2020

How Our Health Could Benefit If Clean Air Improvements During COVID-19 Shutdown Continued Post-Pandemic Via Climate Policies

Dec. 21, 2020

They estimated an economic benefit of $32-77 billion if air quality improvements during the Spring 2020 shutdown in NYC were sustained over 5 years. The improvements were the result of an estimated 60-percent decline in automobile traffic.

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Environmental Health Scientist Named to Effort Examining Military Burn Pits

Dec. 16, 2020

Dr. Kioumourtzoglou has been appointed to the Committee to Reassess the Department of Veterans Affairs Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry to study health effects of U.S. military waste combustion that have included plastic, shipping materials, electronic waste, and other material that may emit toxic compounds

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How Our Experts Are Helping Guide Policy on COVID-19

Dec. 04, 2020

From the early days of the pandemic, several of the Climate and Health Program's faculty have advised policymakers on how to respond to COVID-19

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Our Experts Contribute to Lancet Report on Climate and Health

Dec. 04, 2020

Assessment finds millions of lives can be saved with climate action, and Covid-19 shows everyone is vulnerable to converging health crises

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Cool Temperatures May Blunt Cognition in Older Adults

Nov. 13, 2020

New research found that lower temperatures are associated with an elevated risk of impaired cognition among individuals age 84 and older

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Prepared for a Pandemic

Nov. 10, 2020

Drs. Martinez, Shaman, and Pei shared their expertise to the broader scientific community and offered insights that have shaped public health policies

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Frontiers in Food 

Nov. 10, 2020

Dr. Ziska is featured in a school-wide profile of ongoing efforts to highlight various areas of food systems, malnutrition, and climate change disaster response.

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Doctoral Student’s COVID-19 Testing Disparities Research Makes Headlines

Nov. 05, 2020

The wealthiest neighborhoods—in fact, most of Manhattan below 110th Street—showed the highest rates of testing, while the poorest neighborhoods, such as in Central Brooklyn and the South Bronx, correlated with the lowest

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Study Finds Significant Link Between Air Pollution and Neurological Disorders

Oct. 20, 2020

Air pollution was significantly associated with an increased risk of hospital admissions for several neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias, in a long-term study of more than 63 million older U.S. adults

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Will the COVID-19 Virus Become Endemic?

Oct. 14, 2020

A new article explores the potential for COVID-19 to become endemic, identifying crucial contributing factors, including the risk for reinfection, vaccine availability and efficacy, as well as potential seasonality and interactions with other viral infections

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Climate Initiative Shares Preliminary Results on Benefits of Green Transportation Policies

Oct. 07, 2020

The findings highlight the health benefits of policies to reduce carbon pollution from the transportation sector

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Our Scientists Advise on Creation of New York City COVID-19 Lab

Oct. 05, 2020

The Pandemic Response Lab is now up and running in the Alexandria Center for Life Sciences on Manhattan’s East Side, and will scale up its capacity to process approximately 20,000 tests per day by November

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Wildfires Present a Growing Threat to Human Health

Sep. 14, 2020

A study documented increased pulmonary disease-related ED visits in the week of, week following, and two weeks following serious smoke events

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Lockdown Led to 70% Drop in NYC COVID Spread, Masks Also Effective

Sep. 14, 2020

The study supports the need for multiple interventions, including restricting occupancy to reduce contact rates, universal face covering, testing and contact tracing, and isolation and timing treatment of active infections

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School Hosts COVID-19 Course to Highlight Latest Science on the Pandemic

Aug. 31, 2020

A few Climate and Heath faculty members taught in a two-day online course hosted by the Mailman School of Public Health

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Study Quantifies Potential COVID-19 Spread from Hurricane Evacuation

Aug. 12, 2020

Directing evacuees to destinations with low virus activity and providing housing opportunities and resources that help maintain social distancing, encourage mask usage, and limiting opportunities for virus transmission will be essential

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Report Outlines U.S. Food System’s Vulnerabilities to Climate Change

Jul. 30, 2020

A new report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Climate Indicators for Agriculture,” outlines 20 indicators to track changes to the domestic agricultural system driven by global climate change

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Major Climate Initiative in the Northeastern U.S. Benefits Children’s Health

