Hot, Hot, Hot:
Climate Change, Heat, and Health
Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 5:30 p.m.
1335 Health Sciences Learning Center
There is still time to register
This symposium will provide an overview of the science behind climate change, heat exposure and health consequences. The example of the 2003 heat wave that killed 15,000 people in France will illustrate the complex interplay of social and behavioral factors resulting in severe outcomes of heat exposure. Recent research on the role of heat and humidity on mortality of dialysis patients will demonstrate effects of a changing climate on patient care and public health.
Part of Earth Fest April 21-29, UW–Madison’s annual celebration of sustainability and the environment, bringing together students, faculty, staff and community members for a week of events on campus.
5:30-5:40 p.m. – Welcome, Topic and Presenter Introductions
- Jonathan Temte, MD, PhD, Associate Dean for Public Health and Community Engagement
5:40-6 p.m. – Underlying Science
Vijay Limaye, PhD, Director, Applied Research Initiatives, Science Office & International, Natural Resources Defense Council & Adjunct Assistant Professor of Population Health Sciences
- The science of climate change
- Heat and health
- Urban heat islands, nocturnal cooling
- Environmental heat justice
- Other attributes of global heating: drought, floods, cold snaps
- Further reading: “Climate Change and Heat-Related Excess Mortality in the Eastern USA”
6-6:20 p.m. – Recent History
Richard Keller, PhD, Chair, Department of Medical History and Bioethics
- Case Study: Paris heat wave of 2003
- Effects of beliefs, cultural practices, economics
- Tools for social interventions
- Further reading: “Climate Change, COVID-19, and the End of Excess Mortality”
6:20-6:40 p.m. – Research
Matthew Blum, MD, MHS, Assistant Professor of Medicine
- Vulnerable population: research on ESRD patients on dialysis
- Heat/humid days
- Hurricanes
- Further reading: “Extreme Humid-Heat Exposure and Mortality Among Patients Receiving Dialysis”
6:40-7 p.m. – Q&A / Discussion
- Considerations for adaptation, advocacy, and action
Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, the University of Wisconsin–Madison ICEP is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Past Symposia
Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024: All the Lonely People: Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation
Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024: Understanding the Impacts of Wisconsin’s Birth Tax: A Reproductive Justice Approach
Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023: Misinformation/Disinformation in Public Health
Thursday, March 30, 2023: Thirty Years of Tobacco Control Research and Intervention: Looking Forward, Looking Back
Thursday, Oct. 27, 2023: Race, Racism and COVID-19 in Wisconsin
April 21, 2022: A Conversation on Disability Rights
Oct. 6, 2021: Hot Topics in Public Health: Immigrant Health: An Insider’s View
April 28, 2021: Hot Topics in Public Health: Climate Change as a Public Health Emergency
October 26, 2020: Hot Topics in Public Health: Prevention of Gun Violence as a Public Health Strategy
January 27, 2021: Hot Topics in Public Health: The Coronavirus Pandemic at One Year
January 29, 2020: Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Real Time
Questions about this event? Contact SMPH Signature Events at smphevents@med.wisc.edu.
Accessibility statement:
The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is committed to accessibility. If you need an accommodation to attend or participate in this event, please contact the SMPH signature events team at smphevents@med.wisc.edu. We ask that accommodation requests be made no less than two weeks before an event. We will make a thorough attempt to fulfill requests made after this date but cannot guarantee they will be met.