LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 18, 2022) — The 2022 John P. Wyatt, M.D. Environment & Health Symposium will be held on the University of Kentucky campus at the J. David Rosenberg College of Law Grand Courtroom on Earth Day, April 22, 2022, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
The day-long symposium honors the legacy of John Wyatt, a pioneer in environmental clinical research. Focusing on climate-related disasters and health, universities and agencies from across the Commonwealth are joining forces to address the health impacts of disasters and climate change.
The 10 a.m. panel discussion, “Public Health & Climate-related Disasters in the Commonwealth,” will cover climate change, health impacts, flooding and tornados with moderator Natasha DeJarnett (assistant professor of environmental medicine, University of Louisville), and subject experts Megan Schargarodski (state climatologist and interim director of the Kentucky Climate Center), Nicholas Newman (medical director, Pediatric Environmental Health and Lead Clinic, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital), Jon Allen (Lee County emergency management director) and Steve Cunanan (CEO, Kentucky region, American Red Cross).
Aubrey K. Miller, senior medical advisor to the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), will present the noon keynote: “Applied Science to Address the Health Impacts of Disasters and Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities.”
“We are honored to have Dr. Miller join us for the keynote. He has been a tremendous force in advancing the NIH’s disaster research response,” said symposium organizer Erin Haynes, the Kurt W. Deuschle Professor of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health and deputy director of the UK Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences (UK-CARES). “As disasters become more frequent, it is critical that we develop strong community-academic partnerships to address these disasters and protect human health. I am thrilled that institutions across the Commonwealth have partnered in hosting this symposium. Just as climate has no boundaries, neither should our institutional and community partnerships.”
Lunch will be provided, and breakout sessions follow the noon keynote. Registration is still open, and the abstract deadline is Monday, April 18. For a complete agenda and to register, visit https://www.research.uky.edu/john-p-wyatt-symposium/2022.
This event is made possible by the generous support of the John P. Wyatt family and most notably a recent gift from his son, Philip Wyatt. Symposium sponsors are the UK Center for the Environment, UofL Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, Eastern Kentucky University and Western Kentucky University. Co-sponsors include the UK Office of the Vice President for Research; UK Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences; UK Superfund Research Center; UK Center for Applied Research Energy; Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute; UK Global Health Initiatives; Kentucky Geological Survey; UK Office of Sustainability; UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science; UK Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment; and UofL Center for Integrative Environmental Health Sciences.
