Impacts of Heat on Health in Early Life

Climate change has significant implications for human health, particularly through the exacerbation of extreme heat events. This panel brings together health experts to discuss the alarming consequences of rising temperatures on human health, with a specific focus on the vulnerability of fetuses and newborns. The panel aims to raise awareness about the significant health risks associated with heatwaves, including effects on adverse birth outcomes. We will emphasize the urgency of collective action, including climate change mitigation efforts and robust public health policies, to combat the escalating threats posed by rising temperatures.

This 60-minute panel session will feature Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia physicians, Sharon McGrath-Morrow, MBA, MD and Timothy D. Nelin, MD. This panel will be moderated by Marilyn Howarth, FACOEM, the Director of the Community Engagement Core at the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology and the Deputy Director of the Philadelphia Regional Center for Children’s Environmental Health.

Hosted by the NIEHS Funded Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology and Philadelphia Regional Center for Children’s Environmental Health.

Panelists:
Sharon McGrath-Morrow, MBA, MD
Timothy D. Nelin, MD

Moderator:
Marilyn Howarth, MD, FACOEM

Speakers

Sharon McGrath-Morrow

Associate Chief, Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Timothy Nelin

Neonatology Fellow Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Moderator

Marilyn V. Howarth, MD, FACOEM

Director of Community Engagement Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.

Dr. Marilyn Howarth is the Director of Community Engagement for the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. In this capacity, she works with researchers, regulators, legislators and communities to lower environmental risk and improve environmental health. Her work focuses on environmental justice and reduction in environmental health disparities. She has worked in EJ communities in Philadelphia on environmental problems including climate change, lead exposure, air pollution, legacy pollution, water quality, and flooding among others. As a faculty member at Penn, she teaches students at many levels and has taught the Masters in Public Health Course on Environmental and Occupational Health since its inception. She has provided testimony to numerous City, State and federal agencies and legislative proceedings. She is a past president of the Pennsylvania Occupational and Environmental Medical Society and a past board member of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.