (public policy)

Climate and Health Certificate: Participants who attend > 70% of sessions and pass a brief exam at the end of the course will be awarded a Certificate in Climate and Health from PAHO/GCCHE/IAI.