From the wildfires spreading across the American West to the back-to-back hurricanes devastating the southeastern United States, it’s more important than ever to address the climate crises affecting our world.
This past September, a group of 13 clinicians from across the United States became the first cohort to graduate from the University of Colorado Diploma in Climate Medicine program, a comprehensive professional development program training leaders in climate and health policy, communication, and environmental justice within the Climate & Health Program at CU.
The Diploma in Climate Medicine, which launched in 2022, is a 300-hour continuing medical education program. Five certificates covering a broad range of content make up the program, including foundations in climate medicine, sustainable health care, disaster resilience and response, community resilience, and global challenges.
The unique program exposes participants to 100 subject matter experts through guest lectures and workshops, providing a vast range of knowledge from people working in all sectors of climate and health. As climate change intensifies, it places immense stress on ecosystems and disproportionately affects vulnerable populations. Governments, nonprofits, and health care systems are working to address these challenges, but success depends on leaders who can bridge the complex connections between climate and health.
“Planetary health is a complex system that is in crisis,” says Joanne Leovy, MD, a family physician and one of the program's 2024 graduates. “We need to understand the relationship between our health care systems and the health of the patients that we treat and what is going on in our communities.”
After gaining expertise in climate impacts on health, clinical practice insight, tools for health system decarbonization, and policy development, the inaugural graduating class of Climate Diplomates is excited to bring their newly expanded knowledge back to their communities.
Unique opportunities and skills
Hands-on experiences are a cornerstone of the program, allowing those pursuing the diploma to become acquainted with climate work in more than just theory. These opportunities include climate modeling with scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and participation at the annual Disaster Day at TEEX.
The National Science Foundation Ice Core Facility in Lakewood, Colorado, houses a vast collection of ice samples from all over the world, offering members of the program an in-depth look at the ongoing effects of climate change at their facility.
The array of experiences offered by the diploma courses help practitioners develop skills that enrich their base of general climate health knowledge. They also provide in-depth knowledge about specific problems and more niche sectors that need attention.
“The skills and tools I got from this program on how to map climate-related disasters, such as the impact of wildfires, have been transformational,” says Climate Medicine Diplomate Arien Herrmann, a paramedic and community resilience manager from Illinois.
Broadening community
The program is open to U.S.-based health care professionals who have an advanced degree and licensure in any clinical field. Applicants range from prehospital care providers and allied health professionals to nurses and physicians.
“Critically important for the graduates is the community of practice we've built so they have a network of peers to draw from as they pursue their own initiatives,” says Shana Tarter, WEMT, FAWM, managing director of the Diploma in Climate Medicine.
That network is invaluable as participants work to bridge the gap between medicine-based practice and climate policy work.
Kathleen Shapley-Quinn, MD, executive director of Carolina Advocates for Climate Health and Equity, describes how the program has given her the opportunity and expertise to lead conversations with a diverse set of people across fields dealing with climate issues.
“It has given me the confidence to speak to people in media, other health professionals, and policy makers,” Shapley-Quinn says. “It’s given me a broad base of understanding and access to people with enormous expertise in the field I can contact to enhance my knowledge so I can be confident about an upcoming conversation.”
Many in the initial cohort have already taken on leadership roles at the state level and are actively championing climate smart policy. One participant, Paul Charlton, MD, MA, is now co-chair of the National Indian Health Service sustainability committee and also launched the Healthy Climate New Mexico organization focused on policy and advocacy. Charlton says he wouldn’t have stepped into these roles if not for the diploma.
“I see our role as health care clinicians and providers to be advocates in the climate medicine space,” Herrmann adds. “We need to be advocating for our patients and our future patients.”
Utilizing knowledge
Practical application of the diploma subject matter can come in many forms. Several members of the graduating class have found ways to address time-sensitive issues in their states.
“At my hospital we were able to start a green team working on emissions production and ways we can improve the waste stream,” says Karen Glatfelter, a hospitalist in Lawrence, Massachusetts. “It’s made me enjoy my job a lot more than I used to. I am hoping to connect with other hospitals at the community level and expand our work.”
Recognizing the intersectionality of certain issues is another benefit that comes from the diverse viewpoints and expanse of education within the courses. Graduates combine the hands-on experience, expert-led sessions, and myriad content of the diploma to apply their knowledge to new areas that have not benefitted fully from a climate health perspective.
“When the transportation collaborative across our state gathers to have conversations and initiatives with our Department of Transportation in North Carolina, I have noticed that there isn't language about health and equity,” Shapley-Quinn says. “Now, with limited knowledge about transportation, but a good bit of knowledge about health, I can quickly jump into that conversation and say, ‘this is how transportation is going to impact health’, and we know we can quantitate that at some level.”
Registration for the 2025 Diploma in Climate Medicine is open now, with options for all five certificates. The next certificate, Community Resilience, begins in February.
