Drs. Britigan and Khan to attend White House event

Ali S. Khan, M.D., M.P.H.	Brad Britigan, M.D.

Two UNMC deans have been invited to lend their expertise regarding climate change education this week at the White House as President Barak Obama observes National Public Health Week.

Bradley Britigan, M.D., dean of the UNMC College of Medicine, and Ali S. Khan, M.D., M.P.H., dean of the UNMC College of Public Health, will attend a roundtable working session on education and climate change at the White House Thursday.

They will be part of a group of deans representing about 30 U.S. colleges of medicine, nursing and public health who will meet with senior administration officials to discuss Educating Tomorrow’s Health Leaders on the Impacts of Climate Change.

Children, the elderly and the poor are most vulnerable to a range of climate-related health effects, including those related to heat stress, air pollution, extreme weather events and diseases carried by food, water and insects.

“We will assure the group that we train health professionals about all health risks, including from climate change,” Dr. Britigan said. “It’s a great honor to be invited to showcase our national leadership.”

According to information released by the White House about the session: “Future health professionals must have the competencies needed to address the health needs of our communities and our patients, both now and into the foreseeable future. These competencies must be based on the best available science, and benefit from sharing best scientific and educational practices. Today we commit to ensuring that we train the next generation of health professionals to effectively address the health impacts of climate change.”

This event brings together researchers, engineers, data scientists and technologists, program and policy developers, community leaders, and other stakeholders to discuss how federal data can be used to identify and address key questions at the intersection of climate and health.

The event includes remarks from John P. Holdren, Ph.D., assistant to the president for science and technology and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP); Tamara Dickinson, Ph.D., principal assistant director for environment and energy, OSTP; and D.J. Patil, Ph.D., U.S. chief data scientist.

It also features expert panel discussions on innovative technologies and solutions to challenges at the climate-health nexus, and on the data-driven research on the effects of climate change on the incidence, spread, and severity of infectious disease outbreaks.