OHHI Program Feature

GreenGov Presidential Award Given to Interagency Team

NOAA, led by the OHHI as part of an interagency working team, was honored with the 2010 GreenGov Presidential Award in October for their publication of "A Human Health Perspective on Climate Change". The "Green Dream Team Award" recognizes "exceptional leadership by an interagency green team to effectively place a Federal sustainability idea into action". Over 300 applications were received for six categories of sustainable actions. The award was presented on behalf of the President by CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley. The report discusses what is known and the gaps in our understanding of the consequences of climate change on 11 major illness categories. NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, said of the report, "To mitigate and adapt to the health effects of climate change, we must first understand them. This report is a vital new roadmap for doing that. There is an urgent need to get started, and I am pleased that we can bring NOAA climate science and NOAA capabilities in linking ocean and human health and a range of other monitoring and prediction tools to the table".

View the Report or view the NOAA Press Release announcing its release.

OHHI Meetings and Events

Recent Meetings and Events

OHHI at the 2011 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting

NOAA's Ocean and Human Health Initiative (OHHI) hosted the symposium "In Hot Water: Rising Public Health Concerns from Changing Ocean Conditions" at the recent 2011 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC. The session featured representatives from OHHI and its new academic-based Consortia for Graduate Training. Speakers unveiled new research and models demonstrating how climate change could increase exposure and risk of human illness originating from ocean, coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems, with some studies projecting impacts to be felt within 30 years. The findings shed light on how complex interactions and climate change alterations in sea, land and sky make ocean and freshwater environments more susceptible to toxic algal blooms and proliferation of harmful microbes and bacteria. Press Release, Stories, and Podcast.

OHHI National Advisory Panel Meeting

The OHHI Advisory Panel meeting took place 20-21 October 2010 in Washington, D.C. The meeting was to provide a programmatic overview and review of OHHI's Consortia for Graduate Training in OHH, provide AP input on the next phase of the OHHI Traineeship Program and OHHI recent activities and partnerships as well as to discuss connecting OHH science and scientists to the public health community. Further information on the meeting is available at the OHHI National Advisory Panel Meeting web site.

For Further Information

For further OHHI information contact OHHI at Bree.Thompson@noaa.gov

To learn more about NOAA's National Ocean Service visit:
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/oceans/ohh/.