IU School of Medicine Student Portal

2023-2024 Electives

71ZI710 — CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH ELECTIVE

Description:

The climate crisis is the greatest global health threat that will be faced in the 21st century. It also presents an unprecedented opportunity for physicians and activists to address unjust social and environmental determinants of health. Climate change leads to greater rates of heat-related illness, allergies and asthma, infectious and vector-borne conditions, maternal-fetal illnesses, and mental health concerns. Moreover, the healthcare sector is responsible for 8.5% of the US carbon footprint, constituting a larger carbon footprint than most countries, while increasingly frequent extreme weather events often disrupt healthcare delivery. This course is designed to help students better understand the roles of medical students, physicians, and healthcare institutions in addressing climate change and its consequential disease burden.

This 4-week long course will cover climate change and clinical challenges, climate solutions, and climate’s impact on healthcare inequities and social injustice. Students will learn to recognize, describe, and manage the impacts of climate change on healthcare and its delivery. Structured as a directed study, content is individualized to meet the student’s needs and learning goals. Core content is delivered through virtual lectures from national and international experts; service learning is a recommended, optional element. The final student outputs for the class include both academic and climate-advocacy products. Small group discussions and a field trip to a healthcare institution addressing climate are possibilities during rotations with three or more registered students. 

Learning Objectives

• 1) Describe the science of climate change and the multiple pathways by which climate change impacts human health (MK7, SBP2)
• 2) Evaluate epidemiologic papers investigating the human health effects of projected climate change (MK7, PBLI1, SBP3)
• 3) Communicate, orally and in writing, issues related to climate change with members of the medical community, popular press, and policy makers (ICS3, ICS4)
• 4) Describe the role of healthcare as both a major contributor to climate change and an important opportunity for innovating mitigation and adaptation strategies (SBP3, SBP4)
• 5) Articulate the moral imperative of physician advocacy in addressing climate change. (SBP3, P1, P3)

Assessment

Professional Development Evaluation Form; (Students will be evaluated in a number of ways: Completion of all virtual modules, Complete service learning opportunity and submit reflection (graded using a rubric), Completion of final project, Active participation in all four synchronous sessions via faculty observation.)

Activities

Students average week will consist of:*weekly meetings on Fridays onlining discussing topics with a lead bioethicist or physician*volunteer weekly at an Indiana community organization that focuses on environmental or climate advocacy*complete online modules and writing assignments

Enrollment Information

Prerequisites: 3rd or 4th status

Availability with Max Students per Rotation:

Duty Hours: 30-35 hours

Time Distribution: 33% Lecture/Seminar; 33% Library/Research; 33% Online

Elective Type Category: PD - Professional Development

Notes and Enrollment Information:

THIS ELECTIVE DOES NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE INITIAL SENIOR MATCH: Contact Stacey Patrick (sapats@iu.edu) at IUSM-South Bend for enrollment permission. Elective is only offered for IUSM students, not available for students from other schools.

Third Year Elective? Yes

Interprofessional Skills and Service Learning

Interprofessional Collaborative Skills: None

Service Learning Included: None