Stephanie Yarnell-Mac Grory, MD, PhD, from the Warren P. Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University and the Addiction Psychiatry Program in the Yale Department of Psychiatry, has completed the Yale School of Public Health Climate Change and Health Program.
The rigorous six-month course prepares health professionals to address the adverse health impacts of climate change. Students learn the health impacts of climate change, devise adaptation strategies to increase their communities’ resilience to the health consequences of climate change, and communicate the health-related risks of climate change effectively to the public and policymakers.
The program includes three courses, each running six weeks: The Impact of a Warming World: Climate Change and Health; Co-Benefits of Mitigation and Adaptation; and Climate Change Communication.
“I believe this program allowed me to really think about the repercussions of climate change on health, including mental health … “ Yarnell-Mac Grory said. “It also allowed me to think through real world examples, how I could personally make a difference, and how to launch an effective campaign and talk to others about climate change, especially given how divisive it can be.”
Yarnell-Mac Grory cited a 2015 analysis by the State of Rhode Island that determined mental health was a significant vulnerability from climate change. Following Hurricane Katrina, for example, more people than anticipated developed mental health challenges.
Physicians are a trusted source of information for the majority of the population, and this program left me better able to talk to my patients about climate change and hear their concerns.
Stephanie Yarnell-Mac Grory, MD, PhD
“Physicians are a trusted source of information for the majority of the population, and this program left me better able to talk to my patients about climate change and hear their concerns,” Yarnell-Mac Grory said.
Yarnell-Mac Grory also recently participated in the Business of Medicine “Pocket MBA” program sponsored by Johns Hopkins University. She has been accepted for admission to the Global Executive MBA Program, Class of 2021, at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.