Development, implementation, and evaluation of interprofessional events on climate change in health professions curricula

TL;DR

This paper describes the development and evaluation of interprofessional education events focused on climate change's impact on health, aiming to integrate this topic into health professions curricula.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel approach to interprofessional education by integrating climate change content into health professions curricula through collaborative events.

Findings

The events successfully introduced students to the impacts of climate change on human and environmental health.

Post-event surveys and qualitative data provided insights for improving future event planning.

Abstract

The threat of climate change and its negative effects on human and planetary health is at the forefront of health organizations around the world. Advocacy to integrate climate change content into health professions education is supported by evidence found in academic journals and promoted widely by academic health organizations. While some health professions schools have accomplished this, many have yet to integrate climate change into their curricula. In 2024, the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine collaborated with the university’s Center to Advance Interprofessional Education and Practice and its Planetary Health Council to co-create two interprofessional education events. These events prioritized the introduction of medical and other health professions students to the impacts of the climate crisis on human and environmental health through innovative co-curricular programming that brought together students from multiple disciplines. This descriptive study analyzes post-event surveys and qualitative data to examine event outcomes and recommendations to guide future event planning.