BALTIMORE — Climate change continues to drastically impact the health and well-being of humans, especially those most vulnerable — be it from heat-related illnesses from extreme temperatures to lung-related conditions from air pollutants.
Through a uniquely interdisciplinary approach, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is leading the way in building a future health and human services workforce that is prepared to work with clients and communities to reduce climate and health inequities.
Last spring, students in a pilot course began work on a project that focused on the Curtis Bay neighborhood in Baltimore and the environmental and health impact from the CSX coal terminal nearby. This work included detailed research, as well as letters written and submitted by the students in a continued effort to help get the CSX facility’s permit revoked. The students’ work continued over the summer during a summer internship, funded by UMB Provost Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA.
A study released in 2023 confirmed what many in the community have voiced concerns over for years — coal dust is present throughout the community, including smaller coal dust particles that are of particular health concern.
“Taking the 'Climate Change, Health, and Society' class opened my eyes to how deeply environmental issues like those in Curtis Bay affect people’s everyday lives. It’s not just about studying problems; it’s about standing up and doing something to make things better for those who are suffering,” said Leonardo Soto, a student in the Marine-Estuarine Environmental Sciences Graduate Program (MEES) who has a foundation in molecular and cellular biology.
This course, taught by 12 UMB faculty, began as a pilot initiative in spring 2024 and was open to students in the schools of law, medicine, nursing, and social work as well as MEES, a University System of Maryland program.
But what began as a pilot course has grown into what UMB hopes can become a model for the future.
“Over the past year, we formed an interprofessional faculty working group at UMB to develop a training program for future leaders to address the significant challenges facing society from climate change,” said Shiladitya DasSarma, PhD, a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of the course. “Our health-legal-scientific partnership is an innovative educational strategy for addressing the impacts of the climate crisis in order to promote sustainable development in the state and the world.”
UMB faculty are working to build an educational model that includes an interdisciplinary center and a variety of courses focusing on climate change and health.
It is evident humans will need to figure out how to survive in changing conditions — including finding ways to lessen disease and the loss of human life through measures like wellness checks for vulnerable people, community cooling and heating centers, and programs that provide homes with free air conditioning.
But the leaders at UMB know it’s not enough just to react.
"One of the goals of our course, and the internship that followed, is to help young professionals address health inequities amplified by climate change, and to meet the needs of people who are most vulnerable to its effects. This is sometimes called a 'climate gap' because different groups of people will be affected in different ways by the changing climate,” said Karin Russ, JD, MS, RN, interim director of legal affairs at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and co-director of the course. “Climate gaps fall along racial and economic lines. Examples include people's ability to avoid or recover from the effects of climate change, like extreme weather, heat, and the spread of infectious diseases.”
Fall 2024 Symposium
UMB will hold its first-ever Climate Symposium in October 2024.
The faculty working group received a three-year, $45,000 "Climate Change and Health Equity in Maryland: An Interprofessional Education Collaboration" grant from the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) to organize this annual Climate Symposium and seminar series.
This year, the symposium will be held Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the SMC Campus Center, 621 W. Lombard St., Baltimore, and will feature expert invited guests and community panels as well as UMB students and interns. Further details will be provided as we get closer to the date.