By the end of the ADE, students will be able to: understand the main features of a Planetary Health approach in comparison with others, such as "One Health"; understand the concept of “Anthropocene” and recognize the impact of human activities on the environment; examine the relationship between climate change and human health, analysing implications in both public health and future clinical practice; identify the complexity of the Planetary Health approach through a multidisciplinary perspective; critically evaluate innovative solutions and approaches to new challenges.
Course Prerequisites
No specific background required; it’s highly recommended to attend after completing the second-year Hygiene and Community Medicine course.
Teaching Methods
4 lessons, 2 hours each.
Assessment Methods
75% class attendance.
Texts
Teaching materials (recommended readings and slides) will be provided during the lessons.
Contents
The course aims to introduce students to the basic principles and applications of Planetary Health. This field of research lies at the intersection of biomedical, environmental, and social sciences. In recent decades, it has become clear that human health is closely connected to the surrounding ecosystem. Effective public health today requires combining knowledge from veterinary and environmental sciences (“One Health” approach) to address collective health from a planetary perspective (“Planetary Health”). In this regard, individual health depends on natural systems, which are strongly affected by human actions. The course will provide students with tools for in-depth analysis about human health threats, their causes, and the physician role and responsibility in addressing them.
