A pilot course on climate and health for students and faculty in the health professions

Purpose: Managing the health impacts of climate change will require the coordinated expertise of all health professions. Therefore, trainees and practitioners need to learn about climate change and its health impacts in an interprofessional setting. Accordingly, faculty members and students representing different health and climate sciences at Duke University created an interprofessional pilot course for students and faculty in the health professions. Methods: In addition to teaching fundamental concepts regarding the science of climate change and downstream health consequences, a solutions-based approach was utilized to highlight how individuals and healthcare systems can address climate change. The course format included asynchronous virtual modules and in-person service-learning opportunities to engage learners directly in community-based climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. Results: A validated pre- and post-course survey called CHANT assessed health professional learners' awareness, motivations, and behaviors related to climate change and health. Learners were already aware of climate change, but only around 60% reported being at least somewhat familiar with the contribution of the U.S. healthcare system to greenhouse gas emissions. Although over 90% of learners already embraced climate-protective behaviors and conversations at home, almost 40% of learners reported never or rarely engaging in these same behaviors and discussions in the workplace. Learners provided overall positive feedback regarding satisfaction with course load, pace, and resources. Students reported interest in more in-person activities, climate justice and advocacy opportunities, and information on healthcare sustainability and preparedness. Conclusion: In response to the feedback received from learners, an online course has been developed using the pilot course materials to increase accessibility to all learners in healthcare, including practicing healthcare workers and administrators from diverse professional disciplines.