Samantha Ahdoot, MD
Pediatrician Samantha Ahdoot, MD, an assistant professor of medical education at UVA School of Medicine, is the lead author of “Climate Change and Children’s Health: Building a Healthy Future for Every Child,” an American Academy of Pediatrics technical report and policy statement published in the March 2024 issue of the journal Pediatrics.
“A healthy climate matters to every child. Policies that reduce reliance on fossil fuels and promote cleaner air create immediate gains in child health and equity and build a foundation for generations of children to thrive,” Dr. Ahdoot stated.
Dr. Ahdoot is a true leader in health and climate advocacy for children. Throughout her more than 20-year career as a pediatrician, she has steadily become more involved in the field of climate medicine. In 2011, she joined the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Environmental Health and updated the AAP’s policy statement on climate change and children’s health for a report that was released in 2015. Dr. Ahdoot and a multi-disciplinary team of clinicians and administrators founded the Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action (VCCA) in 2016, which focuses on climate action at a state level. She also teaches a course on climate and health for medical students at UVA School of Medicine, a curriculum based on a summer project by SOM Class of 2023 graduate Lena Bischell.
Learn more about Dr. Ahdoot’s passion for climate medicine in “The Rise of Climate Medicine” published by the UVA Office of Engagement.
Information about UVA Health sustainability programs and services is available here. To join UVA Health’s monthly Sustainability Committee email sustainability@virginia.edu.
Filed Under: Faculty