Tag: Issue 10.2: Spring 2025

BY NARDEEN GEBRAEEL AND ASHLEY RAFFELI Microplastics and climate change represent two environmental crises that significantly impact women’s hormonal health. These disruptions occur through multiple pathways, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in plastics and climate-induced physiological stressors. Exposure to these environmental hazards can contribute to hormonal imbalances, infertility, pregnancy complications, and long-term metabolic and reproductive disorders.1 … Continue reading Microplastics, Climate Change, and Women’s Hormonal Health: Unraveling the Impact of Climate Change on Women’s Health

BY YASMIN MOHAMMED The new year began with the outbreak of some of the deadliest fires in California's history. What started as a small blaze quickly spread across nearly 40,000 acres of southern California's dry terrain, destroying thousands of structures, claiming lives, and displacing entire communities [8]. Strong winds and prolonged drought conditions, followed by … Continue reading The Invisible Health Crisis

BY MICHELLE CHEON Rising global temperatures and their contribution to prolonged droughts have led to an increase in both the frequency and intensity of wildfires. This escalation has profound consequences on air quality, exposing millions of individuals to hazardous smoke. Among the most vulnerable populations to decreasing air quality are pregnant individuals, for whom wildfire … Continue reading The Impact of Wildfire Smoke on Pregnancy Outcomes

BY DAYA BAUM Microplastics (MPs), defined as plastic particles measuring less than 5 mm, have emerged as a pervasive environmental contaminant, raising significant concerns about their impact on human health. These particles originate from industrial processes that produce microplastics by the unintentional release of by-products, deterioration of everyday consumer products, and degradation of larger plastic … Continue reading The Impact of Microplastic Ingestion on Gut Microbiota and Digestive Health

BY LIZZIE FISHER Polluters might claim they don’t “lose sleep” over their actions, but in reality, they—along with millions of others around the world—do. A study published in One Earth, examined sleep patterns of more than 47,000 individuals across 68 countries over six months. Using wristband data, researchers found that rising ambient temperatures significantly disrupt … Continue reading Losing Sleep Over Climate Change: The Hidden Impact of Rising Temperatures

BY SEBASTIAN CORDERO MUNIZ Hurricanes, wildfires, blizzards. These are the destructive forces of nature associated with climate change. When considering the impacts of these disasters, public discourse is often confined to the damage on infrastructure and the economy. This leaves out another important and particularly devastating victim of climate change: health. Climate change and its … Continue reading Financing Climate Change Adaptation in the Healthcare Sector

BY LANXI LIN As the world edges closer to eradicating infectious diseases, the Middle East remains a battleground, where rising temperatures and extreme weather events fueled by climate change are threatening to undo decades of progress in public health vaccine efforts. Pakistan, a Middle Eastern country nestled between India and Afghanistan, is one of the … Continue reading Climate-Driven Barriers to Polio Eradication: A Case Study in Pakistan

BY MICHELLE SO Fueled by a desire to help others and fascinated by the potential of medications to enhance human health, Cristina Arnés Sanz studied to become a pharmacist. Majoring in pharmacy at the Complutense University of Madrid, in her home country of Spain, Arnés Sanz became increasingly concerned and passionate about the environment and … Continue reading Cristina Arnés Sanz: A Rising Global Health Leader

BY CRISTINA GARCIA Dengue, a viral illness transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, remains one of the world’s most neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), despite its growing burden. The global incidence of dengue has spiked during the past few decades, with the World Health Organization documenting a tenfold rise in cases from 2000 to 2019.1  In 2023 alone, … Continue reading The Microscopic Burden of Climate Change: Increasing Risks of Dengue Virus in a Hotter World

BY TOMEKA FRIESON What if I told you that there was an organization that not only cared for the planet but also for the people who call it home? More than just a conservation institution that focuses on regenerating Earth’s rainforests or maintaining species diversity, this organization buys back chainsaws, encourages local entrepreneurship, and provides … Continue reading Prioritizing Both People and Planet: How the NGO Health in Harmony Has Changed the Way Global Health and Climate Conservation Are Done