STAT

Opinion: Medical schools must prepare students to work in a world altered by climate change

Medical students can't afford the luxury of choosing to be interested in #climatechange. It should be an essential part of any 21st-century #medicalschool curriculum.
Low water levels are seen visible on the banks of Entrepenas reservoir in Duron, Spain, in 2017, when it was at its lowest level since 1994.

As a medical student fumbling with the fundamentals of interviewing patients and taking medical histories, the realities of being a doctor seem like a far-off dream. My colleagues and I work hard to prepare ourselves to be equipped to address the increasingly complex health care issues that will affect the lives of our future patients, from inequities in access to quality care to multidrug resistance.

The most pressing of these issues is climate change, a growing environmental emergency that will have . Food shortages induced by climate change are alone expected to account globally by 2050. Regardless of their personal interest in climate change or their belief that advocacy about it is within the scope of medical practice, physicians will be on the front lines of confronting its effects.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from STAT

STAT2 min read
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About A Senate Probe Into Novo Pricing, A New UTI Antibiotic, And More
The U.S. Senate health committee is investigating the prices Novo Nordisk charges for its blockbuster medications Ozempic and Wegovy.
STAT2 min read
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About Lilly Buying A Plant, A Pfizer Antibiotic, And More
Eli Lilly agreed to acquire a manufacturing facility in Wisconsin from Nexus Pharmaceuticals to produce injectable medicines amid shortages of Mounjaro and Zepbound.
STAT1 min read
STAT+: Nuclear Regulatory Commission Advisers Beset By Conflicts Of Interest, Report Finds
Advisers to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a U.S. government agency tasked with ensuring the safe use of radioactive materials, were beset by conflicts of interest, report finds

Related Books & Audiobooks