Press Release: 2022 Climate and Health Equity Fellows Graduate
PRESS RELEASE: December 10th, 2022
Contact:
Mark Mitchell MD
Climate & Health Equity Fellowship
Mmitch3@gmu.edu
12 Climate & Health Equity Fellowship (CHEF) Fellows have graduated from the program, which equips physicians from underrepresented groups to become leaders in climate and health equity.
Washington, DC – Today the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health graduated 12 Climate and Health Equity Fellows (CHEF) from the Class of 2022. This is the second graduating class of physicians of color from underrepresented groups in medicine from throughout the U.S. The first cohort was from southern states only. The CHEF fellowship equips these physicians with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to become leaders in advocacy for equitable climate policy.
The fellows complete an intensive education over 10 months from more than 40 leaders in environmental health and climate justice. Each cohort of fellows writes and publishes newspaper opinion articles and blog posts, presents at conferences, and records videos about how climate affects people at the highest risk across medical specialties and how solutions can provide the most health benefits to these same people.
Fellows also produce capstone projects of state, national or international significance. Examples this year include:
- Passage of a resolution on climate change by an international Indigenous physicians’ group, with a plan for replication among Indigenous physicians’ groups in five nations;
- A survey on sustainability practices of medical societies;
- A children’s book on climate change;
- An article on climate and disability:
- A book chapter on climate, health, equity;
- State organizations of health professionals focused on climate, health and equity founded in two states: Mississippi and Texas.
The Fellows will continue to engage with local, state and national organizations to advocate for equitable climate solutions through presentations at community events and professional conferences, publications, joining advisory committees, participating in media interviews, meeting with policymakers, and posting on social media. They will also participate in an alumni network to provide mentorship to new physician fellows.
The CHEF Program is a program of George Mason University’s Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health. It is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, the Energy Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the American College of Physicians, and the American Medical Association. Contact Dr. Mark Mitchell (mmitch3@gmu.edu) or Dr. Kimberly Williams (kimberlywilliamsphd@gmail.com) for more information.
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