Confronting Climate Change

By Interviews by Tim Paul | Photographs by John Herr

November 6, 2023

Our Climate and Health Program is the first of its kind in a school of public health and the first to offer a PhD. The students are pioneers in an essential new specialty, facing the health risks of a warming planet. Over the past 12 years, almost 100 have graduated with master’s or doctoral degrees. Meet nine who are training to fight this existential threat.

Tanaya Sadanand Ambadkar, MPH ’24

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Favorite Thing I’ve Done So Far

My favorite thing is that I can attend open lectures and student club events and make new connections. I am currently the vice president of Students for One Health. We raise awareness and promote optimal health for people, animals, and the environment. I have been interested in the link between the three since I started working on wildlife diseases after completing my first master’s in wildlife conservation. I read about how the threat of infectious diseases and zoonotic diseases has increased with climate change. We need to study possible interactions with the environment that can increase disease risk. One example is Lyme disease. The ticks’ ranges are expanding and so are the seasons they are active.

Emma Gorin, PhD ’25

Why Climate and Health?

I was interested in researching infectious disease dynamics in Dr. Jeff Shaman’s lab, and I had heard good things about the program—specifically, about the supportive, welcoming faculty and students. The health impacts of climate change are among the most pressing issues that humanity will face in the coming decades, and it’s motivating to be part of an interdisciplinary group of researchers tackling them from different perspectives and using different methods.

Why Columbia Mailman School?

New York City is my hometown, and the Columbia Mailman School’s reputation precedes it.

Misbath Daouda, PhD ’23

My Path to Public Health

I was born in Dakar, Senegal, and grew up between Dakar and Cotonou, Benin. I got a BS in chemistry and a BA in Hispanic studies from Washington College and an MPH in environmental health from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. I chose Columbia Mailman because of the Climate and Health Program and for the opportunity to work with my advisor, Dr. Darby Jack. I also really looked forward to living in New York City.

Latest “Wow!” Moment

I came across the term solastalgia, which refers to the distress caused by environmental change. As opposed to homesickness, which occurs when people are separated from home, solastalgia comes about as people are still living in the places they call home but see those places being eroded due to environmental change. We need to expand the definition of climate impacts on mental health and quality of life to be able to account for such outcomes.

Achievement I’m Proudest of to Date

I was invited to speak on the Climate Justice and Health Equity panel of the American Climate Leadership Summit where I discussed the implications of decarbonization policies in U.S. cities for children’s health and health disparities. As scientists, we have a responsibility to communicate with the public, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to do so alongside terrific leaders.

Daniela Cortes, MPH ’23

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Why Climate and Health?

The more you understand climate science, the harder it can be to remain optimistic. I remember Professor Jeff Shaman acknowledging this sentiment but concluding that, with the understanding of how fragile our atmospheric systems are, we have no other option than to do something about it through climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Achievement I’m Proudest of to Date

I worked with three organizations as part of my summer practicum experience: an air quality sensor startup, an environmental nonprofit, and an academic research center affiliated with Columbia’s Climate School.

Favorite Thing I’ve Done So Far

By far, my favorite thing about Columbia Mailman has been the people I’ve met, especially my peers in Environmental Health Sciences. We’ve created a close-knit community of colleagues and friends.

Vivian Do, PhD ’25

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Why Climate and Health?

My family is in San Francisco, and we live in an old house next to a freeway and several gas stations, so we are already breathing in air pollution that I now know is terrible for our health. It was difficult for me to see the orange skies from the wildfires and the related air pollution coating everything. Having my loved ones experience the very real impacts of climate change was hard. Knowing that these will continue to disproportionately affect my family, my community, and others like mine is even harder. That drives my dedication to the field. I hope to make a difference.

Latest “Wow!” Moment

My PhD research work is largely on electrical power outages. Recently, my academic world and my personal world collided when I got to talk with my dad about solar panels and electrification. We chatted about government incentives, the technology available, concerns, costs, climate change, and more. I could easily see how I connect the change I want to make with the people I want to help.

Favorite Thing I’ve Done So Far

I absolutely love going everywhere during spring when flowers are blooming, from walking through residential streets to visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. And using my student discount!

In Five Years I Will …

I 100 percent know that I want to be a mentor. As a child of immigrants and the first in my family to graduate middle school, I would not be where I am academically today without excellent mentors. I plan to pay this forward, especially for those coming from similar underrepresented backgrounds.

The School as Climate Convenor

Launched in 2017, the Columbia Mailman School-based Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE) was born from a meeting at the 2015 COP-21 conference in Paris. GCCHE now has more than 300 members on six continents. Its mission is to make climate and health a key part of health sciences curricula. The newest members include the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Dental Education Association. GCCHE also recently partnered with the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health to develop a toolkit for integrating climate and health competencies into public health degree programs.

Earlier this year, the consortium led a course on resilience for 2,000 health professionals across the Americas, with classes in three languages. A separate capacity-building project brought together transdisciplinary teams of scientists, policymakers, and community stakeholders. Last summer, the first training was held in Asia; trainings are planned for Europe and Africa. This fall, GCCHE debuted a course focused on El Niño in the Americas.

