Environmental Health Matters Initiative July 11, 2018 Thomas Burke: - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Environmental Health Matters Initiative

July 11, 2018 Thomas Burke: Steering Committee Chair

• 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

Outline

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

Sciences Medicine

Transportation Research Board (TRB) Gulf Research Program (GRP) Health and Medicine Division (HMD) National Academy of Engineering National Academy of Sciences National Academy of Medicine Executive Office Division on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) Policy and Global Affairs Division (PGA) Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences (DEPS) Division on Earth and Life Studies (DELS)

National Academies Divisions

Strong History of Work Related to Environmental Health

DELS

PGA TRB

HMD

Reaching Out: What We Heard

Important Topics

• Health Impacts of Climate Change
• Mixtures, cumulative and aggregate

exposure impacts

• Air quality
• Water: water quality, water shortages,

water infrastructure

• Energy, alternative energy development;

non-carbon energy sources; fracking

• Transportation: transit infrastructure,

contribution to air quality and climate change

• Food contamination; pesticides &

agriculture

• Lead exposure
• Health disparities and environmental

j ustice

• 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

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

• pportunities.

Vision of EHMI

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

EHMI Goals

• 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

Strategies

Topics will be selected with broad input

• Human health impacts of environment (defined

broadly)

• Significant scale of potential health impact
• Complex - need multi-disciplinary & multi-

sector input

• Varying maturit y of science
• not much known scientifically
• clearer science with limit ed translation

Identify Big Issues To Tackle

Some ideas mentioned are:

• Transportation choices & their impact on health
• Persistent compounds
• Health implications of industrial agriculture

practices

• Water infrastructure
• Climate change impacts on health
• Childhood lead exposure and effects

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 Environmental Health Work Urgent Consultations When Crises Demand

What does Success Look Like?

• A new lens for environmental health
• Perspectives from different scientific disciplines
• Cross-sector perspectives for solutions
• S
• lid understanding between environment and human health
• Novel solutions
• Important questions answered

Where Are We Now? What Do We Need from You?

• Winter 2018

– Steering Commit t ee Appointed

• Spring 2018

– Strategy work

• Summer 2018

– Presentation and gather input on init iative

strategy

– Refine strategy

• Fall 2018

– Appoint full commit t ee; expand liaison

coordination group

– Select init ial set of topics

• Winter 2018

– Begin work on init ial topics

• For the core init iative activity:

– Provide feedback on the plan – Suggest leaders and sectors to serve on

commit t ee or liaison coordination group

– Suggest topics

• For topic-focused meetings:

– Provide input on the specific issues and

challenges

– Suggestions for other people, sectors, and

groups to involve

– Participate in meetings to develop the

• pportunit y maps

Alexander von Humboldt

Humboldt revolutionized the way we see the natural world. He found connections everywhere. Nothing, not even the tiniest

• rganism, 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

• f 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