Climate & Health Fellowship

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Climate & Health Science Policy Fellowship

In 2017, we inaugurated the nation’s first graduate medical education (GME) fellowship in Climate & Health Science Policy with the purpose of empowering health care professionals through education, policy, and communication skills. Our goal: to train highly credible, knowledgeable health leaders in clinical, basic science, and policy settings.

We have now scaled up and support FIVE physician fellows per year, from numerous medical specialties. The hallmark of our program is robust policy preceptorships with seven federal agencies and numerous non-profits engaged in climate and health. Fellows meet weekly for faculty didactics, and numerous times per year at fellowship events and at national and international conferences. Fellows support their own clinical work, and reside remotely.

Our graduates have gone on to be some of the nation's foremost leaders in climate and health work in education, research, health care system sustainability and decarbonization, city, state and federal government policy, and as multimedia thought leaders.

Our fellowship program is made possible through the generous support of the Climate and Health Foundation and the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Supported By:

We are proud to support five Climate & Health Science Policy Fellows per year-- all health care professionals with varied board certifications and working clinically in different parts of the country.

Our program serves as a powerful demonstration of the expanded role for physician advocates in a time when public concerns and impacts about health and climate are growing, and the federal response is now ramping up to meet these needs.

We can't think of a better endeavor for our creative energies, educational passion, and professional work. Our team believes the impact of training leaders in the field of climate and health will force-multiply our national risk assessment and influence policy change for years to come. It is our hope that the University of Colorado School of Medicine will be the center of Climate Medicine and that our fellowship graduates will become the formidable innovators and leaders we need on this critical issue for humanity.

Application Details:

Successful applicants will have a demonstrated interest in environmental or public health, be excellent clinicians, and show leadership aptitude.
Excellent communication skills (writing and oral presentation) are highly desired.

Deadline:

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Remote interviews will be held in October of each application year.
Deadline for applications is October 1st for fellowships commencing the following summer.

Fellowship Term:

July 1st – June 30th.

Submission Process:

Application packets should be emailed to climatehealth@cuanschutz.edu, and include:
- Cover letter
- CV
- 2-4 letters of recommendation (may be emailed separately)
- Writing samples and links to oral presentations (optional)

The University of Colorado Department of Emergency Medicine offers one clinical position per year at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital (ABEM certified/eligible). Fellows interested in this clinical opportunity during their fellowship should email Dr. Jay Lemery directly, as well as an application to climatehealth@cuanschutz.edu. Fellows who are deemed eligible after discussion with Fellowship Directors will be asked to submit a secondary GME application to the CU Department of Emergency Medicine.

Who is eligible for the fellowship?

The fellowships are open to any ABMS certified/eligible physician. To date we have had emergency medicine, family medicine, and internal medicine fellows. We welcome all physicians from any discipline.
Fellows will be credentialed through the University of Colorado School of Medicine as Visiting Scholars. Fellows will have CU emails and access to the CU Anschutz Medical Campus and Strauss Health Science Library.

Who are your partners?

We have five federal agency partners and numerous nonprofits.
Fellows are expected to work with one federal agency and 1-2 nonprofits during the year. Fellows will be placed via a match/rank system.
The Climate and Health Foundation supports the administration of this Fellowship.

What are the details of the fellowship?

Fellowships are 12 months long, and initiate on the academic calendar (July 1).
Fellows are expected to spend roughly 20 hours per week in preceptor meetings, partner projects (federal agencies and nonprofits), didactics, and individual fellowship projects. Hours are expected to flex up/down (i.e. launch of critical project on deadline, etc).
Meeting two hours per week on:
- Didactics with core faculty and guest presenters.
- Presentations.
- Workshops (op-ed, special topics, etc).
Core Competencies
- Competency #1: Fundamentals of climate and health – Fellows will gain an understanding of the complex relationships between climate change and health.
- Competency #2: Climate change and public health – Fellows will demonstrate competence in assessing population-based climate hazards and analyzing public health interventions.
- Competency #3: Climate change and clinical practice – Fellows will understand the clinical and health care system impacts of climate change and demonstrate competence with the recognition and management of patient and health care system vulnerabilities.
- Competency #4: Policy aspects of climate change and health – Fellows will demonstrate familiarity with international and domestic policies relevant to climate change and health.
- Competency #5: Communication and Leadership – Fellows will demonstrate competence in effective climate and health communication among different audiences and gain insight into how to effectively lead health programmatic development within the academic, public and private sectors

Where will the fellowship take place?

