{"id":197869,"date":"2023-04-20T11:28:48","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T15:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=197869"},"modified":"2023-06-27T12:56:54","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T16:56:54","slug":"uconn-healths-student-driven-sustainability-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2023\/04\/uconn-healths-student-driven-sustainability-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Health\u2019s Student-Driven Sustainability Efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some ambitious medical and dental students are finding the time to make sustainability a greater priority at UConn Health.<\/p>\n

Since Earth Day 2022, they\u2019ve been busy organizing and executing plans to that not only are earth-friendly, but in many cases promote health and well-being.<\/p>\n

For example, for Earth Day 2023, they\u2019re holding a clothing swap in the student lounge, where students can exchange clothing as a way to reduce waste, saving resources rather than purchasing new, while diversifying their wardrobe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe put out a couple of bins near the academic entrance,\u201d says third-year medical student Ned Wilson, a co-president of the student sustainability group at UConn Health. \u201cWe got clothing donations from people who, instead of just throwing them away, may be just trying to refine their wardrobe or are getting rid of some clothes and don\u2019t know what to do with them. It\u2019s an opportunity to exchange clothing or just pick up new pieces of clothing if you need them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Dr. Kirsten Ek, the UConn School of Medicine’s course director (center), brought student activists to the Connecticut Convention Center Oct. 21, 2022, to join her in presenting a continuing medical education talk about climate and health at the annual meeting of the American College of Physicians Connecticut chapter. Pictured with her, from left, are Maggie Boudreau, Sulaikha Buuh, Khaoula Ben Haj Frej, Max Braun, Alexandria Gonzalez, Kiran Singh-Smith, and Ned Wilson. Many of these students also helped develop and present a climate and health curriculum session to more than 160 first-year medical and dental students in March 2023. (Photo provided by Kirsten Ek)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That\u2019s taking place Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

A less obvious effort to create change comes by way of adding sustainability awareness to the curriculum. Students have worked with Dr. Thomas Manger<\/a>, assistant dean of preclerkship medical education, and other faculty to introduce more environmental-based application exercises to promote a broader view of climate change on health care. One of the goals is to push medical and dental students to think about the impacts of fossil fuels on their future work, as well as how people are affected by the changing world.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing we recently did is raise awareness of the fact that the more greenhouse gases we create by burning fossil fuels, the more likely you\u2019re going to have skin cancer, because the ozone starts to be depleted,\u201d Wilson says.<\/p>\n

Another example is research showing that longer summer seasons can allow for a wider window of time for Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.<\/p>\n

Members of the UConn chapter of the American Student Dental Association have formed an ASDA sustainability committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are inspired to reduce waste in our clinics and promote sustainable practices to protect the health of our patients and planet,\u201d says second-year student Michael Truhlar.<\/p>\n

Among their objectives is to develop and present sustainability material to second-year students during their official clinic orientation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen second-year students first transition into the clinics it can be intimidating, and in their eagerness to be prepared for any situation they frequently grab more supplies than necessary,\u201d says classmate Julia Clapis. \u201cWe are trying to teach good habits of early preparation so the students know exactly what the patient\u2019s needs will be and only grab what is necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other efforts have included:<\/p>\n