Faculty Director: Chris Lemon
Vision:
Johns Hopkins University (JHU) is one of the most respected clinical entities in the world, and work undertaken to green practice, integrate Planetary Health into medical and nursing education, and create fellowship and training opportunities for residents is of great interest to a global clinical community.
The nature of innovating practice and education in the clinical setting is different than in other settings. The vision for the clinical program is to make JHU a global leader in integrating Planetary Health into education and practice across clinical settings and to build partnerships with other clinical leaders around the world to expand these efforts globally.
Clinical Activities:
Healthcare Sustainability Working Group: This new interdisciplinary group comprised of educators, practitioners, residents, students, and administrators from the Hopkins clinical spaces will begin meeting in February of 2024. Initial priorities:
- Curriculum Integration: In collaboration with leaders from the School of Medicine and School of Nursing, the group will explore and apply best practices for integrating Planetary Health concepts into corresponding curriculum or developing new electives.
- Greening Health Care: By liaising with the Johns Hopkins Health System’s parallel working group in sustainability, we will explore how to reduce the ecological footprint of hospitals and clinics in the JHU system. This work has the potential to serve as a “gateway” to engage faculty, students, and other trainees in Planetary Health as well as to provide global leadership in developing best practices for clinical care consistent with Planetary Health.
- Panel Discussions: At the annual Johns Hopkins Sustainability Symposium in April 2024, the Working Group will facilitate three panel discussions. In addition to the two initial priorities, the third panel will delve into understanding the intricate interplay between our clinical spaces and the local communities we serve. The dual role of our healthcare facilities – as providers of top-tier healthcare and as stewards of the local ecosystems – will be a focal point, highlighting our commitment to the health of the local community inclusive of their environment.
Planetary Health Clinical Fellowship Program:
- Phase 1: Emergency Medicine Planetary Health Program: The Department of Emergency Medicine is launching its Planetary Health track in the 2024-25 academic year. Open to senior residents, this program combines targeted interdisciplinary instruction from across Hopkins with real-world projects, convenings and research facilitated by the Planetary Health Alliance network and the new Bloomberg Center.
- Phase 2: Expansion Across Clinical Disciplines: The goal is to make Planetary Health specialty training available to all residencies and fellowships at Johns Hopkins. A self-study is already underway, aimed at identifying existing programs that could seamlessly integrate a Planetary Health focus such as the General Internal Medicine Fellowship or the Preventative Medicine and Occupational & Environmental Residency programs. Furthermore, non-American College of Graduate Medical Education (non-ACGME) and Advanced Specialty Training Programs (ASTP) offer additional potential structures for broadening access to Planetary Health education and training. Collectively, these trainees could be appointed as Fellows of JHIPH.