EP459 - Healing the Planet: Climate-Conscious Healthcare with Dr. Sheetal Rao

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Climate change is a growing health threat, and the healthcare sector contributes significantly, accounting for 8.5% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. In this episode, Dr. Sheetal Rao, fellowship-trained in climate and health policy, shares her journey from environmentalist to advocate for climate-conscious healthcare. She discusses how personal experiences, like basement flooding due to extreme weather, highlighted climate change as a social determinant of health.

Dr. Rao explains how healthcare’s emissions stem from energy use, supply chains, and single-use plastics, offering practical solutions like energy-efficient practices, sustainable food options, and composting to reduce the sector’s footprint without compromising patient care. She also provides bite-sized actions for healthcare professionals to channel climate anxiety into advocacy, emphasizing policy support and community engagement. Through her nonprofit, Nordson Green Earth, Dr. Rao works to increase tree canopy and green spaces in underserved Chicago communities, fostering health and biodiversity.

Three Actionable Takeaways:

1. Adopt Energy-Saving Practices: Turn off lights and monitors when not in use, use LED bulbs, and advocate for green building designs in hospitals to reduce energy consumption.
2. Support Sustainable Policies: Vote for climate champions and support policies that make public transportation, biking, and walking safe and convenient to lower emissions.
3. Engage in Community Action: Join or start a green team at your hospital, or participate in local initiatives like tree planting or composting to address climate injustice and improve community health.

About the Show:

PGD  Physician’s Guide to Doctoring covers patient interactions, burnout, career growth, personal finance, and more. If you're tired of dull medical lectures, tune in for real-world lessons we should have learned in med school!

About the Guest:

Dr. Sheetal Rao is an internal medicine physician at the University of Illinois Chicago, fellowship-trained in climate and health policy and community organizing. She founded Nordson Green Earth, a nonprofit focused on increasing tree canopy and green spaces in Chicago’s underserved communities. Dr. Rao serves on the American Hospital Association’s Climate and Community Health Technical Expert Panel and the steering committee of Illinois Clinicians for Climate Action, advocating for sustainable healthcare practices.

• Website: https://hospital.uillinois.edu/find-a-doctor/sheetal-rao
• LinkedIn:   http://linkedin.com/in/sheetalkhedrao
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheetalkrao_md?igsh=bTBnbHk0OGNyem5y

About the Host:

Dr. Bradley Block – Dr. Bradley Block is a board-certified otolaryngologist at ENT and Allergy Associates in Garden City, NY. He specializes in adult and pediatric ENT, with interests in sinusitis and obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Block also hosts The Physician’s Guide to Doctoring podcast, focusing on personal and professional development for physicians

Want to be a guest?

Email Brad at brad@physician