Columbia public health experts are available for media interviews on the health impacts of these climate change-related emergencies, and how to protect ourselves
The Southwest and West are facing a second week of extreme temperatures that have already claimed more than a dozen lives. Approximately one in three Americans were excessive heat warnings, watches or advisories over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, powerful storms and flash floods have battered New England and the Northeast, and the smoke from Canadian wildfires continue to create unhealthy conditions for millions.
Environmental health scientists from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health are available for interviews about the health impacts of these conditions, how they are made worse by climate change, and what individuals and communities can do to protect themselves.
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Robbie Parks, PhD, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
Dr. Parks leads research health impacts of heat stress, wildfire smoke, flooding, and tropical cyclones. He has also published research on heat vulnerability and climate resilience in New York City.
Cecilia Sorensen, MD, Director of the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education and Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Columbia Irving Medical Center
Dr. Sorensen focuses nexus of climate change and human health, translating research into policy, clinical action, and education to build resilience in vulnerable communities. She is a member of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change and serves on the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative for Decarbonization of the U.S. Health Sector. She is the co-editor of the textbook Climate Change and Human Health: From Science to Practice.
Lew Ziska, PhD, associate professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
Dr. Ziska documents the impact of climate change and rising carbon dioxide levels on agriculture and food security. His most recent book is Greenhouse Planet. He has contributed to UN reports on climate change.
