Presenter Profile
Sadhana Dharmapuri, MD
Adolescent Medicine, Cook County Affiliated Faculty
Department of Pediatrics
University of Illinois College of Medicine
sadhana.dharmapuri@cookcountyhhs.org
Dr. Dharmapuri is the Interim Chief, Division of Adolescent Medicine at Stroger Hospital and a Visiting Associate Clinical Professor at UIH in the Department of Pediatrics. She completed her medical education at Poznan University Medical School, in Poznan, Poland, completed her Pediatric Residency at University of Illinois in Chicago and went on to finish an Adolescent Medicine fellowship at Children’s National Hospital in Washington DC. She served as the Medical Director for the Eating Disorder clinic at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Childrens Hospital for 4 years and was the Division Director for Adolescent Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. In 2018 she joined the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Stroger Hospital.
She is the co-chair of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine Climate Change SIG, a member of the International Pediatric Association Environmental Health and Climate Change group, and a member of the advocacy group for the Global Consortium on Climate Change and Health Education. She has presented nationally on Climate Change and its impact on children’s health and is the lead author on a climate change and adolescent health joint position statement with the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine and the International Association of Adolescent Health . She has a passion for climate change advocacy and protecting our youth’s future.
Presentations
Planting Rays of Unity, Beauty, and Pride: Examining the Intersectionality of Climate Change Advocacy, Youth Violence, and Adolescent Health
Felicia Scott-Wellington, MD
Sadhana Dharmapuri, MD
For decades climate change has threatened the health and wellbeing of communities and families across the globe. The intersectionality of climate change, violence, and health has been studied extensively in adults; however, limited evidence exists on effects on children and adolescents. This workshop is designed to highlight knowledge gaps through examples of climate change’s impact on health and violence, and the role health providers can take in promoting safer and healthier environments. We will review a youth-led initiative, The Sunflower Project, in which high school students worked to create a green space in an impoverished area of Chicago. Westbrook Memorial Green space was created with over a dozen sunflowers planted by local volunteers. These flowers symbolize a sense of “unity, beauty, and pride” for volunteers and community members.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that the severity of climate related health risks is dependent on how well health systems and professionals can protect people; yet education around these climate-related health risks remains uncommon, particularly for adolescents. The youth led Sunflower projects demonstrate how education regarding climate change is its harmful effects on violence and health can be turned into advocacy. Health care providers are therefore urged to educate themselves and their patients on the harmful effects of climate change on youth violence and health.
1. Review the intersectionality of climate change, violence, and adolescent health.
2. Examine climate change as a threat multiplier for AYA populations.
3. Illustrate how education on the threats of climate change and violence can serve as an advocacy tool for youth.
4. Describe strategies to help change environments, reduce violence, and improve health outcomes for adolescents.