D’Youville University Launches New Climate Degree

The online MS in Health, Wellness, & Climate Administration will prepare a new generation of leaders for the challenges of the climate crisis.

BUFFALO, NEW YORK – D’Youville University is taking a proactive approach to climate change by launching the new Master of Science in Health, Wellness, and Climate Administration. The program brings together public health and sustainability to produce experts who are ready to work collaborative across sectors to improve the health of humans and the planet they live on. As more municipalities create positions like Arizona’s Chief Heat Officer, there will be a need for dynamic leaders who understand the interconnections of health, wellness, and environment. This unique program hopes to fill that gap.

“When community members showed up to our campus during the blizzard of 2022 looking for help, we felt called to incorporate climate change into our commitment to serve,” says President Lorrie Clemo, PhD. “Our university is known for preparing students to work in health and it is time to recognize the effect our climate has on health and ensure our students are prepared for the changes lay ahead of us.”

D'Youville University has a long track record of training highly qualified professionals to work in healthcare and more recently has been recognized for its innovative online education offerings. This new program builds on these existing strengths and adds environmental dimensions that affect individual wellness, healthcare delivery, and exacerbate inequities. The flexibility and customization of this program in its online format and culminating project means that students will graduate prepared to apply their skills and drive systemic change in a range of professional settings.

“Climate change is already impacting health,” says Program Director Kacey Stewart, PhD. “From heat-related illness to respiratory problems caused by wildfires, people around the world are experiencing the effects of a warming world right now. But that doesn’t mean it’s too late to act. Whether it’s working with city officials to plant shade trees or finding supply chain vulnerabilities for emergency preparedness, we need experts and leaders ready to bridge these fields.”

During the building stage of this program, D’Youville University offered various educational opportunities to students, faculty, and staff to highlight the many ways in which health, wellness, and climate are interconnected. The University will host its annual “unpacking” on April 16th focusing on the theme of climate change. The event will include guest speaker Sarah Jaquette Ray, author of A Field

Guide to Climate Anxiety who will be discussing the mental health effects of climate change and a dramatic reading of Bella Poynton’s play An Unlikely Refuge which imagines Buffalo in the year 2075 as residents adjust to the changes scientists project.

About D’Youville University

D’Youville University is a nationally ranked private university headquartered in Buffalo, New York, providing in-seat and online academic programs around the world. Founded in 1908, D’Youville University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees focused on healthcare, liberal arts, and business. D’Youville University’s small class sizes, experiential education, and interprofessional learning environments prepare students for success. For more information, visit dyu.edu.