Faculty, staff, students, and community members meet to critically evaluate articles that address topics around climate change and health. This is an excellent event to network and explore research specific to sustainable health care.

View previous and upcoming sessions below.

Upcoming

Tuesday, September 22nd 12-1pm

Planetary Health Journal Club

4585 Scaife Hall or Zoom (link provided with RSVP)

• How medicine becomes trash: disposability in healthcare
• Solar powered O2 delivery for the treatment of children with hypoxaemia in Uganda: a stepped-wedge, cluster randomised controlled trial

Lunch is provided!

RSVP here!

2026

Friday, May 8th 12-1pm

Planetary Health Journal Club

• Presenter: Michelle Varnell, Departmwent of Sports Medicine and Nutrtion, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
• Topic: Environmental Impacts of Surgical vs. Conservative Care Pathways
• Articles:
  • Exploring the Efficacy of Conservative Management Versus Surgical Intervention in Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries: Insights Into Reinjury Rates, Quality of Life, and Long-Term Outcomes
  • Environmental life cycle assessment of surgical versus conservative care pathways for an anterior cruciate ligament injury

March 27th, 12-1pm

Planetary Health Journal Club

• Presenter: Tyler Johnston & Aqsa Owais, Bioengineering
• Topic: Sustainable Laboratory Practices
• Article: Environmental impact, cost, and acceptability of a laboratory sustainability certification program for biomedical research in an academic medical center

January 16th, 12-1pm

Planetary Health Journal Club

• Presenter: Nathan Schneider, PhD Student, Center for Neurosciences, School of Medicine
• Topic: The Human Health Effects of Noise Pollution

2025

November 7th, 12-1pm

Planetary Health Journal Club

• Presenters: Noel Do, Emma Nordin, and Ean Maxwell, School of Dental Medicine
• Article: Combining evidence-based health care with environmental sustainability: using the toothbrush as a model

September 5th 12-1pm

Planetary Health Journal Club

• Presenter: Puja Dutta, School of Medicine, Physician Scientist Training Program
• Topic: Climate Change as a Social Determinant of Health
• Articles:
  •  The impact of climate change and biodiversity loss on the health of children: An ethical perspective
  • Impact of prior and projected climate change on US Lyme disease incidence

May 16th 12-1pm

Planetary Health Journal Club

Jenny Snyder, a student in the Dietitian Nutritionist Program, discussed Modern Diets and the Health of Our Planet: An Investigation into the Environmental Impacts of Food Choices.

March 28th

Planetary Health Journal Club

Becky King from SHRS discussed the environmental impact of AI and data-driven technologies in healthcare, focusing on their high energy consumption, carbon emissions, and ecological footprint. Strategies for balancing technological advancements with sustainability, including responsible AI governance and the adoption of sustainable computing practices were discussed.

January 31st

Planetary Health Journal Club

Ainsley Lederer, a PhD student in the School of Pharmacy, discussed the environmental impact of pharmaceutical compounds and the application of bioremediation for removing pharmaceutical waste. 

2024

November 1st

Planetary Health Journal Club

Abhimanyu Nangunoori presented on waste audits in healthcare.

September 5th

Planetary Health Journal Club

Nathalia Cano, PhD candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering led a discussion about reducing plastic in health care.

May 10th

Planetary Health Journal Club

Monet Weldon, MS1 presented on Health Care Pollution & Public Health Damage in the U.S.

March 1st

Planetary Health Journal Club

Divya Natesan, Medical Student, presented on Health Hazards, Exposures, and Impacts of Climate Change Globally.