AIHA University Webinar: Climate, Health and Sustainability 101

Earn 1.5 Contact Hours

Member $140 | Nonmember $185 | Student $25 

Climate change is altering weather patterns in ways that increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, with direct and growing implications for worker health, safety, and well-being. These impacts are often insufficiently addressed in traditional occupational and environmental health and safety (OEHS) programs, leaving organizations underprepared to protect workers and plan for future risks.

This introductory webinar provides OEHS professionals with a foundational understanding of climate change, health, and sustainability as they relate to the workplace. Participants will explore core sustainability concepts, the drivers of climate change, and the resulting health impacts on indoor and outdoor workers. Presenters will also discuss approaches to measuring, planning, and reporting sustainability metrics relevant to occupational settings.

The session will conclude with an interactive case study, allowing participants to apply key concepts to realistic workplace scenarios and strengthen their ability to integrate climate and sustainability considerations into worker protection and safety programs.

Learning Objectives
After this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Define foundational concepts and terminology related to sustainability and climate health.
• Identify key drivers of climate change and analyze their impacts on worker health and safety.
• Interpret common sustainability metrics and indicators relevant to workplace settings.
• Apply and communicate climate, health, and sustainability principles through a brief case study and workplace discussion.

Presenters

Cynthia Klein-Banai, PhD
Dr. Cynthia Klein-Banai is a dynamic change agent and collaborative leader. She founded the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Office of Sustainability 15 years ago as Associate Chancellor and then Assistant Vice-Chancellor of Sustainability. Her team provided institutional value in supporting sustainability planning, projects, and reporting, while enhancing UIC’s mission of student success, improving public health, and serving the communities of Chicago. She oversaw the drafting and publication of two climate action plans, and a sustainability strategic thinking process that resulted in the implementation of strategies to achieve the UIC Climate Commitments of Carbon Neutral, Zero Waste, Net Zero Water, and Biodiverse University. She has helped advanced sustainable infrastructure at UIC through energy efficiency, renewable energy, grounds, water and stormwater management, waste and recycling, and transportation initiatives. She developed the UIC Sustainability Internship Program that has provided over 230 students hands-on learning in solving sustainability problems. Dr. Klein-Banai has a Ph.D. in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (EOHS) from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She holds an adjunct assistant professor appointment within the School of Public Health. She served for six years on the Board of Directors of the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

As a retiree, she teaches an annual course in EOHS, volunteers with the Oak Park Climate Action Network that provides technical expertise and advocacy for Climate Ready Oak Park, the One Earth Film Festival, and her congregation’s social action/environment committee.

Sheetal Khedkar Rao, MD
Dr. Sheetal Khedkar Rao is a board-certified, practicing primary care physician and Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Department of Academic Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). She is a 2022 Harvard Climate and Health Organizing Fellow, a 2023 University of Colorado Climate and Health Policy Fellow, a 2024 UIC Teaching Sustainability Fellow and a 2025 OpEd Public Voices Fellow.

Dr. Rao develops and teaches planetary health curriculum as adjunct faculty in EOHS at UIC's School of Public Health. She also teaches planetary health topics at the UIC College of Medicine and serves as faculty sponsor for the Ecology and Sustainability in Medicine Student Group. Dr. Rao is a co-investigator at UIC's NIH Center for Extreme Conditions and Health Excellence (CECHE) and collaborates on research related to extreme heat vulnerability and nature-based solutions.

Outside of the clinic and classroom, Dr. Rao works with local communities to increase tree canopy around the Chicago region through her non-profit organization Nordson Green Earth—a member of the National Academy of Medicine's Climate Communities Network. Dr. Rao is also an active board member of the Illinois Clinicians for Climate Action and works on healthcare sustainability as a technical expert for the American Hospital Association's Community Health and Environment initiative.

Dr. Rao attended medical school at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She completed internal medicine residency at UIC. Dr. Rao is a 2022 recipient of the American Public Health Association Climate Leadership Award. She lives in the western suburbs of Chicago with her husband and teenage sons. Her hobbies are watching movies with her family and learning guitar.

**This live event will be administered in our LMS through zoom meeting. Please view our FAQ for additional information.**