Fellowship will be conducted remotely, without geographic restrictions.
Federal and nonprofit partnerships will likewise be conducted remotely, with minimal in-person presence required (i.e. on case-to-case basis, for certain key meetings, etc).
Quarterly in-person meet-ups at national conferences and CU Anschutz Medical Campus.

Clinical work and fellowship stipends

Fellows are expected to work half-time in a clinical location and place of their choosing to allow time for fellowship activities. For example, 2021-2022 fellows are living in Denver, Pittsburgh, San Diego, and Washington D.C.
Fellows will have access to a sizable stipend to support their travel and registration to four gatherings/ conferences per year, as well as occasional travel to Federal agency preceptorships. Specifics will be discussed at the time of interview.

What other details should I be aware of?

Fellows will be provided with a core content textbook, edited by the Fellowship Directors, as well as supplementary textbooks and all required readings.

The University of Colorado Department of Emergency Medicine offers one clinical position per year at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital (ABEM certified/eligible). Fellows interested in this clinical opportunity during their fellowship should email Jay Lemery, MD, directly, as well as an application to climatehealth@cuanschutz.edu. Fellows who are deemed eligible after discussion with Fellowship Directors will be asked to submit a secondary GME application to the CU Department of Emergency Medicine.

Fellowship or Diploma?

The Climate & Health Science and Policy Fellowship is meant to be a superior experience, an on-the-job-training for a deep dive on how policy is made, and a robust 12-month networking experience with leaders in the field. With weekly didactics and roughly one day per week working with preceptors. It is roughly equivalent to a half-time job.
The Diploma is a high-end professional development course for working clinicians. A heavyweight credential (300 hours divided into 5 one-week courses) created for those with a strong desire to become climate and health experts, but nevertheless have busy clinical practices. It is designed to be a visceral learning experience, with engaging didactics, interactive case studies, and hands-on experiences.
Fellows will be automatically enrolled in the Diploma program as part of their Fellowship, at no additional tuition cost.

Leadership:

Director of the Columbia University Global Consortium on Climate & Health Education.
Chair of the Climate & Health Group, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.
Leader of the University of Colorado Consortium for Climate Change & Human Health’s Team.
Attendance at the COP25 Conference in Madrid with leading climate policy makers.

Media & Speaking:

Interview on National Public Radio.
Speaking engagements at numerous national and international conferences, including ACEP, AGU, AMS, SAEM, and CleanMed.
Fellows presenting "Climate Medicine" series with the Environmental Media Association.

Research & Publications:

Co-author of landmark public health research study in Puerto Rico: Mortality in Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria (New England Journal of Medicine, 2018).
Co-author on paper quantifying ICU admissions with dust storms in the United States in partnership with EPA staff.
Co-author on defining the link between women’s health and climate change.
Lead author studying climate variability correlated with Zika in post-earthquake Ecuador.
Co-editor on a major climate health textbook for health providers and policymakers titled Global Climate Change & Human Health: From Science to Practice.
Co-creator on core content webinar for the Pan-American Health Organization.
Technical contributor to 2019 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, Policy Brief for the United States.
Technical contributor for 4th National Climate Assessment, U.S. Global Change Research Program.
Led review and pathway development to address adaptation in emergency departments to rapidly recognize and treat patients from extreme heat event.
Led research project with Colorado School of Public Health on chronic kidney disease of unknown origin in Guatemalan field workers.
Launched medical supply chain waste program with the ED Clinical Operations Pharmacy teams to improve processes to recognize and reduce waste in health care at UCHealth.
Field work in Syrian refugee camp.