Press Release: Fifth Class of Climate and Health Equity Fellows Graduate

Contact:
Kimberly Williams
Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives
kwill20@gmu.edu

Washington, D.C.  – This weekend, the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, in partnership with the National Medical Association (NMA), graduated 14 fellows from the Climate and Health Equity Fellowship (CHEF) class of 2025.

Through 10 months of training, skills-building, mentorship, and applied projects, the fellowship equips physicians to advance solutions grounded in the realities of the communities they serve—especially those facing the greatest climate-related health burdens.

Fellows develop and implement capstone projects that translate research into actionable, community-centered strategies and policy solutions. Examples from this year include:

• Healthy Payers, Climate Sustainability, and Climate Resilience
• AI-Powered Climate Mental Health Toolkit for Psychiatric Providers
• Health Equity in Urban Asthma Care Among APIA Pediatric Patients
• Advancing Climate-Ready Care in Mississippi
• A Pediatric Residency Curriculum on Climate Change and Social Advocacy
• H.E.A.T & Harm Reduction

This graduating class also represents the fifth year of the fellowship. Since 2021, CHEF has trained over 50 physicians representing more than 20 states and U.S. territories, with fellows going on to become leaders in climate and health equity education and advocacy.

“Five years ago, this fellowship began with a bold and urgent recognition that climate change is already harming health, that it disproportionately impacts communities long burdened by structural inequities, and that physicians must be prepared not only to respond, but to lead,” said Fellowship Director Dr. Shaneeta Johnson. “Today, CHEF has grown into a global community of clinicians who are reshaping how healthcare understands its role in climate resilience and health equity.

Through the CHEF Alumni Engagement Network (CAEN), graduates maintain and expand professional relationships and ongoing career development. They actively advance the field by mentoring current fellows, authoring op-eds, engaging in international research collaborations, meeting with policymakers, and presenting at community forums and professional conferences.

CHEF is built on a collaborative, inclusive, and engaged framework that includes, incorporates, and partners with national organizations such as the American Public Health Association, the American Medical Association, the Association of American Indian Physicians, Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality, the Meharry School of Global Health, the National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians, the National Hispanic Medical Association, the National Medical Association, and Virginia Sea Grant. It is sponsored by the American Medical Association, Energy Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.