Climate Action: A Powerful Prescription to Improve Health and Equity

Please register at: https://sojc.link/johnston

The event is also available via livestream at https://sojc.link/johnston-livestream. 

Climate change threatens all that we care about, especially as it is already harming health and threatening our health systems. These risks impact everyone to some degree, and climate change is already contributing to disease and death—especially in those who are the most vulnerable. An equitable transition away from fossil fuels is not just about polar bears and icebergs. It’s a fundamental prescription to improve health and equity both now and in the future. We have the tools we need, but achieving this rapid transition requires engagement from across academia and society. Communication and storytelling that places health and equity at the center of climate change is a powerful way to make the crisis personal and the benefits tangible. Learn how you can be a part of the solution during this timely talk with Renee Salas, MD, MPH, MS.

The talk and Q&A will be followed by a reception with light refreshments at 6:30 p.m.

About the Speaker

Renee Salas, MD, MPH, MS, is a recognized expert on climate change and its implications for health and health care delivery. She holds a variety of appointments across Harvard University and is a practicing physician in emergency medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. She has led endeavors with the world’s top general medical journals, including spearheading work with The New England Journal of Medicine Group and founding and leading the Working Group for the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change Brief for the United States, serving as senior author in 2022. Dr. Salas was elected to the National Academy of Medicine for her work, an honorific society that is considered one of the highest honors in the field of health and medicine.

About the Event and Our Sponsors

This talk will be delivered in person on the UO campus in Eugene, and it will be livestreamed and recorded. The event is free, but registration for the in-person talk is required, as seating is limited. (Registration link will be added in the near future.)

Sponsored by the Center for Science Communication Research (SCR) and co-sponsored by the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, the UO Environment Initiative, and the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies, this lecture is part of the UO School of Journalism and Communication’s annual Richard W. and Laurie Johnston Lecture series, which brings professionals to campus for thought-provoking lectures, workshops, and discussions about the thorny issues today’s journalists and communicators face.