Center for Health Informatics Examining Environmental Impacts on Health Speaker Series: Warren G. Lavey

Dr. Warren Lavey is an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, teaching sustainability law and policy in the College of Law, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and School of Earth, Society & Environment.  He is active in community engagement projects and with the Planetary Health Alliance, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Union of Concerned Scientists, and other organizations.  Lavey earned juris doctor, master of science in applied math, and BA degrees from Harvard University, and a diploma in economics from Cambridge University.

Abstract:
Tax exempt hospitals and public health districts engage with community organizations and residents every three years in assessing and prioritizing community health needs, and then in developing implementation plans to address the priority needs.  With climate change affecting the health of every resident of Illinois and worsening, these community health needs assessments should integrate climate-related metrics and spur hospitals to engage with communities in climate resilience planning and education, prepare their operations for extreme weather and poor air quality conditions, reduce their environmental footprints, and advocate for climate resilience policies.

About the speaker series:
This speaker series brings together researchers on campus whose work touches on environmental impacts (e.g., air quality, water quality, weather patterns) on health, to share their current research and to foster discussion and collaboration.  

We meet most Tuesdays, noon-1 pm US Central Time, on Zoom.  This series is hosted by the iSchool’s Center for Health Informatics (CHI), in partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the University of Illinois’ Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI).