News

Heat, Health, and Environmental Justice: Addressing Barriers in Underserved Communities

Date and time: January 14, 2024 from 11am-12pm ET

Register HERE

The built environment can play a large role in a person’s exposure to heat, as well as other manmade and climate change-related health hazards. This webinar will dive into the concept of environmental justice and how the legacy of racism and other structural and systemic barriers continue to persist in historically underrepresented and under resourced communities. Experts working and living in these communities are invited for a fireside chat to touch on persistent barriers and how heat continues to impact the health of community members.

Objectives:

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Recognize at least 1-2 structural and systemic barriers to reducing heat exposure within historically underrepresented and under-resourced urban communities.
• Identify at least 1 knowledge and 1 access to care gap to inform ongoing research priorities for historically underrepresented and under-resourced communities related to heat and health.
• Share strategies or resources to center the needs of communities at risk of heat exposure in your work (clinical care, community outreach, advocacy, teaching, or research).

Bios:

Saria Hassan, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Emory University School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health

Saria Hassan, MD, MPH is an esteemed Assistant Professor at both the Emory School of Medicine and the Rollins School of Public Health. As a physician and implementation scientist, she is dedicated to mitigating the inequitable health effects of climate change on populations both locally and globally. Dr. Hassan’s innovative work leverages implementation and systems science to support individuals living with chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes, especially in the context of climate-related disasters. Dr. Hassan currently holds an NIH/NHLBI-funded career development award, through which she collaborates with Federally Qualified Health Centers in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to enhance disaster preparedness for those with NCDs. Her previous experience includes working with the Pan American Health Organization to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of Non-Communicable Disease Kits for addressing regional NCD needs during disasters. She is now extending her expertise to Mozambique, partnering with the Instituto Nacional de Saude to bolster health system resilience for NCDs amidst cyclones. In Atlanta, Dr. Hassan has received an Environmental Protection Agency award to engage vulnerable communities in developing strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change on chronic diseases. Her academic journey includes a Bachelor of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Medical Degree from Harvard Medical School, Med/Peds training at Yale School of Medicine, and an MPH from the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Dr. Hassan’s dedication and interdisciplinary approach make her a leader in the field of health resilience and climate change adaptation.

 Yomi Noibi, PhD
Former Executive Director, Environmental Community Action

An esteemed community organizer and advocate for environmental justice in the state Georgia and beyond, Dr. Yomi Noibi has assisted Black communities in the Metro-Atlanta area with organizing for advocacy in the environmental justice movement since the early 1990’s. He emphasizes the importance of faith, community and environmental justice. Dr. Yomi served as executive director of Environmental Community Action (ECO-Action) from 2005 to 2022. He has worked with the residents of English Avenue and Vine City and collaborating partners such as the Community Improvement Association, the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, and the English Avenue Neighborhood Association for many years. He has taught – informally and formally – an ever increasing number of people about the Precautionary Principle, “Better Safe than Sorry”, while helping to grow the Proctor Creek Stewardship Council. Dr. Yomi holds a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in Science Education with a focus on Environmental Science and Industrial Hygiene and Safety. He has held a diversity of positions in the fields of environmental health and justice, including teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin (Green Bay) and the University of Lagos before moving on to lead the Education Department and served as Project Director for the Nigerian Conservation Foundation.