Climate Change and Human Health ECHO: Global Telementoring for Health Professionals

Joanna G Katzman; David Herring; Paul Schramm; Laura Tomedi; John-Michael Maury; Summers Kalishman; Briana Kazhe-Dominguez; Jinyang Liu; Chamron Martin; Sanjeev Arora

doi:10.1177/23821205211061019

Climate Change and Human Health ECHO: Global Telementoring for Health Professionals

J Med Educ Curric Dev. 2021 Nov 26:8:23821205211061019. doi: 10.1177/23821205211061019. eCollection 2021 Jan-Dec.

Affiliations

¹ University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
² National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
³ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
⁴ University of California School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA.

Abstract

Objective: To increase the knowledge and communication skills of health professionals related to climate change and human health (CCHH).

Methods: From February to April 2021, Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) created an 8-week, synchronous and virtual, CCHH ECHO telementoring series for health professionals. Didactics, simulated cases, and climate change tools were used to educate the interprofessional group of participants.

Results: During this CCHH ECHO pilot series, 625 unique participants represented 45 US states and 25 countries. The participants reported that they increased their knowledge, skills, and communication techniques regarding climate change and health.

Conclusions: The human health effects of climate change is an emerging field, and increasing knowledge and communication skills among health practitioners is of critical importance. The CCHH ECHO is one potential platform that may reach a diverse community of health professionals globally due to the diffusion and demonopolization of knowledge.

Keywords: Climate change curriculum; health professional; medical education; postlicensure education.