Climate Change is a Health Crisis. Are Medical Schools Prepared?

by Aditi Malhotra On a gray, drizzly January afternoon, more than 80 students gathered inside room M106 at Stanford School of Medicine for a lecture on how the changing climate affects children’s health. Stanford physician-scientist Kari Nadeau, who focuses on allergies and asthma, discussed young patients she’s treated whose symptoms may be linked to climate-related stresses. She talked about a 12-year-old whose depression, insulin resistance and asthma seemed to be getting worse as a result of air pollution and extreme heat. She challenged the student audience to come up with possible diagnoses, and asked, “What can we do to improve […]