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Climate Change and Medical Education
Carolina Ellinger da Fonseca1, Noopur Jain2
1Department of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Pediatric Clinics of North America
|May 27, 2026
Summary
Climate change poses a public health emergency, especially for children. Integrating climate health education into medical training is crucial for healthcare professionals to protect vulnerable young patients.
Area of Science:
- Environmental health
- Pediatric health
- Medical education
Background:
- Climate change presents a significant public health crisis.
- Children are disproportionately affected by climate-related health risks due to their unique vulnerabilities.
- Pediatric clinicians play a vital role in mitigating these risks through guidance and advocacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current status of climate health education within the medical education continuum.
- To identify gaps and opportunities for integrating climate change into health professional training.
- To emphasize the importance of climate health knowledge for protecting child health.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of climate health education initiatives.
- Analysis of curricula across undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, and continuing medical education.
- Inclusion of non-physician health professions in the review.
Main Results:
- Climate health education is inconsistently integrated across medical training levels.
- Significant variation exists in the depth and breadth of climate change topics covered.
- Opportunities for enhanced education are present at all stages of professional development.
Conclusions:
- Enhancing climate health education for all healthcare professionals is essential.
- Improved training will better equip clinicians to address the health impacts of climate change on children.
- Proactive education is key to safeguarding the well-being of vulnerable pediatric populations.
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