Climate change curriculum infusion project: An educational initiative at one U.S. medical school

Kligler, Sophie Karwoska; Clark, Lindsay R.; Cayon, Christian; Prescott, Nina; Gregory, Jill; Sheffield, Perry

doi:10.1016/j.joclim.2021.100065

Cited by 16 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…To solve this problem, the curriculum working group proposed to integrate PH longitudinally within the existing curriculum. Similar concerns about limited curricular space are widely shared across health professions schools and several other medical institutions have adopted a similar integrative approach to PH education designed to minimally disrupt existing curricula (13)(14)(15)(16).…”

Section: Student Body-wide Interventions Undertaken By the Planetary ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The PHCIC is currently refining the PH learning objectives and planning to incorporate them into courses using an “integration toolbox” which will provide a set format for integration of PH material. Importantly, the PHCIC is focusing on integrating material into case-based small group discussions, as teaching PH through active learning methods has been found to be critical for other institutions' success ( 15 , 16 ). The PHCIC meets individually with course leaders to introduce the project and solicit feedback, thereby engaging the faculty as stakeholders in this initiative with the goal of promoting sustainability of the initiatives.…”

Section: Learning Environment Objectives and Formatmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A grassroots approach for greener education: An example of a medical student-driven planetary health curriculum

Navarrete-Welton

Chen

Byg

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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Given the widespread impacts of climate change and environmental degradation on human health, medical schools have been under increasing pressure to provide comprehensive planetary health education to their students. However, the logistics of integrating such a wide-ranging and multi-faceted topic into existing medical curricula can be daunting. In this article, we present the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University as an example of a student-driven, bottom-up approach to the development of a planetary health education program. In 2020, student advocacy led to the creation of a Planetary Health Task Force composed of medical students, faculty, and administrators as well as Brown Environmental Sciences faculty. Since that time, the task force has orchestrated a wide range of planetary health initiatives, including interventions targeted to the entire student body as well as opportunities catering to a subset of highly interested students who wish to engage more deeply with planetary health. The success of the task force stems from several factors, including the framing of planetary health learning objectives as concordant with the established educational priorities of the Medical School's competency-based curriculum known as the Nine Abilities, respecting limitations on curricular space, and making planetary health education relevant to local environmental and hospital issues.

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Section: Student Body-wide Interventions Undertaken By the Planetary ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Learning Environment Objectives and Formatmentioning

confidence: 99%

A grassroots approach for greener education: An example of a medical student-driven planetary health curriculum

Navarrete-Welton

Chen

Byg

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In recent years, groups within medical schools have worked to build and adapt curricular initiatives that reflect the nature of climate change as a societal issue and a direct threat to health. Various methods for implementation have been adapted: Emory University and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) have adopted a disseminated design with climate change and health content spread throughout pre-clerkship courses and small group discussions ( 26 ), Queen's University Belfast, Stanford, and UC-Berkeley UCSF Joint Medical Program have an elective-based approach, and Georgetown School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School offer clinical scenario exercises to expose students to the practical applications of climate change ( 27 ). Because climate change results in pervasive, universal, and ever worsening health problems, it remains crucial to educate the students who will be responsible for human health on its impacts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The climate change curriculum infusion project (CCCIP) is the initiative that has coordinated the introduction of climate change content at ISMMS since 2018. The student-led, faculty supported group responsible for the inception of the project designed stand-alone slides, each with a recognizable banner ( Figure 1 ), to be incorporated in 14 lectures across six courses in the first 2 years of the pre-clerkship curriculum ( 26 ). Two rounds of student feedback ( n = 74) of the CCCIP concluded that the content was appropriate in the courses (88%) and important to their medical education (83%).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two rounds of student feedback ( n = 74) of the CCCIP concluded that the content was appropriate in the courses (88%) and important to their medical education (83%). The feedback also indicated that students did not remember the content well (78%) and that the climate-related content at ISMMS did not match their expectations [62%; ( 26 )].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate and health education: A critical review at one medical school

Greenwald

Blanchard

Hayden

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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IntroductionAs medical schools continue to improve and refine their undergraduate curricula, they are also redefining the roadmap for preparing future generations of physicians. Climate change is a critical topic to integrate into medical education. This period of change for undergraduate medical education coincides with a surge in interest and design efforts for climate and health curricula in health professional education, but this nascent field has yet to be solidly institutionalized. To continue to grow the number of medical students who achieve competency in the effects of climate change on individual health and the health of the planet during their training, we must examine what has worked to date and continue to shift our approach as curricular changes are implemented for feasibility and relevancy.Objective and methodsIn the present study, we assessed the “climate and health” content at one northeastern U.S. medical school that is undergoing an overhaul of their entire curriculum to explore strategies to deliver more robust climate health education in the context of the educational redesign. We conducted 1) a retrospective review of the now four-year-old initiative to investigate the sustainability of the original content, and 2) semi-structured interviews with lecturers, course directors, and medical education coordinators involved in implementation, and with faculty tasked with developing the upcoming curricular redesign.Results and discussionOf the original implementation plan, the content was still present in nine of the 14 lectures. Themes determined from our conversations with involved faculty included the need for 1) a shared vision throughout the content arc, 2) further professional development for faculty, and 3) involvement of summative assessment for students and the content itself to ensure longevity. The interviews also highlighted the importance of developing climate-specific resources that fit within the school's new curricular priorities. This critical review can serve as a case study in curriculum to inform other schools undergoing similar changes.

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