Protect the Planet, Promote Human Well-Being: A Physician’s Take on Environmental Health w/Dr. Nicole Sirotin and Dr. David Katz

The health of people and the state of the planet are often treated as two separate concepts, but they are inextricably linked. Without a healthy, vital planet to call home, we have no hope of cultivating healthy, vital people.

There’s a natural synergy between promoting environmental health and working towards our well-being. As health professionals, we must be fierce, frequent advocates for planetary health, and to think of the environment itself as a patient.

The far and wide effects of neglecting environmental health include very real threats to physical and mental well-being and quality of life. Protecting the planet promotes our health, and healthier human beings ease the strain on the environment.

How do we become stewards of the environment and teach our patients to do the same? How does environmental health affect our physical health and well-being? What can healthcare as a whole do to contribute to the health of the planet?

In this episode, I’m joined by former Chair of Preventive Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Nicole Sirotin, and specialist in Internal Medicine, Preventive Medicine/Public Health, and Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. David Katz. They share a physician’s perspective on planetary health, and why we can’t separate environmental health from the wellness of patients.

It’s the obligation of every health professional to be a fierce, frequent advocate for planetary health. -Dr. David Katz  

Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 

• Why healthcare and the planet are so intricately linked
  How does the health of humans rely heavily on the health of the planet and vice versa? 
• Lifestyle choices are environmental choices
  How do we promote what’s good for people and also positive for the planet? 
• Healthcare can also be a polluter
  Can lifestyle medicine and reducing pressure on hospital systems change this?

Guest Bio

Dr. Nicole Sirotin, MD, is the former Chair of Preventive Medicine in the Medical Subspecialties Institute and leads the Executive Health Program at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. She is among the first medical professionals globally to be certified as Diplomates of the ABLM/American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine. Lifestyle Medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic approaches, such as, a predominantly whole food, plant-based diet, physical activity, adequate sleep, stress management, tobacco cessation and other non-drug modalities to prevent, treat and reverse chronic disease. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Sirotin was Assistant Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Sirotin also served as Medical Director of the Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights and conducted research as co-PI of a study on food insecurity in northern Uganda with Cornell University.

David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP, FACLM is a specialist in Internal Medicine, Preventive Medicine/Public Health, and Lifestyle Medicine, with particular expertise in nutrition. He earned his BA at Dartmouth College (1984); his MD at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1988); and his MPH from the Yale University School of Public Health (1993).  He completed sequential residency training and board certification in Internal Medicine (1991) and Preventive Medicine/Public Health (1993). Katz is the founder and former director of Yale University’s Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center (1998-2019) where he secured and managed roughly $40M in research funding; Past President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine; President and Founder of the non-profit True Health Initiative; and Founder and CEO of Diet ID, Inc. He is a Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine; the American College of Physicians; the American College of Lifestyle Medicine; and Morse College, Yale University.