Opportunity

The UCGHI Planetary Health Center of Expertise (PHCOE) and California Department of Public Health are looking for graduate students to assist with their research projects on topics related to climate change and health equity in Richmond or Sacramento, CA. These 2018 opportunities are with the Climate Change and Health Equity Program (CCHEP), which embeds health and equity in California climate change planning, and integrates climate change and equity in public health planning. CCHEP works to assure that climate change mitigation and adaptation activities in California have beneficial effects on health while not exacerbating already existing unfair and preventable differences in health status of some groups (health inequities).

Possible projects

• Assessing the climate and health co-benefits of changes to food systems: localizing food supply, increasing the proportion of plants vs. animal products in people’s diets, changing methods of raising beef and other ruminants and other health and climate impacts of industrial agriculture and food production (e.g., pesticide use near sensitive populations)
• Evaluating the health impacts of home energy efficiency upgrades in California’s low income homes.  This includes indoor air quality, mold, lead and protection from climate change impacts such as extreme heat, cost savings, etc. 
• Research and development of a policy reference document (e.g., issue brief) regarding the potential public health and health equity impacts of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs)
• Investigating the effects of drought on human health
• Estimating the future health burden due to climate change exposures
• Conducting health impact assessments of greenhouse gas mitigation measures in the AB32 Scoping Plan
• Evaluating and quantifying the health impacts of completed Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund programs
• Assessing whether and how local health departments across CA and the US have addressed climate change through the public health accreditation process
• Updating data in the Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Indicators for California, which identify current vulnerabilities to climate change in the state and researching possible additional indicators for measuring climate resilience

Desired skills

• Graduate student status at a UC campus
• Minimum GPA 3.0 to be eligible for fellowship
• Strong desire to learn, proactive and solution oriented attitude, excellent written and verbal communication skills and critical thinking and analytical skills
• Ability to prepare reports, spreadsheets, data and documentation as well as develop other materials including fact sheets and other public communications tools
• Ability to work with and communicate to diverse stakeholders
• Confident, self-motivated and well-organized individual who is able to work independently and on teams
• Ability to analyze and synthesize complex information from various sources is a plus

To apply, please send the following information and application materials to planetaryhealth@ucdavis.edu. For questions about the fellowship at the California Department of Public Health, please email Meredith Milet at meredith.milet@cdph.ca.gov.

Deadline to apply is January 30, 2018

Applicant Information

• Name   
• Email
• Phone number
• UC home campus
• Address
• Graduate program
• Years completed and expected graduation date

Support Materials Requested

• Resume including education, employment, honors and publications
• Contact information for three references
• Personal Statement that describes your interests, career goals and what you hope to gain from a summer fellowship with the CA Department of Public Health (1 page maximum)