The implications of climate change on Nebraskans’ health will be explored in a two-day event featuring a public lecture and roundtable discussion next week at UNMC’s College of Public Health.
Ali S. Khan, M.D., M.P.H., dean of the UNMC College of Public Health, will present “Implications of Climate Disruption on Public Health in Nebraska” on Tuesday from 4-5 p.m. in Room 1005 of the Sorrell Center. A reception will follow.
Roundtable discussion Wednesday
Roundtable discussions on “Heating up Public Health — Global and Local Impacts of Climate Disruption” will be held Wednesday by reservation and invitation from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in room 3013 of the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education.
The agenda includes presentations by Donald Wilhite, Ph.D., professor, school of natural resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Ali S. Khan, M.D., M.P.H., dean of the UNMC College of Public Health, along with breakout sessions in the afternoon.
To register, go to the “Implications of Climate Change on Human Health in Nebraska” banner and click on the Oct. 7 — Roundtable using code HH2015 to RSVP.
These events are jointly sponsored by the College of Public Health and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources. They are part of a series of climate change-related events that will take place throughout the fall. Click here for more information.
Contact Bruce Grogan for more information.
Registration is required as the forum is limited to 100 participants. To register, go to the “Implications of Climate Change on Human Health in Nebraska” banner and click on the Oct. 6 – Public Lecture.
Dr. Khan will discuss the health implications of climate change on Nebraskans, the region and the world.
The discussion will be based on a report, “Understanding and Assessing Climate Change: Implications for Nebraska,” published a year ago by the University of Nebraska. The comprehensive report summarized the current understanding of climate change science, projected changes in climate for Nebraska and the implications of these changes for some of the state’s primary sectors. It also documented many of the key challenges that the state will face in the future as a result of climate change.
Embedded in each of these challenges is the opportunity to identify and implement actions to lessen the adverse impacts of climate change. A key takeaway message from the report was the need to identify those actions that should be implemented now and in the coming years to avoid or reduce the deleterious effects of climate change on Nebraska.
Dr. Khan said that climate change will intensify the well-known effects of weather on:
- Lung and heart diseases;
- Food and water borne diseases;
- Infections associated with ticks, mosquitoes and other animals; and
- Injuries from heat stroke and other extreme weather events like droughts, floods, and hurricanes.
“We need to develop Nebraska-specific solutions to understand, mitigate, and adapt to the health effects of climate change being observed in our state. It is clear that action now is preferable and more cost-effective than reaction later,” he said.
Dr. Khan’s early professional career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focused on emerging infectious diseases, bioterrorism and global health security. His current efforts are on broader public health issues, innovations in health system transformation, health promotion and climate change.
His vision is for the college to play an integral role in making Nebraska the healthiest state in the union and to identify innovative solutions to transform health worldwide.