Hurricanes, floods, extreme heat and wildfire smoke are reaching more communities every year, and health systems are being asked to plan for them before they hit. The Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education at Columbia University, with partners including the Pan American Health Organization, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, is offering a free online course for health professionals across the Americas and the Caribbean.
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays, October 13 to December 1, 2026, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm Eastern. Fourteen sessions on Zoom (no session on November 26).
What it covers: disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation for health, with sessions on extreme heat, wildfire smoke, floods, hurricanes, drought, cascading risks, climate-sensitive infectious disease and governance. The flood sessions are November 3 and 5, and the hurricane sessions are November 10 and 12.
Why we are sharing it: infants and young children are among the most vulnerable people in any disaster, and feeding support is still missing from most preparedness plans. After Hurricane Helene, we saw what happens when infant and young child feeding in emergencies is left out of response systems. If you work in lactation, maternal and child health, WIC or emergency management, this course teaches the frameworks emergency planners use, so you can bring infant feeding into those conversations.
Languages and certificate: sessions are in English with live Spanish and Portuguese interpretation and French captions. Attend at least 9 sessions live and pass the final exam (open December 1 to 8) to earn a Certificate of Participation.