Birnbaum to deliver RENEW lecture

“Global Climate Change and Human Health: Global is Local” is the topic of the next lecture in the RENEW Institute’s Distinguished Lecture Series on Sept. 15.

The lecture will be given by Linda S. Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health, and the National Toxicology Program (NTP).

The lecture will take place from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in 403 Hayes Hall, South Campus. After an introduction and comments, Birnbaum will speak from noon to 12:45 p.m.; informal discussion will immediately follow the talk.

Birnbaum, who has spent more than 35 years researching, evaluating and educating the public on risks associated with hazardous environmental exposures, will discuss the impacts of global environmental health and what they mean for local families and communities. She also will talk about the 21st-century environmental health challenges associated with extreme weather events, community health resiliency, economic impacts of climate change on health, and co-benefits for health of mitigation/adaptation efforts. 

As director of NIEHS and NTP, Birnbaum oversees a budget of more than $780 million that funds biomedical research to discover how the environment influences human health and disease.

The first toxicologist and first woman to lead the NIEHS/NTP, she has spent most of her career as a federal scientist.

Birnbaum is the author of more than 800 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and reports, and the recipient of many awards and recognitions. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, one of the highest honors in the fields of medicine and health.

RENEW’s Distinguished Lecture Series seeks to promote dialogue and interaction between UB faculty, staff and students, and the local community with renowned leaders in science, technology and policy in academic, industry and government.

Led by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, RENEW (Research and Education in eNergy, Environment and Water) promotes interdisciplinary research activities to position UB as a global leader in select areas of energy, environment and water.