Home | News, Events, & Opportunities | News

ESPP Faculty Member Named Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar

Contact: Jessica A. Knoblauch, News Writer for Environmental Science and Policy Program: (517) 432-3823 or knoblau7@msu.edu

March 12 , 2007

Michigan State University faculty member Dr. Sabrina McCormick was recently named a Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar. The scholar program is designed to build the nation's capacity for research, leadership and action to address the broad range of factors affecting the health of populations. It is considered one of the most prestigious awards made to young researchers in the health sciences.

Dr. McCormick plans to research the impact that climate change will have on health. “Climate is an inherently interdisciplinary issue,” said McCormick.

McCormick will work to create an effective interdisciplinary program that will address health issues such as heat-related illnesses like asthma or heat stroke. McCormick will also research how climate change impacts are going to affect the poor and exacerbate existing health inequalities.

Dr. McCormick is jointly appointed in the Department of Sociology and the Environmental Science and Policy Program. Her research interests involve the intersections between health and environment, environmental social movements, the role of science in politics, and the development of participatory institutions around environmental decision-making.

“This program is such an ideal fit because it allows me to begin to investigate a topic that is a new focus but that also fits into my broader expertise and framework,” said McCormick.

Dr. McCormick will be participating at the University of Pennsylvania for the two-year program. She is the director of the films, Damming Brazil and No Family History. She was also a fellow of the United Nations Global Environmental Outlook Project.