ICUH 2024: A Healthier Horizon: Activating Urban Health Strategies for a Climate

This interactive session envisions a transformative approach to prepare the next generation of urban health leaders with the depth of knowledge, cross-disciplinary skills, and practical experience required to address the urgent and complex challenges facing urban health in a rapidly evolving climate. With 3.6 billion people already affected by climate change, urban health professionals must undergo rigorous, comprehensive training that integrates climate resilience, health equity, sustainability, and practical, real-world application.

Recognizing urban health as a critical intersection of social, environmental, and health disciplines, ISUH aims to establish a consortium of universities dedicated to advancing urban health education. This consortium would deliver a robust curriculum, faculty training, and on-the-ground support, fostering a truly multidisciplinary and intersectional education. By offering students the hands-on experience they need through global practicum placements, this initiative will equip graduates with an un-siloed, integrated understanding of urban health, enabling them to tackle multifaceted challenges across sectors—from academia and policy to the private sector and civil society.

The panel will bring together academic leaders who are reshaping the field of urban health to discuss groundbreaking educational frameworks, the importance of faculty development, and the power of cross-sector partnerships. Together, they will explore how a unified consortium approach can provide a holistic, comprehensive pathway to train future urban health professionals to solve some of the world’s most pressing urban health challenges.