“We’re thinking not just about climate impacts on health, but also about how we bolster the resilience of the entire health sector—how we educate, how do we engage and build capacity among health decision-makers at all levels,” says GCCHE Director Cecilia Sorensen, MD, associate professor of Environmental Health Sciences.

Nico Hamacher, MPH ’23

Why Climate and Health?

I grew up in a farming community in rural Oregon with an interest in medicine. Studying climate and health allows me to combine my interests. I love how I’m able to interact with a wide variety of people through this work and be united by a common goal. I was originally interested in vertical farming—a term coined at Columbia Mailman School—but ended up being drawn to climate and health through my interactions with Dr. Cecilia Sorensen.

Latest “Wow!” Moment

I’m a fellow at the Global Consortium for Climate and Health Education here, and I’ve been blown away by the thousands of participants from around the world who register for our workshops. It demonstrates a massive thirst for climate and health knowledge in the medical sphere. I helped organize and moderate several events, including the Caribbean Climate and Health Responders Course. I also co-authored a paper about the course, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.

Favorite Thing I’ve Done So Far

I love getting to engage with my professors and work alongside them. The Environmental Health Sciences Department has become like my second family here in New York City.

Ethan Quaye, MPH ’24

Latest “Wow!” Moment

I learned that aerosols actually have a mitigating impact on global warming, which really highlighted the Catch-22 nature of our current global system.

Achievement I’m Proudest of to Date

I’ve been working on the Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Public Health. You choose a town or city to analyze potential adverse health exposures. Based on geospatial data and climate forecasts, you construct and present a policy memo. My focus was New York City. My biggest takeaway was that there has been no consideration given to increased pollen prevalence caused by global warming, and that future planted trees should be hypoallergenic to prevent asthma development.

In Five Years I Will…

Be working in environmental health policy at an international nongovernmental organization, hopefully living somewhere interesting.

Essential Reads

Children’s Health and the Peril of Climate Change
(Oxford University Press)

Frederica Perera, MPH ’76, DrPH ’82, PhD ’12, professor of Environmental Health Sciences and founder of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, makes a case that children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution and climate stressors.

Greenhouse Planet
(Columbia University Press)

Lewis Ziska, PhD, associate professor of Environmental Health Sciences, is a plant biologist who served for nearly 25 years as a scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He discusses the implications of increased CO2 for plants, people, and ecosystems—from crop yields to seasonal allergies and from wildfires to biodiversity.

Muhammad Khan, MPH ’24

Why Climate and Health?

I was born in Pakistan and raised in Anchorage. The two places I call home are severely affected by climate change. Having witnessed how climate change impacts vulnerable populations, I want to be a part of the solution.

Achievement I’m Proudest of to Date

I taught a class in the Climate and Health Seminar about climate-resilient infrastructure. Climate change is causing a rise in extreme weather conditions. For example, Pakistan recently experienced its worst flooding in years. Installing flood barriers can protect low-lying areas and vital infrastructure from flooding.

In Five Years I Will …

Lead climate-resilient infrastructure development projects in low- and middle-income countries.

Exciting Climate Research

Two of the eight Columbia Mailman Centennial Grand Challenges grants convene an interdisciplinary team to address climate-related issues.

We all know a burger isn’t the best choice for our health. But did you know the livestock sector alone constitutes nearly 15 percent of human greenhouse gas emissions? In an ongoing research project, Lewis Ziska, PhD, associate professor of Environmental Health Sciences; Donald Edmondson, PhD, MPH, associate professor of Behavioral Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center; and Sining Zhou, MPH ’20, associate research scientist at Columbia Mailman School, are developing a mobile app so people can see their carbon “foodprint.” They hope it will guide users’ grocery shopping and eating choices. “If I change my source of meat from beef to chicken, I save 1,000 pounds of CO2. In addition to that, I lower my cholesterol. What’s not to like about that?” says Ziska.

A separate project, led by Samantha Garbers, PhD ’12, associate professor of Population and Family Health, is exploring factors that limit federal funding for research on the role of climate and environmental exposures in high rates of Black maternal mortality and preterm birth. The team of environmental health scientists and legal and regulatory experts reviewed some 300 peer-reviewed papers funded through the National Institutes of Health. Next, they will interview various stakeholders to tease out specific factors involved.

Sarah Tan, MPH ’24

Latest “Wow!” Moment

Recently I learned about climate-related disaster risk reduction and community resilience in the Philippines following hurricanes and other climate events. Hearing directly from professionals from the Philippines was inspiring.

Achievement I’m Proudest of to Date

I just wrote a paper on regenerative agriculture as an effective climate mitigation strategy. In other words, practices focused on restoring soil health—water retention, fertility, nutrient content—support increased food production while producing less greenhouse gas emissions by increasing soil carbon content. This topic lies at the intersection of many of my interests, and I was excited to find evidence of the multifaceted benefits of regenerative agriculture.

Why Columbia Mailman School?

New York City is a global hub at the forefront of public health efforts. The School offers a comprehensive environmental health program and opportunities to partner with Columbia’s Earth Institute and Climate School. My favorite part is learning from my peers. Everyone is passionate about public health.

Tim Paul is editorial director in the Columbia Mailman School Office of Communications.

Confronting Climate Change was first published in the 2023-2024 issue of Columbia Public Health Magazine.

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