Welcome to Planetary Health!
“The health of human civilization and the state of the natual systems on which it depends” (Rockefeller Foundation Lancet Planetary Health Commission Report – click here)
Introduction
The world is changing fast. Globally, forests are disappearing, oceans are emptying, and droughts and floods are becoming more common, and more severe. Ever more people are moving to cities, many lying in coastal regions expected to be flooded over the next several decades due to rising ocean levels. It is estimated that at least a billion people may become malnourished by 2050 as a result of the desertification and food shortages expected to result from global climate change, mostly in low-income settings. A high-level commission of the Rockefeller Foundation and The Lancet has drawn attention to the fact that the public health community in general is woefully unprepared for tackling the challenges of a dramatically changing environment on human health, including impacts on nutrition, food security, and access to freshwater. Planetary health is about the relationship between the health of the planet, and the health of people, who ultimately depend on the planet for survival as a species.
This 12-week, half credit pilot course will provide students at Moi University and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) with a big picture perspective of planetary health, research, policy and practice issues related to it, and the implications and opportunities related to planetary health for public and population health globally. A key theme throughout will be consideration of health and social equity issues and the differential impacts of climate and other environmental changes on populations in light of these issues.
DLSPH Lead Instructor: Dr. Paula Braitstein
Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Moi University Lead Instructor: Dr. Susan Keino
Moi University, College of Health Sciences
Department of Human Nutrition
Co-Instructor: Dr. Ashley Aimone
Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Moi University, College of Health Sciences
Department of Human Nutrition
Lectures occur every Wednesday beginning September 12, 2018.
To download the full syllabus, click here.