2011 Reports

Final Report: Summer Institute on Climate Information for Public Health, 2011

Lowe, Rachel; Mantilla Caicedo, Gilma Constanza; Mendiola, Luciana

The greatest challenges facing the public health systems of today include an aging population, urbanization and climate change. A key component of climate variability and climate change adaptation is the training of a new generation of leaders to understand the role that climate plays in driving disease burden and impacting economic growth. Such capacity building will help to strengthen and improve decisions made in the public health sector to minimize the impacts of global environmental change. As a contribution to this process, The International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), in partnership with the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) and the Mailman School of Public Health (MSPH) at Columbia University initiated this two-week course in 2008. Building on the response of our 2008-2010 alumni, and a great demand from the climate and health community the 2011 Summer Institute on Climate Information for Public Health (SI11) was designed to engage professionals who play a key role in the operational decision-making for climate-sensitive diseases in identifying and evaluating appropriate use of climate information. SI11 was held at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Campus in Palisades, New York, between May 16th and May 27th, 2011.