Faculty mentor/PI email address
podolide@rowan.edu
Is your research Teaching and Learning based?
1
Keywords
planetary health, environment, sustainability, health equity, osteopathic medical education, curriculum development
IRB or IACUC Protocol Number
IRB PRO 2025136
Date of Presentation
5-6-2026 12:00 AM
Poster Abstract
Objective: Despite international acceptance of climate change as the largest threat towards human health, American osteopathic institutions fall short of their allopathic colleagues in adopting a planetary health curriculum. This study (1) evaluates the desire of Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine (Rowan-Virtua SOM) students to learn about planetary health within their medical education, (2) assesses the current planetary health infrastructure supported by Rowan-Virtua SOM and their parent institution, Rowan University, and (3) proposes an adapted planetary health equity curriculum.
Methods: Medical student interest was gauged by use of a Qualtrics survey modeled off of Dr. Karly Hampshire’s 2020 survey of allopathic medical students. The current planetary health infrastructure was evaluated using the internationally accepted Planetary Health Report Card (PHRC) metrics.
Results: Student survey showed 70% of Rowan-Virtua SOM students want to see planetary health education within the pre-clerkship curriculum but only 14% currently believe Rowan-Virtua SOM is adequately educating on the intersection of planetary and patient health. The 2025 PHRC demonstrates that Rowan-Virtua SOM meets 52% of metrics with a grading of “C.”
Conclusions: This study establishes a student desire and a curriculum gap within planetary health content at Rowan-Virtua SOM. The proposed health equity curriculum provides an integrative, adaptive, and engaging planetary preclerkship curricular solution.
Disciplines
Environmental Public Health | Medical Education | Medicine and Health Sciences
Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine’s Planetary Pulse: Charting a Course for Planetary Health Excellence
Objective: Despite international acceptance of climate change as the largest threat towards human health, American osteopathic institutions fall short of their allopathic colleagues in adopting a planetary health curriculum. This study (1) evaluates the desire of Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine (Rowan-Virtua SOM) students to learn about planetary health within their medical education, (2) assesses the current planetary health infrastructure supported by Rowan-Virtua SOM and their parent institution, Rowan University, and (3) proposes an adapted planetary health equity curriculum.
Methods: Medical student interest was gauged by use of a Qualtrics survey modeled off of Dr. Karly Hampshire’s 2020 survey of allopathic medical students. The current planetary health infrastructure was evaluated using the internationally accepted Planetary Health Report Card (PHRC) metrics.
Results: Student survey showed 70% of Rowan-Virtua SOM students want to see planetary health education within the pre-clerkship curriculum but only 14% currently believe Rowan-Virtua SOM is adequately educating on the intersection of planetary and patient health. The 2025 PHRC demonstrates that Rowan-Virtua SOM meets 52% of metrics with a grading of “C.”
Conclusions: This study establishes a student desire and a curriculum gap within planetary health content at Rowan-Virtua SOM. The proposed health equity curriculum provides an integrative, adaptive, and engaging planetary preclerkship curricular solution.