About Us
The Center for Climate, Health, and Healthcare, co-directed by Dr. Soko Setoguchi (Rutgers Health) and Dr. Glen Miller (RWJBarnabas Health), is on a mission to improve the health and healthcare of people and communities in New Jersey, nationally, and globally by combating the climate health crisis through research, education, and community-oriented climate action.
This groundbreaking center is a collaboration between Rutgers Health and RWJBarnabas Health, physically based within the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research.
Mission and Goals
To improve the health and healthcare of individuals and communities in New Jersey, across the nation, and globally by advancing scientific research, education, and evidence-based strategies that address the complex interaction between environmental change, healthcare systems, and human health.
- Conduct rigorous clinical, population-based, and translational research to examine the potential effects of environmental and climate variability on health and healthcare, as well as the healthcare sector’s contribution to environmental change.
- Educate and prepare current and future biomedical and health science professionals, learners, patients, and communities to navigate emerging environmental challenges in healthcare.
- Develop and evaluate strategies to enhance the sustainability, resilience, and efficiency of healthcare delivery while maintaining high-quality patient care.
Research Program
Investigate how environmental and climate-related factors influence patient health, community well-being, and healthcare system operations, ensuring that healthcare systems remain adaptive, resilient, and efficient.
Assess the healthcare sector’s environmental footprint—including carbon emissions, greenhouse gas production, waste management, and recycling efforts—to identify opportunities for increased sustainability while maintaining high-quality patient care.
Develop and evaluate implementation strategies that strengthen healthcare system resilience and reduce its environmental impact, ensuring long-term sustainability while optimizing resource use.
Advance research in health promotion and disease prevention, recognizing that a healthier population reduces the demand for medical care, ultimately lowering healthcare-related emissions and resource consumption as well as increasing communities’ resilience to climate’s health impacts.
Conduct research on health disparities to identify and address inequities in healthcare access and outcomes, ensuring that vulnerable populations receive appropriate and timely care. By reducing disparities, the burden of disease can be mitigated, improving community health and indirectly reducing the disproportionate health impacts of environmental and climate-related stressors.
Investigate the health effects of emerging environmental exposures, and their implications for human organ function, disease risk, and long-term public health.
Education and Healthcare Sustainability
Education
Mission and Goals:
Addressing the climate crisis requires a unified front across every facet of healthcare. The primary goal of the educational pillar is to move beyond siloed learning and integrate climate consciousness into the practice of every health professional at Rutgers.
“Our goal is to ensure that every student—whether in nursing, pharmacy, or laboratory sciences—graduates with the tools to provide sustainable, climate-resilient care.”
Healthcare Sustainability
Mission and Goals:
Addressing the climate crisis requires a fundamental shift in how we manage our clinical environments. The primary goal of the Healthcare Sustainability pillar is to decarbonize our operations and minimize the environmental footprint of Rutgers Health. We aim to transform healthcare delivery into a model of efficiency that ensures our systems of care do not contribute to the very illnesses we seek to treat.
“Sustainable healthcare is high-quality healthcare. By optimizing our supply chains and reducing our clinical waste, we aren’t just saving resources—we are protecting the long-term health of the communities we serve.”
“Quality Improvement should have an eye towards environmental impact. Resource utilization and stewardship are key components of healthcare vital to the transformation of climate-forward health systems.”
The Center will encourage and promote community engagement and community-driven research to inform policies and practices that strengthen healthcare systems, enhance prevention efforts, promote health equity, and improve sustainability—all of which contribute to better health outcomes for individuals and communities.
The Research Program will recruit faculty, trainees, and staff to build and enhance research programs that address these objectives. Research will span the spectrum of clinical and population studies, translational and fundamental research, and implementation science.
Geospatial Data Hub:
The Geospatial Data Hub within the Rutgers Health – RWJBarnabas Center for Climate, Health, and Healthcare, led by Director Dr. Hari Iyer, provides a repository of geospatial datasets, educational resources, and consultation services for Rutgers scientists interested in studying climate and healthcare.