Environmental Health Matters Initiative July 11, 2018 Thomas Burke: Steering Committee Chair
Outline • Why are we here? Challenges and opportunities • How we got here • Input committee received • Proposed strategy • Vision & Mission • Goals • St rat egies and Tact ics • Moving forward together: engaging with you and your organizations • Breakout instructions
The Changing Nature of Environmental Problems • Energy • Climate change • Water quality and quantity • Food production and safety • Air quality • Chemical risks, cumulative exposures, low dose effects • Transportation • Land use and sustainable communities
Complex Problems Require Unprecedented Level of Cross-disciplinary & Cross-sector Expertise & Collaboration The challenges associated with environmental protection today: • Complex • Affected by many interacting factors • Various spatial scales and long temporal scales • May have global implications • Difficult to define • Unstable and socially complex • Have no clear solution or end point • Extend beyond the understanding of one discipline
The Future of Public Health “ The removal of environmental health authority from public health agencies has led to fragmented responsibility, lack of coordination, and inadequate attention to the health dimensions of environmental problems.” - IOM 1988
Many Components are Involved in Environmental Health
There are Efforts to Do Better
Call for Academies to Play a Leadership Role • Provides authorit ative, independent, obj ective analysis and advice • Convening power across many disciplines and sectors • Strong hist ory of work in environmental health
National Academies Divisions National Academy of National Academy of National Academy of Sciences Medicine Sciences Engineering Medicine Executive Office Division on Behavioral and Division on Engineering Social Sciences and and Physical Sciences Education (DBASSE) (DEPS) Health and Medicine Division on Earth and Life Policy and Global Affairs Division (HMD) Studies (DELS) Division (PGA) Transportation Research Gulf Research Board (TRB) Program (GRP)
Strong History of Work Related to Environmental Health DELS HMD TRB PGA
Reaching Out: What We Heard Important Topics • • Health Impacts of Climate Change Transportation: transit infrastructure, contribution to air quality and climate • Mixtures, cumulative and aggregate change exposure impacts • Food contamination; pesticides & • Air quality agriculture • Water: water quality, water shortages, • Lead exposure water infrastructure • Health disparities and environmental • Energy , alternative energy development; j ustice non-carbon energy sources; fracking • Vector borne diseases , impact of evt on transmission & exposure
Reaching Out: What We Heard Listening and Including • Involve different groups in identifying issues and opportunities • Develop solutions by bringing different groups together • Get grounded information into public realm better • Connect state, local and federal government • Listen to local groups • Partner with: – national organizations (environmental, transit) – agency scientists – society staff – public health institutions – local organizations
Vision of EHMI The EHMI aims to transform how the nation addresses the complex interplay of environmental factors affecting human health, to reduce the burden of disease and disability due to environmental factors and promote human health. Mission of EHMI The EHMI will enable various sectors to harness and mobilize cross sector and trans- disciplinary knowledge and strategies that take into account a holistic view of the interacting factors at work in complex environmental health challenges and opportunities.
EHMI Goals Goal 1: Explore the complexity of the challenges and what is needed to address them Goal 2: Identify opportunities for progress Goal 3: Advance the development of holistic and sustainable solutions Goal 4: Provide rapid expert input when appropriate
Strategies • Focus on significant issues • Facilitate understanding of the complexity of issues • Identify needs and opportunities (scientific questions to answer, actions to take) • Identify how different sectors and actors can contribute • Catalyze movement around issues and the generation of bold ideas • Be able to swiftly gather experts from various sectors and disciplines
Identify Big Issues To Tackle Topics will be selected with broad input Some ideas mentioned are: • Transportation choices & their impact on health • Human health impacts of environment (defined • Persistent compounds broadly) • Health implications of industrial agriculture • Significant scale of potential health impact practices • Complex - need multi-disciplinary & multi- • Water infrastructure sector input • Climate change impacts on health • Varying maturit y of science • Childhood lead exposure and effects • not much known scientifically • clearer science with limit ed translation
Consider and Engage a Broad Variety of Perspectives • Core Committee – Multiple disciplines (e.g., epidemiology, toxicology, behavior science, engineering, data science, sensing) • Coordinating Group of Liaisons – Multiple sectors (e.g., business sector, federal agencies, state and local agencies, medical practice communities, foundations, etc.) • Topic-S pecific Participants
Provide a Neutral, Trusted Convening Venue • Provide a safe haven for open discussions about challenges and opportunities • Participants will identify how different sectors and actors can contribute
For Each Topic, Ask the Key Questions to Create “Opportunity Landscapes” • What are the scientific questions? • What interventions are in place now, and where is more needed? • Where are the opportunities for innovation? • What are the barriers? • Who can lead us towards solutions?
Develop Opportunity Landscapes by Mapping the Environmental Health System for Each Issue • People – populat ion(s) of concern. • Environmental Health Assessment - drivers of t he environment al healt h cont inuum from source t o exposure t o healt h out come • Mediators of Health • Action Steps - specific act ions (est ablished act ions and gaps) • External Drivers t hat can facilit at e act ion and key barriers • Actors - key act ors and t heir role in relat ion t o key act ion st eps or ext ernal drivers • NASEM involvement, when NASEM ident ified as an import ant act or
National Academies Tools Familiar Tools • Consensus studies • Workshops, conferences, symposia • Roundtables, forums, standing committees Some Less Familiar Tools (and we’ re expanding!) • Ongoing Convening, including Action Collaboratives • “ Fit-for-purpose” communication, identifying and synthesizing existing NAS EM work and work of others • Fast Track studies on focused topics • Expert meetings, including Urgent & Informal Consultation
Tool Box Expansions Already Underway as Part of EHMI Usability And Access Of National Academies Urgent Consultations When Crises Demand Environmental Health Work
What does Success Look Like? • A new lens for environmental health • Perspectives from different scientific disciplines • Cross-sector perspectives for solutions • S olid understanding between environment and human health • Novel solutions • Important questions answered
Where Are We Now? What Do We Need from You? • • Winter 2018 For the core init iative activity: – Steering Commit t ee Appointed – Provide feedback on the plan • – Suggest leaders and sectors to serve on Spring 2018 commit t ee or liaison coordination group – Strategy work – Suggest topics • Summer 2018 – Presentation and gather input on init iative • strategy For topic-focused meetings: – Refine strategy – Provide input on the specific issues and challenges • Fall 2018 – Suggestions for other people, sectors, and – Appoint full commit t ee; expand liaison groups to involve coordination group – Participate in meetings to develop the – Select init ial set of topics opportunit y maps • Winter 2018 – Begin work on init ial topics
Alexander von Humboldt Humboldt revolutionized the way we see the natural world. He found connections everywhere. Nothing, not even the tiniest organism, was looked at on its own. “ In t his great chain of causes and ef f ect s,” Humboldt said, “ no single f act can be considered in isolat ion.” With this insight, he invented the web of life, the concept of nature as we know it today. Andrea Wulf in The Invent ion of Nat ure ht t ps:/ / www.brainpickings.org/ 2015/ 12/ 07/ t he-invent ion-of-nat ure-humboldt - wulf/ Alexander von Humboldt by Friedrich Georg Weitsch, 1806
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