End of Term Wrap Up…
May 4, 2026
As another Winter Term wraps up, I am grading papers. I am the UBC faculty course lead for the international online course “Nursing and Midwifery Response to Global Health Crises: Global Heating & Health Climate.” The course is led and coordinated by Dr. Sarah Kagan at the University of Pennsylvania. I got involved in 2021 after we experienced the Vancouver Heat Dome. Sarah, a generous friend and mentor, invited me to take the course, which evolved into offering it as a graduate elective through UBC Nursing.
Every year I am struck by the innovative ideas of students who take the course. Students have focused their final papers on a wide range of ideas, including micro-plastics, commercial milk formula, natural gas flaring, among many other topics.
My inspiration from this course and other work I am doing around the climate impacts on nurses’ workplace safety led to writing this paper with members of my team: Always on duty – Fostering climate resilience in the nursing profession: A discussion paper
Coming up in mid-May, the Canadian Association on Nurses for the Environment in partnership with the Canadian Coalition on Green Health Care are offering a webinar series, check it out (I will be speaking as part of a panel on Monday, May 11): https://greenhealthcare.ca/nursing-week-2026/
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Climate Resilience and Health Equity Research Group – December Newsletter
December 13, 2024
Climate Resilience and Health Equity Research GroupOur research focuses on fostering climate resilience among equity deserving groups who are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Welcome to our first newsletter! We are a research group led by Dr. Jennifer Baumbusch based at the University of British Columbia’s School of Nursing.
What’s New with Us
We are thrilled to receive a MSHRBC Convening & Collaborating grant for the project Climate Readiness in British Columbia’s Long-term Care Home Sector.
Though we know climate change disproportionately affects older adults, the long-term care home (LTC) sector, where frail older adults requiring complex care live, receives relatively little attention in climate policy or research. The purpose of this project is to (a) assess climate readiness of the LTC home sector in British Columbia and (b) identify priorities for research, policy and practice in this area.
Community Engagement
The link between air pollution and dementia was recently in the news with a new study about wildfire air quality and dementia: Link Here. This is particularly important news for people in British Columbia where we experience wildfires annually.
In 2023, Dr. Baumbusch was part of an Alzheimer Society of Canada Dementia Talks! webinar about air pollution and dementia. To learn more about this topic, here is a link to the webinar: LINK
Recent Publications:
If you would like a copy please email gero@nursing.ubc.ca
Baumbusch, J., Blakey, E., Carapellotti, A., Dohmen, M., Kagan, S.H. & Melendez-Torres, G.J. (2021). This alarm is not a drill: we call gerontological nurses to act on climate change. International Journal of Older People Nursing, 16(5), e12421.
Baumbusch, J., Blakey, E. P., Kagan, S. H., Melendez‐Torres, G. J., Montayre, J., Munsterman, E., & Omisore, T. (2023). Taking the bad news with the good: The climate crisis and care for older people. International Journal of Older People Nursing, e12543.
What We’re Reading:
Bridging the gender, climate, and health gap: the road to COP29
Survey of Japanese Nursing Professionals Regarding Climate Change and Health
Upcoming
In early 2025 we will be recruiting for our CIHR-funded study “Understanding and Enhancing the Climate Resilience of Older Adults in Canada.” We are seeking older adults, family/friend caregivers, and policy/decision-makers for the Metro Vancouver area who are interested in taking part in virtual or in-person focus groups. Email us at gero@nursing.ubc.ca if you are interested in more information on participating.
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