The urgency to act to reduce and protect against threats to public health presented by climate change is increasing. The Global Nurses Climate Change Committee was formed in response to the urgency and need for health professionals to increase awareness and promote action that addresses climate change as a health imperative. The nursing profession is in a unique position to lead on this issue, with the committee offering the opportunity for nurses to engage on action that promotes mitigation and adaptation responses to the climate crisis.
The Climate Change Committee views climate change impacts from a global lens and works to incorporate elements of practice, education, research, and policy/advocacy as it relates to solutions to address this health crisis. Our current work includes developing educational resources that can be utilized by all specialties of nursing, identifying avenues for advocacy at local, state, and federal levels, and working within nursing organizations to prioritize this issue.
This committee encourages participation on an international level, as global unification is vital to advancing action to reduce health threats posed by climate change.
Our committee calls are held on the third Thursday of every month at 5 -6 pm US Eastern time.
Sign up for our Committee listserve so you can stay up to date with our activities: Sign up!
Meet our Climate Change Committee Co-Chairs:
Daniel J Smith, PhD, RN, CNE is a doctorally prepared nurse and the Weingarten Endowed Assistant Professors at Villanova University’s M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. During my PhD Studies, I was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholar, Cohort 5. My overarching research interest lies at the intersection of understanding the effects of climate change on the health outcomes of disenfranchised populations and how we can build climate resilience and adaptation skills in communities & health systems. In addition to my scholarship, I have worked clinical with multiple refugee and immigrant populations in the primary care setting. I am excited to be the co-chair of ANHE’s climate change committee and hope to bring my skills to advance the mission of the committee and the organization.
Kathy Simmonds, PhD, MPH, WHNP-BC is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Women’s Health/Gender-Related Nurse Practitioner Track in the School of Nursing at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. Her clinical work and research has focused on reproductive health, and more recently has expanded to include climate change and health. She is particularly interested in intersections between climate justice and reproductive justice, and welcomes collaboration with others also interested in this area. She is a member of the Steering Committee of the MGH Institute’s Center for Climate Change, Climate Justice, and Health. She lives with her husband and son on Peaks Island in the beautiful Casco Bay of Maine.
If you’d like more information on this committee, please contact Cara Cook.