Academic Centre

Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health & Sustainable Care

The Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health & Sustainable Care is a new multi-faculty academic unit at the University of Toronto.

Launched in November 2023, the Collaborative Centre is an initiative of four faculties: the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, and the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacywith an administrative home for Temerty Medicine in the Department of Family and Community Medicine.

This new unit will catalyze research, education, and practice change in clinical care, health system management, health policy, and public health to meet the transformative challenges posed by climate change and the demands of sustainability.

Pillars of Activity

Education (Theme Lead, Ross Upshur)
The Collaborative Centre will explore options for supporting health professions and graduate health sciences education.
Research (Theme Lead, Quinn Grundy)
The Collaborative Centre will assess research needs, identify opportunities for catalyzing research and connecting with trainees from across UofT, and develop a network and directory of members.
The Collaborative Centre serves as the Secretariat for the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN) Sustainable Health System Community of Practice. The new unit will explore opportunities to strengthen the Sustainable Health System Community of Practice and build links to other Communities of Practice.

The leadership team for the Collaborative Centre is drawn from its founding faculties.

Fiona A. Miller, PhD

Fiona A. Miller, PhD, is Director and a Professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Fiona is deeply engaged in efforts to deliver low carbon, sustainable and climate resilient health systems, informed by her expertise in policy, regulation, leadership, and performance management.

Ross Upshur, MA, MSc, MD

Ross Upshur, MA, MSc, MD, is Associate Director and a Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and The Dalla Lana School of  Public Health. Ross has worked at the intersection of global ecological change, public health, ethics and environmental justice since his time with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF; Doctors without Borders) on the feasibility of environmental health research to characterize the health impacts of the destruction of the Aral Sea. He is working with the World Health Organization on a series of case studies in climate change and ethics.

Quinn Grundy, RN, PhD

Quinn Grundy, RN, PhD, is Associate Director and an Assistant Professor in the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing. Quinn directs the UofT WHO Collaborating Centre for Governance, Accountability, and Transparency in the Pharmaceutical Sector, and brings a commercial determinants of health perspective to analysis of sustainable healthcare and ecological decline.

TBD

TBD, Associate Director, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

The Collaborative Centre is currently undergoing strategic planning.

All interested parties are welcome to engage in the strategic planning process and centre events.

Upcoming Meetings & Events: 

  • Strategic Planning Meetings (Register here)
    • April 19, 2024, 12:30-2 PM
    • May 23, 2024, 12:00-1:30 PM
  • Topic-specific Strategic Planning Meetings (Register here)
    • Research - April 2, 2024, 12-1 PM
    • Education - April 16, 2024, 12-1 PM
    • Trainee engagement – date TBD
  • Climate & Health Seminar Series:
    • April 4, 2024, 4-5 PM - A Systems Perspective for Prescribers: Pharmaceuticals & the Environment (Register here)
    • April 9, 2024, 12-1 PM - The Environmental Co-benefits of Reducing Low-value Care: Prescribing & Pharmaceuticals (Register here)

For updates, please sign up for the Collaborative Centre’s mailing list.