One of the most intriguing aspects of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), of the National Academy of Sciences, is constantly being exposed to visionaries across the various professions. What are the major issues facing society today? What can the best of interdisciplinary science and practice bring to address these priorities? What should be the role of educational institutions? Last fall, after the conclusion of NAM’s first fully virtual annual meeting, during which nearly 10,000 attended its scientific symposium, President Victor Dzau proffered as existential threats to society: “Deadly weather events fueled by climate change, including wildfires, hurricanes, and heatwaves, have a significant negative impact on human health.” He announced that Climate Change and Human Health were to be an NAM Grand Challenge. Thanking NAM members (psychologist) Judith Rodin and Phil Pizzo, co-chairs of the planning group, he announced that a forthcoming initiative will include a roadmap for transforming systems impacting climate and health; rallying actors and align resources behind ambitious goals such as decarbonizing the U.S. health care sector; and a global competition to foster interdisciplinary innovation to prevent and mitigate the health effects of climate change.
This summer, Victor announced that NAM has been working to identify aspects of climate change and human health where its Grand Challenge can make the biggest impact and, in parallel, has hosted a number of informative “salons” of influential cross-disciplinary and philanthropic leaders to stimulate interest and support. Highlights of his report: “Importantly, we held a meeting of stakeholders to plan for our forthcoming Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the U.S. Health Sector. This planning meeting brought together more than 60 leaders from the federal government, industry, hospital systems, private payers, academia, and non-profits to begin to identify a shared vision and collaborative pathway toward decarbonization of the U.S. health care sector. Dr. Rachel Levine, the U.S. HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, joined our meeting and provided opening remarks, reinforcing the importance of this Action Collaborative’s work and its alignment with the current administration’s policies.
“Critical areas of conversation included the importance of fostering connections between the public and private sectors; empowering health care workers to be leaders in prioritizing decarbonization and educating their patients and the public about the health impacts of climate change; the need for metrics-based evaluation and tracking of progress; establishing and communicating the business case for addressing climate change as a threat to human health; and, most importantly, the need for an equitable approach to this work, ensuring that the health of people of color and historically marginalized communities is protected and prioritized. We plan to launch the Action Collaborative later this summer. In parallel, we will continue to plan for the other two programmatic pillars of the Grand Challenge – the Roadmap for Systems Transformation and Research and Innovation.”
Our State Psychological Associations should reflect upon Vice President Al Gore’s Oscar winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth and convene discussions with other professions on this critical topic. Much can be learned by avoiding traditionally isolated silos and instead engaging in meaningful dialogue with other “learned professions.” While efforts at the national and international level are critically important, we have learned over the years that substantive change often requires commitment at the community level. An exciting example, Anne Klee, as Associate Editor for Psychological Services, will be seeking submissions on Spiritual Care and Collaboration with Chaplains in Organized Care Settings. These are exciting times for those with vision. “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls… And whispered in the sound of silence” (Simon & Garfunkel). Aloha