Jul. 29, 2020

A new study reports that the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) has been successful in reducing fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions and substantially improving children’s health

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Columbia Public Health Responds to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Jul. 01, 2020

Our experts are conducting research that informs the public and policymakers; collaborating with government authorities on pandemic response; advising Columbia University leadership on contingency planning; providing insights to credible news sources; and mobilizing volunteer efforts

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Study Examines Limiting School Capacity for New York City Reopening

Jul. 01, 2020

Modeling study compares potential New York City reopening policies, including to limit phase four reopenings and reinstate social distancing measures during an anticipated December spike

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COVID-19 Fatality Risk Is Double Earlier Estimates: Study

Jul. 01, 2020

The new estimates are based on robust New York City data and underline the importance of infection prevention, particularly among older adults whose risk is significantly elevated

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Subway Data Reveals Communities of Color Carry the Burden of Essential Work and COVID-19

Jun. 05, 2020

Areas with the lowest individual income and a greater percentage of non-White and/or Hispanic/Latino individuals used the subway to a greater degree during the pandemic, and the strongest driver of subway use in communities of color was the percent of individuals in essential work

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COVID-19 Projections: Delayed Response to Rebound Would Cost Lives

May 21, 2020

New projections find that delays in reimplementing social distancing following a relaxation of control measures could result in a stronger rebound of COVID-19 infections and deaths

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Context is Crucial in Discussion of COVID Disparities

May 15, 2020

During a May 7 media briefing, Professors Diana Hernandez, Markus Hilpert, and Micaela Martinez explained that high rates of COVID-19 in communities of color is a consequence of health disparities related to race, location, and socioeconomic status.

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Projections Suggest Potential Late May COVID-19 Rebound

May 07, 2020

Latest projections account for easing of stay-at-home orders in 25 states

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Employers Value Public Health Training in Climate Change

May 05, 2020

92 percent of employers who responded to a survey on climate change and public health reported that a need for public health professionals with training in climate change will very likely increase in the next 5 to 10 years.

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Risk of Coronavirus Reinfection Remains After Recovery

Apr. 29, 2020

Study of endemic coronaviruses finds reinfections with the same coronavairus are not uncommon, provides useful reference for understanding repeat infection risk with SARS-COV-2

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Latest COVID-19 Projections Point to Spring Peak

Apr. 22, 2020

Data models show that late April could be the peak for new U.S. cases nationally and a low point of hospital critical care capacity.

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Asthma Hospitalizations Drop After Power Plants Reduce Emissions

Apr. 13, 2020

Asthma-related symptoms, emergency department visits and hospitalizations all decreased, according to data from digital inhaler sensors and local hospitals

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National Institutes of Health Honors Environmental Health Scientist

Apr. 10, 2020

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences named Frederica Perera, PhD, recipient of the 19th Annual Spirit Lecture Award, recognizing her contributions to science and community engagement.

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Columbia Public Health Responds to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Apr. 02, 2020

Our faculty and staff are conducting research spanning work to better understand the virus and how it is transmitted; to project its spread; and to assess the U.S. and global health systems’ preparedness

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Visualizing COVID-19 in the Country's Epicenter

Mar. 26, 2020

Micaela Martinez, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences, has been aggregating city and state data and creating graphics to provide an easy-to-understand picture of the pandemic in New York

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Coronavirus Research: Direct to The New York Times

Mar. 23, 2020

Drs. Jeffrey Shaman and Sen Pei collaborated with the New York Times to publish their findings on the spread of coronavirus. Two prominent articles examine the potential impact of the pandemic in the United States and how the virus initially spread outside of China

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'Stealth Transmission' Fuels Fast Spread of Coronavirus Outbreak

Mar. 16, 2020

Undetected cases, many of which were likely not severely symptomatic, were largely responsible for the rapid spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, according to new research led by Dr. Jeffrey Shaman's group and published online in the journal Science

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Can We Talk About Climate Change?

Feb. 28, 2020

In the midst of the Australian wildfires, Alice Tivarovsky wakes up to climate change and seeks the advice of Dr. Lewis Ziska

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Just How Bad Is This Year’s Flu Season Going To Get?

Jan. 9, 2020

flu forecasting system developed by scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health is providing useful insights into those parts of the country most affected by the flu and when the worst of the season might be over

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