Infusing Planetary Health into Clinical Teaching: A Curriculum-Wide Approach To Sustainability in Medical Education.

Area of Science:

• Planetary Health
• Medical Education
• Sustainability in Healthcare

Background:

• Growing recognition of the impact of environmental factors on human health.
• Need for medical professionals to understand and address climate change and health.
• Lack of integrated curricula on planetary health in graduate medical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a co-designed planetary health curriculum for a four-year graduate medical program.
• To integrate sustainability in healthcare content across clinical learning.
• To foster the view of environmental responsibility as integral to medical practice.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a co-design approach for curriculum development.
• Implemented an infusion model, embedding content across four years.
• Linked sustainability in healthcare topics to existing clinical learning modules.

Main Results:

• Successfully integrated planetary health concepts throughout the graduate medical program.
• Students demonstrated an understanding of the connection between environmental factors and health outcomes.
• Faculty and students reported positive engagement with the curriculum.

Conclusions:

• An infused planetary health curriculum is feasible and effective in graduate medical education.
• Integrating environmental responsibility enhances medical training.
• This model prepares future physicians to address global environmental challenges impacting health.