Published by The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health
Health & Fitness
Medicine
Science
Earth Sciences
Hosted by Dr. Lisa Patel, a pediatrician and Executive Director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, this podcast focuses on how health professionals, policy makers, advocates, communicators, and activists are working to tackle the different sides of the greatest health crisis facing us today—climate change. The movement for climate and health justice is a broad one, and there are so many ways to fight for a healthier future. On Healthy Climate America, we'll talk with infectious disease experts, mental health clinicians, labor advocates, and many others from all different sides of the climate movement. We'll discuss what got them started, what keeps them motivated, their biggest challenges, and most importantly, how they stay hopeful. Whether you're a seasoned advocate, or just starting in your climate journey, this podcast is for you.
For people who are incarcerated or detained, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and extreme heat can become life-threatening events shaped by isolation, limited resources, and systemic failures. On the fourth episode of Extreme Weather Explained, host Dr. Lisa Patel sits down with Faith Taylor, a doctoral candidate at the Yale School of the Environment whose research examines disaster risks in carceral facilities. Faith shares what disasters reveal about inequities in safety and protection, why preparedness plans must include incarcerated communities, and how health professionals can help advance more equitable disaster response. Join or support the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our music was composed by James Harp.
Content warning: This episode discusses mass violence, disasters, and their psychological impact. Some listeners may find these topics distressing. Please take care while listening and feel free to pause or skip this episode if needed. Disasters affect more than homes and infrastructure. They can also have lasting impacts on mental health and well-being. What can we do to help people recover? On the third episode of Extreme Weather Explained, host Dr. Lisa Patel sits down with April Naturale, a nationally recognized traumatic stress specialist who led New York's mental health response to 9/11. April shares how psychological first aid helps people recover, why community connections are essential, and what health professionals can do to support healing. Mentioned in this episode: Psychological First Aid online training from the National Center for PTSD: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/continuing_ed/psych_firstaid_training.asp Psychological First Aid online training from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network: https://nctsn.org/resources/psychological-first-aid-pfa-online Psychological First Aid for Schools: https://www.nctsn.org/resources/psychological-first-aid-schools-pfa-s-field-operations-guide Stress First Aid: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/disaster_events/for_providers/stress_first_aid.asp Join or support the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our music was composed by James Harp.
From firing staff and freezing recovery grants to rolling back resilience programs, recent changes to FEMA have left it unprepared to deal with worsening extreme weather. What does that mean for our communities? On the second episode of Extreme Weather Explained, host Dr. Lisa Patel sits down with Shana Udvardy, a Senior Climate Resilience Policy Analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Shana breaks down recent changes to the agency, what they mean for our ability to prepare for and respond to extreme weather, and how health professionals can help people stay safe this Danger Season. Mentioned in this episode: Union of Concerned Scientists : https://www.ucs.org/ UCS Blog: https://blog.ucs.org/ NPR Hurricane Katrina Series: https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-84645/hurricane-katrina-anniversary Join or support the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.
Welcome to our 2026 summer series, "Extreme Weather Explained ." To kick things off, host Dr. Lisa Patel sits down with Shel Winkley, the S enior E ngagement S pecialist and M eteorologist at Climate Central. Shel breaks down what a "super" El Niño could bring, the ways climate change is reshaping extreme events, and how health professionals can help people cut through the noise to understand these complex realities. Mentioned in this episode: Climate Central: https://www.climatecentral.org/ Billion Dollar Disasters Database: https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-services/billion-dollar-disasters Join or support the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.
