Climate and Health

Climate variability and change pose complex risks to our health. Dramatic examples can be found in the headlines: a powerful tropical storm sweeps in with such force that hundreds of thousands are left homeless and sanitation systems are destroyed. Less dramatic but equally troubling is the gradual impact of longer term change: warming trends, for example, that bring infectious disease like malaria to regions that were once free of it.

Designing public health interventions to address climate-related health issues like these has been hampered by a shortage of professionals with the ability to translate climate and health science into action. The Mailman School’s new Climate and Health Certificate aims to help remedy that situation.

This dynamic program - rare in schools of public health - will provide a new generation of interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners with the tools to understand, anticipate, and prevent adverse health consequences from climate variability and change. It brings together resources from around Columbia University, including the Earth Institute’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), to provide a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary training.

Graduates will find a range of career options at state and city health departments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control, consulting firms, NGOs, and corporations.

Admissions Eligibility

Climate and Health is open to Columbia MPH students in:

Environmental Health Sciences
Epidemiology
Health Policy and Management
Population and Family Health
Sociomedical Sciences

This program requires applicants  to have one semester of calculus and one year of biology, chemistry, or physics in addition to the general admissions requirements of all students. Note that given the required classes, this certificate may be most compatible for students enrolled in Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology, Health Policy and Management, and Population and Family Health.

Learn More

Visit the School's Academics website for more information about Climate and Health's required courses, certificate electives, and scheduling.