Bob Graham Center for Public Service

The second in a three-part series hosted by UF’s Office of Sustainability and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, the Florida Climate Institute and UF Thompson Earth Systems Institute took place on March 4, 2021.

A recording to the event is at this link.

The past year has clearly illuminated challenges to public health and systemic equity that we must address as we continue to see worsening impacts from climate change on global and local levels. In Florida, extreme temperatures, increased flooding, severe weather and sea level rise have significant implications for human health including exposure to vector-borne diseases, disruptions in food and water systems, and breakdowns of disaster recovery structures.

By understanding these complex relationships, we can develop and implement better ways to support the capacity of public health to center equity, manage health impacts, and create a healthy and sustainable future for all.

Expert panelists discussed the ways that climate change and health issues, as well as potential solutions, are interconnected.

Moderated by Sarah L. McKune, MPH, PhD

	Dr. Sarah McKune MPH, PhD, Assistant Professor, UF Department of Environmental and Global Health, Center for African Studies Dr. McKune’s research investigates the complex, human and natural system dynamics – such as hygiene, livestock ownership, climate change, race/ethnicity, and gender/power dynamics - that affect human health outcomes. This work largely focuses on child growth and nutritional outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa, however Dr. McKune’s work has contributed to understanding of HIV/AIDS, maternal health outcomes, Ebola, and, most recently, COVID-19.
	Dr. Song Liang Term Professor & Associate Professor, UF Department of Environmental & Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, & Emerging Pathogens Institute Dr. Liang’s research areas include environmental epidemiology, risk assessment of environmentally-mediated tropical diseases, human health impact of environmental changes and disease burden. Over the past 10 years, he has received funding from NIH, NSF, USEPA, USDA, and USAID to conduct research work along this line. Dr. Liang has authored and co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles in journals including the Lancet, PNAS, BWHO, PLoS Medicine, Nature Climate Change/Communications. Dr. Liang received his PhD in environmental health sciences and epidemiology at University of California at Berkeley.
	Dr. Sadie Ryan Associate Professor, UF Medical Geography, Co-Director, Florida Climate Institute, PI, Quantitative Disease Ecology and Conservation (QDEC) Lab Dr. Ryan’s research interests focus on medical geography and ecology at the human-wildlife interface, particularly where it pertains to disease ecology, conservation biology, and wildlife management. Her studies include using methods from landscape ecology (GIS, remote sensing, geospatial science), quantitative ecology, and epidemiology to analyze landscape change, health outcomes, and the impact of anthropogenic changes, including climate change. Dr. Ryan serves as a co-director of the Florida Climate Institute and is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Quantitative Disease Ecology and Conservation (QDEC) Lab. Projects focus on conservation biology, wildlife, and disease ecology, through a lens of landscape ecology and climate impacts.
	Dr. Cheryl Holder MD, FACP, Interim Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity, and Community Initiatives at FIU College of Medicine and Co-Chair of Florida Clinicians for Climate Action She is board certified in Internal Medicine and has dedicated her medical career to serving underserved populations. She has served as Medical Director for Jackson Health System’s North Dade Health Center, where she developed an HIV care and treatment program with funding through the Ryan White Care Act. Holder has participated in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institute of Health advisory and programmatic review panels for HIV treatment and vaccine research. At FIU, her focus is on teaching medical students about working in underserved communities and promoting diversity in the health professions through pipeline programs. Holder is Director for the “Period One Primary Care Preceptorship.”