Extreme heat is already the deadliest weather-related hazard in this country. The good news is that this is preventable. Saving lives starts with preparing before heat hits while laying the foundation for more resilient communities. Our guest is Grace Wickerson, senior manager of climate and health at the Federation of American Scientists. In this special Heat Safety Week episode, w e talk about how heat resilience efforts are evolving, promising solutions emerging across the country, and a new state and local heat policy agenda that's in the works. Federation of American Scientists: https://fas.org/ State and Local Heat Policy Agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15gJpL7D4OVP8tWAuTNpY6JC6MHPPFVXIKzxffSuxnbo/edit?usp=sharing Support the State and Local Heat Policy Agenda: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPmAHymTNfQ2hrgIHwX9ccTXgzopsGtYXYDETBTJj773m_RA/viewform Join or support the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.
From Big Tobacco to the gun industry, we know what happens when powerful industries avoid responsibility: Communities pay the price with their health and their lives. Now, a similar effort is underway. The fossil fuel industry is currently working to secure immunity from laws and lawsuits that could hold them liable for fueling the climate crisis, and running a campaign of denial, disinformation, and deception. In this episode, Iyla Shornstein , political Director at the Center for Climate Integrity , shares what a push for immunity could mean, where we've seen this playbook before, and how health professionals can respond. Center for Climate Integrity: https://climateintegrity.org/ Join or support our movement here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.
At the 2026 Our Planet, Our Health Convention, three incredible health professionals courageously told the story of how and why they became the climate advocates they are today. You can now hear their stories in this special epsiode. Our storytellers are Nisha Sridhar, a fourth-year medical student; Wendy Bernstein, a senior community psychiatrist at the Wellness Equity Alliance; and Sheetal Khedkar Rao, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago. When health professionals share our stories, we help people remember our words, find their purpose, and boldly envision a healthier future. We hope this episode is the dose of inspiration you need to share your own. Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.
Our annual conventions bring health professionals and advocates from around the country together to learn and innovate. This year, three participants agreed to visit our new podcast studio to share what they're up to, their passion and commitment, their projects at home, and their particular approach to climate health. Dr. Amanda d'Almeida (California) is a newly minted family physician with a focus on community health and education. Dr. Keisha Reneé Callins (Georgia) is an OB/GYN with a lens of system change at both clinical and legislative levels. Dr. John Balbus (Maryland) is a long-time leader in climate health policy who points out all the ways policy breakthroughs are persisting, and the diverse pathways we can take. These are their stories. Referenced in this episode: Medicine Explained: https://www.medicineexplained.org/social the NUANCE // a community health podcast: https://www.medicineexplained.org/podcast The Climate & Health Equity Fellowship: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/climate-and-health-equity-fellowship-chef/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.
Climate change is increasingly shaping why people are forced to leave their homes, the risks they face along the way, and their health and safety in new places. Today's guest is Marysel Pagán Santana, DrPH, MS, the Director of Environmental and Occupational Health of Migrant Clinicians Network in Puerto Rico. She leads and coordinates MCN projects related to occupational health, disaster preparedness, and emergency response. She sits down with host Dr. Lisa Patel to explore who is affected, what health systems can do to better understand their needs to ensure continuity of care, and how seeing migration as normal can help us build stronger communities. Migrant Clinicians Network: https://www.migrantclinician.org/ MCN Health Network: https://www.migrantclinician.org/our-work/health-network.html Support our work and become a member of the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/donate-or-become-a-member/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.
In this special mini episode, we're taking a moment to reflect on where we've been this year and to look ahead at what the path forward may hold in 2026. Support our work and become a member of the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/donate-or-become-a-member/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.
Cancer Alley is an 85-mile stretch of land from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. With the largest density of petrochemical operations in the world, the area is ground zero for environmental injustice and human rights violations. Sharon Lavigne is a pioneering organizer who resides along Cancer Alley in St. James Parish, Louisiana. She's a former special education teacher who founded RISE St. James to push back against the proliferation of petrochemical industries. In this episode, Sharon reflects on the health harms her community faces, the fight against industry presence, and what healthcare professionals can do to be better allies in this advocacy. If you would like to support Sharon and RISE St. James, please click here: https://risestjames.org/ . Their work is truly a fight to survive, thrive, and prosper. We can do our part by not looking away and lending our time, energy, and resources to a healthier, safer future. Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.
