Dr. Erica Frank, MD, MPH, FACPM, recently spoke at an Ambassador training session hosted by Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). Dr. Frank spoke to the students and physicians in attendance, narrating her journey and role with PSR as a past board member and President In sharing her personal experiences with the students, Dr. Frank also gave them helpful advice on how they can speak truth to power in hierarchical academic spaces; develop their evidence-driven, health advocacy skills; find how they can become most efficiently beneficent; and contribute meaningfully as budding physicians in the workforce. She elaborated on her work at NextGenU.org and the importance of integrating climate health education into schools. Dr. Frank also highlighted the newly re-launched Climate Change and Public Health course, co-sponsored by PSR. She noted that climate change is a public health issue that can affect the health of individuals and communities in varied and powerfully harmful ways. There is a need for increased physician education on climate change and health, and NextGenU.org bridges this gap by offering open access education with free certificates, structured to highlight key climate change issues impacting public health.
The Climate Change and Public Health course is HPASS approved for continuing education. It draws from competencies and instructional goals set by the WHO’s 2008 Agenda on Climate Change and Health, Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE), Global Environmental Sustainability and Health Focus Area Competencies, and CEPH. This course comprises 5 modules that provide learners with introductory knowledge on Climate Change-related issues, their impact on the environment, and public health while also focusing on mitigation and adaptation strategies to deal with existing and potential threats. By offering this course through the online learning platform, NextGenU.org, learners can better understand the climate-related issues that impact our health.
Climate change is a serious present problem, and an enormous threat for future generations. Visit our website to learn how you can benefit from our Climate Change and Public Health Course.
