Events > Web Seminars > 2025 Fall: Environmental Disasters Affecting Health Professions Education…Surviving the Storm and After

Preparing Physicians for Planetary Change

Presented by James Irlam on October 2, 2025 at 12:00 pm

This presentation will describe recent developments (2022-2024) and short-term plans for integration of planetary health and sustainainable healthcare into the education of undergraduate medical students at the University of Cape Town Faculty of Health Sciences.

It will reflect on the lessons learnt to date, and will share the presenter’s conceptual framework to guide curricular integration of Education for Sustainable Healthcare into faculties of health sciences.

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Presenter Bios

james-irlamJames Irlam is a Senior Lecturer in the Primary Health Care Directorate (Dept. of Family, Community and Emergency Care) and the Division of Environmental Health (School of Public Health) at the UCT Faculty of Health Sciences.

James is the founder of the Education for Sustainable Healthcare Group within the Southern African Association of Health Educationalists (SAAHE). He is also an executive member of the Climate, Energy and Health Special Interest Group of the Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA).

James holds an MPhil in Epidemiology and an MSc in Climate Change & Development from UCT. His PhD on Education about Planetary Health and Sustainable Healthcare in South African health professions education was conferred in April 2025.