The Yale Forum on Climate Change and Health

Overview: The Yale Forum on Climate Change and Health, hosted by the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health (YCCCH) in collaboration with Yale Planetary Solutions, will be a day-long meeting showcasing faculty innovation and strengthening transdisciplinary collaboration in climate change and health research at Yale. As it approaches its 10th anniversary in 2025—and as the field of climate change and health rapidly grows among academics, government, and practitioners—YCCCH seeks to convene faculty across Yale to celebrate achievements, bring new perspectives into the conversation, and hone the university’s strategy to remain a leading player in the climate change and health space. The Forum will include sessions specifically geared towards developing Yale’s Letter of Intent for the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Climate and Health Excellence Centers (CHEX) award. The Forum is made possible through generous conference support from The Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University.

Note: this event is open to Yale faculty and special guests only. Faculty may nominate a trainee to present a poster via the registration form or via email to jen.wang@yale.edu.

EVENT INFORMATION:

• Event website: https://ysph.yale.edu/event/yale-forum-on-climate-change-and-health/
• Registration (required): https://forms.gle/nqeb4sHZjtSBzLJP8
• Location: Sterling Memorial Library, Lecture Hall (in-person only)
• Date: Friday, February 28, 2025
• Time: 8:30am – 4:30pm

AGENDA:

• 8:30-9:00am: Arrival and breakfast
• 9:00-9:15am: Welcome and opening remarks
  • Dr. Kai Chen – Co-Faculty Director, on behalf of the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health
  • Dr. Julie Zimmerman – Vice Provost for Planetary Solutions, on behalf of Yale Planetary Solutions
• 9:15-10:15am: The Yale Center on Climate Change and Health (YCCCH): Past, present, and future. In this session, members of YCCCH's core faculty will introduce the center's history, milestones, and strategic plan guiding its next five years, including opportunities to get involved.
  • Dr. Robert Dubrow – Co-Founder and Co-Faculty Director; Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Scientist in Epidemiology (Environmental Health), Yale School of Public Health
  • Dr. Kai Chen – Co-Faculty Director; Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health), Yale School of Public Health
  • Dr. Jodi Sherman – Director of Program on Health Care Environmental Sustainability; Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine; Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health), Yale School of Public Health
  • Dr. Daniel Carrión – Director of Education; Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health), Yale School of Public Health
  • Questions and suggestions from participants

• 10:15-10:30am: Coffee break
• 10:30am-12:00pm: CHEX and Beyond: Showcasing ideas for external funding applications. Speakers will give short presentations on their ideas for Yale’s proposal to the Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s Climate and Health Excellence Centers (CHEX) award. During the facilitated discussion, participants are welcomed to share their additional ideas for CHEX and other funding opportunities. Speakers and topics will be shared via email with registered participants.

• 12:00-1:15pm: Lunch and trainee poster session
  • "Floods and cause-specific mortality in the U.S.: A triply robust approach" – Dr. Lingzhi Chu (Postdoctoral Associate, Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health)
  • “Practitioner Toolbox and other opportunities from the Hixon Center for Urban Sustainability” – Ian French (Director of Communications and External Relations, Hixon Center for Urban Sustainability)
  • "Compound Events in the Contiguous U.S. from 2010 to 2022" – Dr. Ying Hu (Postdoctoral Associate, Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health)
  • "The Role of Professional Medical Societies in Advancing Environmental Health and Sustainable Healthcare: A Qualitative Analysis" – Sara Locke (MD Candidate, Yale School of Medicine; Yale Center on Climate Change and Health Fellow in Health Care Environmental Sustainability)
  • "How Climate Drives the Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Scrub Typhus in China" – Dr. Tian Ma (Postdoctoral Associate, Yale School of the Environment)
  • "Structural and functional diversity of bacterial cytochrome nanowires reveal mechanisms for extracellular and interspecies electron transfer" – Dr. Cong Shen (Postdoctoral Associate, Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry)
• 1:15-2:30pm: Breakout sessions to develop potential research collaborations. Breakout tables, facilitated by YCCCH core faculty/staff, will be organized based on the areas of focus described in the CHEX RFP. There will be two 20-minute sessions, and participants may choose a different table for each. Tables will summarize their discussions during the report-back session.
  • Aims and cores
  • Transdisciplinary research projects
  • Outward focus: Public education and/or communication
  • Training
• 2:30-3:15pm: Next steps for transdisciplinary collaboration on climate change and health. In this closing session, panelists will share reflections and insights on the CHEX proposal and other opportunities for collaboration. Participants will then engage in an open discussion / Q&A on opportunities and what participants would like to see from YCCCH. Moderator: Dr. Kai Chen, Co-Faculty Director, Yale Center on Climate Change and Health
  • Dr. Michelle Bell – Mary E. Pinchot Professor of Environmental Health, Yale School of the Environment
  • Dr. Michael Cappello – Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases) and Interim Director, Yale Institute for Global Health
  • Dr. Tatiana Sadak – Professor and Deputy Dean, Yale School of Nursing
  • Dr. Karen Seto – Frederick C. Hixon Professor of Geography and Urbanization Science, and Director of the Hixon Center for Urban Sustainability, Yale School of the Environment
  • Dr. Julie Zimmerman – Vice Provost for Planetary Solutions, Yale Planetary Solutions
• 3:15-3:30pm: Closing remarks
• 3:30-4:30pm: Networking reception

For more information: Contact jen.wang@yale.edu with any questions.

Thank you for your interest in the Yale Forum on Climate Change and Health!

- Dr. Kai Chen – Co-Faculty Director, YCCCH
- Dr. Robert Dubrow – Co-Faculty Director, YCCCH
- Jennifer Wang – Executive Director, YCCCH