![CAFÉ Research Coordinating Center Round: C for Convene, A for Accelerate, F for Foster, E for Expand The CAFÉ Research Coordinating Center brought together researchers, youth advocates and government officials during its inaugural Climate and Health Conference. (Photo courtesy of CAFÉ RCC)](https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/sites/niehs-factor/files/2024/02/beyond-bench/climate-health-conference-body1.jpg)
The inaugural CAFÉ Climate and Health Conference brought together more than 900 attendees from February 5 to 7 to build a global community of practice and accelerate research and translation at the intersection of climate change and health. CAFÉ, which stands for Convening, Accelerating, Facilitating and Expanding the Climate Change and Health Community of Practice, is the research coordinating center for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Climate Change and Health Initiative.
Academia, government agencies, community and NGOs, industry and other key stakeholders are able to engage in virtual conversations that may not be possible at scale in other settings.Approximately 25% of registrants attended the virtual conference from outside the United States
The following NIH Institute Directors (members of the NIH Initiative Executive Committee) helped kick off the meeting. All highlighted the need for a multidisciplinary approach to reduce the health threats posed by climate change across the life cycle and build health resilience, particularly among disproportionately affected populations.
- Joshua Gordon, MD, PhD, is director of the National Institute of Mental Health.
- Rick Woychik, Ph.D., is director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
- Shannon Zenk, Ph.D., is director of the National Institute of Nursing Research.
- Peter Kilmarx, MD, is acting director of the Fogerty International Center (FIC).
- Eliseo Pérez-Stable, MD, is director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).
![Five NIH institute or office directors who play key roles in leading NIH climate change and health initiatives kicked off the Feb. 5 virtual meeting. (Image courtesy of the National Institutes of Health)](https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/sites/niehs-factor/files/2024/02/beyond-bench/climate-health-conference-body2.jpg)
The conference hosted more than 70 sessions on a wide range of topics, including funding, community-engaged research, data management and providing networking opportunities. Overall, CAFÉ conferences help foster important dialogue and collaboration to address pressing environmental and public health challenges.
a big step forward
“This was a dynamic meeting,” said Dr. Ashlinn Quinn, NIEHS Climate Change and Health Program Officer. “Those of us who organized this interactive session with CAFÉ grantees were impressed by the enthusiasm, drive and knowledge displayed by all parties involved. This is certainly a step forward for building and sustaining a community of practice in this area A big step forward.”
![Vanessa Kerry, MD (left), the World Health Organization’s first special envoy to the Director-General on Climate Change and Health, emphasized the urgency of the climate crisis as she opened the second day of the conference. Kerry sits center with NIEHS grantee Mary Rice, MD, and CAFÉ leaders Domenici (right), Nori-Sarma (left) and Wellenius (right). (Image courtesy of the National Institutes of Health](https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/sites/niehs-factor/files/2024/02/beyond-bench/climate-health-conference-body3.jpg)
Quinn, Abee Boyles, Ph.D., Aspen Reese, Ph.D. (FIC), Gabriel Lai, Ph.D. (NIMHD), Mary Masterson, Ph.D. (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute), and other members of the NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative Steering Committee Collaborated with the CAFÉ team and other NIH grantees to plan this successful conference.
CAFÉ is co-led by the Boston University School of Public Health and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and is part of a three-year NIH grant. Dr. Gregory Wellenius, professor of environmental health, and Dr. Amruta Nori-Sarma, assistant professor of environmental health at Boston University, as well as Dr. Francesca Dominici and Clarence James Gamble, professor of biostatistics, population and data science at Harvard University, are the directors of CAFÉ.
For more details about the conference and to join the Climate Change and Health Community of Practice, please visit:
(Robin Mackar is a writer and media relations coordinator in the NIEHS Office of Communications and Public Liaison.)