SPHAN Network aligns with Climate CATCH Lab

The Department of Critical Care Sustainability and Planetary Health Action Network (SPHAN) is engaging in new focus areas this year and invite all staff to learn more about the Network through participating in upcoming events, workshops and collaborative projects.

Established in 2022, SPHAN aimed to promote research, learning and teaching, and engagement in sustainable healthcare across the areas of anaesthesia, perioperative and pain medicine, intensive care medicine and emergency medicine through engagement with the University, affiliated hospitals, the critical care community and the broader community.

Led by Enterprise Professor Eugenie Kayak, Dr Rebecca McIntyre, and the MMS Sustainable Healthcare Team, the Network has now expanded to include interested participants throughout the Melbourne Medical School as they strive to create a community that brings together health professionals, educators and researchers who are dedicated to addressing healthcare’s carbon and environmental footprint and advancing planetary health initiatives.

Last year, the group developed a University of Melbourne guide for healthcare facilities to detect and manage nitrous oxide leaks, potentially a significant contributor to a facility’s carbon footprint. This is due to be published in collaboration with the Australian Centre for Disease Control and the Department of Health and Aged Care.

This year, the SPHAN has also aligned with the newly formed Climate CATCH (Collaborative Action for Transformative Change in Health & Healthcare) Lab—a joint initiative between Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Melbourne Medical School, and Melbourne Climate Futures—that aims to accelerate the University of Melbourne's climate change and human health research, engagement and education for enhanced impact. The Climate CATCH Lab has nine streams, including Sustainable Healthcare.

The Network is excited to engage in new focus areas this year and invites you to learn more about the MMS SPHAN by hearing about activities or participating in upcoming events, workshops and collaborative projects. Members have the option of receiving quarterly email newsletter updates and/or attending quarterly 60 minute Network meetings. Please add your contact details to this form.