Planetary Health Education
As the health impacts of climate change intensify, there is a growing imperative to integrate planetary health into health professional education. This panel will explore how educators and learners are advancing climate-responsive curricula across disciplines, from medicine to pharmacy to health administration. Through diverse approaches to curriculum development, competency frameworks, and student-led advocacy, panelists will examine opportunities to embed sustainability, equity, and environmental accountability into health education and prepare future leaders for a climate-resilient future.
This panel will be hosted by Dr. Ross Upshur and feature talks from:
Speakers
Talk Title: Identifying Planetary Health Competencies to Guide the Integration of Planetary Health Within Pharmacy Curriculum
Bio: Jocelyn Bonti-Ankomah completed a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at Carleton University before earning her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Waterloo. She worked in community pharmacy prior to completing a hospital pharmacy residency at The Ottawa Hospital. Her residency project focused on Planetary Health Competencies in pharmacy education, an emerging area that introduced her to the broader impacts of pharmacy on planetary health and the potential role of pharmacists in advancing sustainability. Jocelyn is now practicing as a pharmacist at Saint-Vincent Hospital in Ottawa.
Talk Title: Advancing Climate Change Education With the Planetary Health Report Card
Bio: Genny Ng is currently pursuing a Master of Health Science in Health Administration at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation. She started her career in healthcare as a Respiratory Therapist and is now the Manager of Quality & Patient Safety at Sunnybrook. In this role, Genny leads accreditation preparations and quality improvement initiatives to enhance patient care. She is also the Co-Chair of Sunnybrook’s Green Task Force, where she oversees various sustainability efforts within the organization. Genny’s expertise spans both patient safety and environmental sustainability, making her a leader in improving healthcare quality from multiple angles.
Talk Title: Development of a Planetary Health E-Learning Module for Family Medicine Residents and Teachers
Bio: Dr. Marlee Vinegar is a Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Family Medicine resident at the University of Toronto. She completed her MPH in 2018 at the University of British Columbia.
Talk Title: Development of a Planetary Health E-Learning Module for Family Medicine Residents and Teachers
Bio: Dr. Kathy Yu is a Public Health and Preventive Medicine resident at the University of Toronto. She is currently completing an MPH in Epidemiology at University of Toronto.
Moderator
Bio: Ross Upshur is currently the Dalla Lana Chair in Clinical Public Health and Head of the Division of Clinical Public Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. At the University of Toronto, he is a Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Associate Director of the Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health and Sustainable Care, Affiliate Member of the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, Member of the Joint Centre for Bioethics. He serves as Co-chair of the WHO Ethics and Governance Working Group, chairs the Canadian College of Family Physicians Ethics Committee and is Special Advisor to the Ethics Review Board of Doctors Without Borders. Research interests span multiple domains at the intersection of ethics, epistemology, clinical medicine and public health with applications to climate change, pandemics, and artificial intelligence. He is an elected Fellow of the Hastings Center and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.