The Biden Administration recently announced a commitment to reduce the US’s carbon emissions 50-52% by 2030. Such a reduction will require action from all parts of the US economy, and healthcare is no exception. Healthcare is responsible for nearly 10% of the US’s greenhouse gas footprint, and there’s a surprising number of things medical practitioners and administrators can do to reduce that footprint while maintaining quality care. Dr. Thiel (NYU Langone Health & NYU Tandon) is one of only a handful of researchers worldwide who is studying the footprint of medical practices. Utilizing sustainability engineering and industrial ecology, Dr. Thiel’s lab and her clinical partners are able to quantify the emissions from medical procedures and design safe approaches toward more efficient medical practice. This talk will provide an overview of the emerging field of “clinical sustainability”.
