As world leaders gather to discuss global climate priorities at the COP29 conference, which takes place Nov. 11-22 in Azerbaijan, understanding and mitigating the health impacts of climate change will be an important focus. But what should be on the research agenda for exploring the critical issues related to health and climate, and who should have a voice in helping shape those priorities? “This Think Global event will explore these questions with experts from around the world who are studying diverse topics in the intersection of climate and global health.”

Panelists will discuss how they see climate and health issues manifesting and what issues are emerging as most pressing in their communities. Through these global perspectives, the discussion will seek to define what steps are needed, locally and globally, to successfully advance research, implementation, and policy to protect global/public health in the face of climate change.

SPEAKERS

Mercedes Bravo, PhD (co-moderator) is an Assistant Research Professor of Global Health and Associate Director for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the Duke Global Health Institute. Dr. Bravo received her PhD from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Bravo’s research focuses on identifying and characterizing relationships between social and environmental exposures and disparities in health and developmental outcomes. She is particularly interested in promoting health equity through better characterization of disparities in exposures and disparities in health outcomes, especially for underserved, underrepresented, and potentially vulnerable populations. 

Nishad Jayasundara, PhD (co-moderator) is the Juli Plant Grainger Assistant Professor of Global Environmental Health at the Nicholas School of the Environment with secondary appointments at the Duke Global Health Institute and School of Medicine. Dr Jayasundara’s research focuses on shedding new light on the adverse ecological and human health impacts of chemical pollution and climate change. Known for his innovative studies using fish species as sentinels to measure the biochemical and physiological consequences of exposure to chemical and physical stressors, he recently has been working with an interdisciplinary team of environmental and health researchers to unravel how climate change and water contamination may be driving a rise in kidney disease among rice farmers in Sri Lanka. 

Nelson Gouveia, MD, MSc, PhD, ISEEF, is a Professor of Global Health at the Department of Preventive Medicine of the University of São Paulo Medical School, and President (2024-2025) of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology. His research primarily focuses on health impacts of environmental exposures, with an emphasis on air pollution and climate variables. In addition, he is particularly interested in the application of results from epidemiologic studies in the public health policy arena.

Dino J. Martins, PhD, is a Kenyan artist, naturalist and writer. An entomologist and evolutionary biologist, he is currently the Director of the Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook. He served as the Executive Director of the Mpala Research Centre for seven years (2015-2022) and is a Research Scholar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Stony Brook University. He holds a PhD from Harvard University and a BA in Anthropology (with distinction) from Indiana University. Dr Martins’ seeks to share the wonder and diversity of nature, especially the hidden, beautiful details that are intrinsic to human life. Teaching people to see, understand and care about the details of the living world are central to his work and life. Dr. Martins’ current scientific research is focused on the evolution and ecology of interactions between species. Dr Martins research on pollinators is well known and he has worked across East Africa with small-scale farmers and in a range of landscapes. 

Amruta Nori-Sarma, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Health and Population Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. As an environmental epidemiologist, Dr. Nori-Sarma studies the relationship between environmental exposures associated with climate change and health outcomes in vulnerable communities. Dr. Nori-Sarma aims to understand the impacts of interrelated extreme weather events on mental health across the US utilizing large claims datasets. She also has an interest in evaluating the success of policies put in place to reduce the health impacts of climate change.  Additionally, Dr. Nori-Sarma serves as one of the leads of the CAFE RCC, the research coordinating center of the NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative. CAFE, a joint effort with the BU School of Public Health, aims to bring together and amplify the work of a more diverse community of practice in climate and health.

This is a hybrid event with both in-person and remote attendance options. Attendance in person is encouraged. Lunch will be available.