Climate change and its impact on health: a global collaborative learning model.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Medical Education
• Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

Background:

• Healthcare leaders advocate for integrating climate change into health professional training.
• Current educators may lack the climate literacy and expertise for effective curriculum development.
• An international partnership addressed this gap by developing and deploying climate change curriculum.

Purpose of the Study:

• To increase health educators' and graduate health profession students' knowledge and competencies on climate change.
• To develop an interprofessional climate change course for healthcare graduate students.
• To provide an example for international collaborators developing similar courses.

Main Methods:

• A three-phase process involving faculty recruitment, a faculty symposium, and collaborative course development.
• Course objectives were informed by the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE) competencies.
• A 10-week interprofessional course was delivered to 30 faculty and students from seven health professions.

Main Results:

• Faculty members, including novices, developed an impactful climate change course.
• Students and faculty members engaged as co-learners, enriching the educational experience.
• Feedback from 13 surveyed participants indicated the course's value.

Conclusions:

• Novice faculty can successfully develop effective climate change courses.
• Collaborative, interprofessional approaches enhance climate change education for health professionals.
• The developed course serves as a model for international climate and health education initiatives.