As families start gathering this holiday season, this episode invites us to consider how nourishing ourselves with thoughtful food choices can also help care for the planet. Our guest is Dr. Tamiko Katsumoto. Dr. Katsumoto is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology at Stanford University and is board-certified in lifestyle medicine. She is passionate about educating her patients and colleagues on the merits of more sustainable and healthier diets as a way to improve individual health and mitigate climate change. Referenced in this episode: Plants for Joints study: https://academic.oup.com/rheumatology/article/62/8/2683/6972770?login=true Blue Zones study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6125071/ Support our work and become a member of the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/donate-or-become-a-member/ The EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and just food systems: https://www.thelancet.com/commissions-do/EAT-2025 Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.
From global walkouts and strikes to protests and boycotts, youth climate activists are showing how collective action can drive real change by organizing and mobilizing thousands around bold campaigns. At the same time, help professionals are bringing their expertise and trusted voices to the fight. So how do we bring these groups together to amplify their impact and tackle the complex challenges of climate change more effectively than ever before? On the final episode of "The Organizer's Handbook," guest host Dr. Pedja Stojicic sits down with Dominika Lasota, a youth climate justice activist. Dominika discusses the power of simple messages and building connections with communities on the frontlines of the crisis, explores how youth organizers and health professionals can learn from one another to build a stronger movement, and reflects on her vision for the future. Support our work and become a member of the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/donate-or-become-a-member/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.
The climate crisis is calling on health professionals to organize in new ways. Around the world, they're turning that concern into collective action. In the second episode of our fall organizing series, guest host Pedja Stojicic sits down with Shweta Narayan, a trained social worker with over two decades of environmental justice campaigning and advocacy experience. She discusses the scope of the problem, what true solidarity looks like in organizing, and how trust and humility can help health professionals build stronger, more hopeful movements. Referenced in this episode: Cradle to Grave Report: https://climateandhealthalliance.org/cradle-to-grave-the-health-toll-of-fossil-fuels-and-the-imperative-for-a-just-transition-2nd-edition/ Global Community Organizing and Advocacy for Climate and Health (Global COACH) Scholars: https://fxb.harvard.edu/global-coach/ Global Climate and Health Alliance: https://climateandhealthalliance.org/ Doctors for Clean Air: https://doctorsforcleanair.org/ Support our work and become a member of the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/donate-or-become-a-member/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.
As the effects of the climate crisis worsen, more and more health professionals are recognizing that healing their communities also means organizing for change. In the first episode of our new three-part miniseries, host Lisa Patel sits down with Drs. Gaurab Basu and Pedja Stojicic. They are showing what's possible in climate and health organizing, while helping others grow through training and mentorship. Gaurab and Pedja discuss their journeys into this work, the power of building connections, and how we can find hope in collective action. Referenced in this episode: People Power Health: https://www.peoplepowerhealth.org/ What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures: https://www.getitright.earth/ Climate Health Organizing Fellows Program: https://www.healthequity.challiance.org/climate-health-2023-24 Global Community Organizing and Advocacy for Climate and Health (Global COACH) Scholars: https://fxb.harvard.edu/global-coach/ Marshall Ganz's Community Organizing Framework: https://commonslibrary.org/organizing-people-power-change/ Support our work and become a member of the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/donate-or-become-a-member/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Our music was composed by James Harp.
