Forum on Climate and Disease December 9 and 10

The link between global climate change and emerging disease threats will be addressed at the Forum on Climate and Disease on December 9 and 10 at Luce Hall, 34 Hillhouse Ave.

Co-sponsored by the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies’ (YIBS) Center for the Study of Global Change & Center for EcoEpidemiology, the forum cuts across disciplines tied to public health and the environment. It will take place at 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on December 9 and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on December 10.

The forum, which will feature 10 presentations, addresses the current state of knowledge on the relationship between climate and disease by bringing together a group of academic and government scientists with international experience in climate/disease research. Topics presented will address the need, capacity and benefits of understanding how climate influences risk for infectious diseases in humans. Speakers will also address the implementation of advanced technologies in disease surveillance and prediction based on climate data.

“This forum seeks to examine the scientific evidence on climate impact upon human disease and to identify key areas for future research,” said Durland Fish, professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale School of Medicine, who will provide an introduction and overview of the conference.

Some speakers include Richard W. Spinrad, assistant administrator for Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); faculty from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom; the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico; The Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins University; the University of Arizona and the University of Hawaii.

Some of the topics will be “Cholera Outbreaks and Ocean Climate,” “Influenza, Seasonality and Climate: An Overview of Facts and Unknowns,” “Predicting Malaria with Climate and Satellite Data,” and “Drought-associated Epidemics of Hemorrhagic Fevers and massive Population Loss in Mexico.”

Each presentation will be followed by a question and discussion period with audience participation. Karl Turekian of the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Yale will provide concluding remarks.

Admission to the forum is free and open to the public. The forum is supported by funding from ExxonMobil.

For additional information, please visit the Forum on Climate and Disease or call 203-432-9857.