Invitation: Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), SFU & UBC Free Public Lecture

Lecture #6: Public Health and Climate Change

Climate change, extreme weather events and sea-level rise threaten large populations around the world. Important vulnerabilities for public health in this changing environment are air quality, extreme heat and drinking water.  Join UBC and SFU health scientists to learn more about the well-being of public health in context of anticipated climate change impacts.

Dr. Michael Brauer from UBC will present “Fires, smoke and heat: a good news bad news story?” The bad news: Climate can negatively impact health via multiple pathways. The good news: Not only can we effectively mitigate many health impacts associated with climate, a concerted focus on climate change can provide new opportunities to address some longstanding global health concerns.

Dr. Tim Takaro from SFU will follow with “Local and global challenges for public health: Water resources and disease in a world of shifting populations.” Inundations of low-lying areas, shifting infectious disease patterns, reduced snow, ice and other freshwater storage along with drying soils and increasing demands are present day challenges that are expected to increase over the next decades. Are our local and global public health systems ready for the challenge?

Date: Thursday, March 31, 2011, 7pm to 9pm

Location: HSBC Hall, UBC Robson Square, 800 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC

Live Web Stream: www.pics.uvic.ca/events.php

Register at http://www.picspublecture6.eventbrite.com.
(Free registration for this event is encouraged, but not required.)

We hope that you are able to make it, either in person or by watching the webcast.

Speaker Bios

Dr. Brauer is a Professor in the School of Environmental Health at UBC.  He also has an associate appointment in the School of Population and Public Health and directs the Bridge Program – a strategic training program linking public health, engineering and policy. Dr. Brauer’s research focuses on the health impacts of air pollution. He has participated in studies throughout the world and served on advisory committees to the World Health Organization, the US National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society of Canada, the International Joint Commission and governments in North America and Asia.

Dr. Takaro is a physician-scientist and Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU. Dr. Takaro’s research is directed toward linkages between human exposures and disease, and determining public health based preventive solutions to such risks. His work includes use of biological and other markers for medical surveillance, exposure assessment, and disease susceptibility with a focus on immunologic lung disease, human health and war, clinical occupational and environmental health and population resiliency in human health effects of climate change. Current research on human health and climate change focus on water quality in BC communities.  Current research collaborations includes projects in Bangladesh, Iraq, Mongolia, Cuba, the U.S. and Canada.