Even in the face of exhausting headlines and deep division, communities are finding ways to care for one another, take bold local action, and imagine new possibilities. From installing solar panels at churches to advancing tribal energy sovereignty, these efforts show that freedom and hope can still be created. Our guest today is Reverend Casey Martinez-Tinnin, a queer pastor and justice advocate. He joins host Dr. Lisa Patel to talk about his journey into climate advocacy, his work with tribal nations and churches building clean energy independence, and the power of hope and authenticity. Referenced in this episode: Grey Snow Sovereign Solutions, LLC - https://greysnow.com/grey-snow-sovereign-solutions-llc/ "See No Stranger" by Valerie Kaur - https://valariekaur.com/books/see-no-stranger/ SunSource - http://www.sunsourceus.com The Landing Spot - https://www.thelandingspot.org/ Support our work and become a member of the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/donate-or-become-a-member/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Savannah Martincic is our manager of communication. Our music was composed by James Harp.
For the last 15 years, the endangerment finding has been a cornerstone of U.S. climate policy. Now, it and many other crucial protections are under attack. The proposed rollback would undermine mountains of scientific evidence and harm our health. Our guest today is the incomparable Gina McCarthy, who was serving as Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation when the endangerment finding was issued. We're thrilled to have her with us today to tell us more about why the endangerment finding and other regulations are essential to our health and economic well-being and what gives her hope for the path forward. Referenced in this episode: America Is All In: https://www.americaisallin.com/ Endangerment Finding Action Toolkit: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/action-alerts/action-toolkits-defend-the-endangerment-finding/ Support our work and become a member of the Consortium here: https://medsocietiesforclimatehealth.org/donate-or-become-a-member/ Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Savannah Martincic is our manager of communication. Our music was composed by James Harp.
Sustainability in healthcare is no longer a distant goal—it's happening now. Across hospitals, health professionals are rethinking long-standing practices to cut waste and make care safer, smarter, and more resilient. On this week's episode, host Lisa Patel sits down with Drs. Preeti Jaggi and Shreya Doshi. Together, they have established "Sustainabil-ID," a collaborative dedicated to advancing sustainable practices within healthcare, with a particular focus on infectious diseases. They discuss their journey into environmental stewardship, how health systems can be doing better, and what health professionals across all specialties can do to support this work. Referenced in this episode: https://academic.oup.com/jpids/article/13/6/306/7675997 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39346657/ If you are interested in joining Sustainabil-ID, please email sustainabilityiddocs@gmail.com . Support our work and become a member of the Consortium here . Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Savannah Martincic is our manager of communication. Our music was composed by James Harp.
Climate change has become one of the most polarizing issues in American politics. For decades, the conversation has often fallen along party lines, fueled by mistrust, disinformation, and entrenched beliefs. On this week's episode, host Lisa Patel sits down with Bob Inglis, a former U.S. Representative and current executive director of republicEN. They discuss his journey from skeptic to advocate, the importance of finding common ground, and how we create space for real dialogue to move us forward together. Referenced in This Episode RepublicEN Support our work and become a member of the Consortium here . Healthy Climate America is produced by Savannah Martincic. Our podcast consultant is Julie Hantman. Our podcast intern is Isaias Segui. Savannah Martincic is our manager of communication. Our music was composed by James Harp.
Extreme heat is a growing threat, and communities need practical solutions. In this episode, guest host Dr. Marc Futernick sits down with Jonathan Parfrey, executive director of Climate Resolve, to talk about a needed but often overlooked solution: cool surfaces. They discuss how cool surfaces can reduce urban heat, improve health outcomes, and deliver real economic and climate benefits. Plus, they explore how health professionals can advocate for these efforts locally. Referenced in This Episode Climate Resolve https://climateresolve.org/ Cool Surfaces in Pacoima https://climateresolve.org/cool-surfaces-in-pacoima/ Urban Heat Island Index for California https://calepa.ca.gov/climate/urban-heat-island-index-for-california/ Shine On Initiative https://climateresolve.org/shine-on-initiative/ Support our work and become a member of the Consortium by visiting http://bit.ly/member-mscch Healthy Climate America is produced by Lucy Walker. Our podcast interns are Isaias Segui and Mathilda Tataw. Savannah Martincic is our manager of communication. A sincere thank you to Adam Karl for his support in the editing process. Our music was composed by James Harp.
