P-42 Faculty perspective on integrating climate-health education into undergraduate medical curricula in Guyana
Author(s):
M Seepersaud, Y Rodriquez
Year of Presentation:
2026
Objective: Guyana is highly vulnerable to climate-related
health impacts, making medical education an important
intervention for workforce preparedness. This study aimed
to assess the faculty perspectives on the inclusion of climate-health education in undergraduate medical training in
Guyana.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among medical faculty at the University of Guyana School of Medicine and Texila American University. The survey explored faculty awareness, training, comfort with discussing climate-health risks, perceptions of relevance, perceived professional responsibility, curriculum readiness, and barriers to integration. Convenience sampling was utilised. Descriptive analysis was conducted with categorical variables summarised as frequencies and percentages
Results: Twenty-eight faculty members participated. While all respondents were aware of climate change and most recognised it was a public health crisis (25/28; 89%), fewer than half (13/28; 46%) had received any previous training, and only 6 (23%) felt comfortable discussing climate related health risks. Although 71% (20/28) believed climate health education should be included in the curriculum, most (19/28; 64%) reported it was currently absent, and only 15% (4/28) felt there was space for additional content. Major barriers included a lack of faculty expertise (20/28; 71%), competing curricular priorities (60%), and concerns about relevance (14/28; 50%) and curriculum overload (12/28; 43%). Faculty favoured integrated approaches, including inclusion in public health modules (17/28; 61%), case-based learning (16/28; 57%), simulation (16/28; 57%), and embedding content into existing courses (14/28; 50%). Only 19% (5/28) of faculty believed that students would respond favourably to inclusion. Thirty-six percent (10/28) felt that climate change should be a part of the assessment and accreditation of the school.
Conclusion: Faculty in Guyana support the inclusion of climate-health education in medical training but face significant practical and perceptual barriers to its implementation. Addressing faculty capacity, contextual relevance, and curricular integration may be key to advancing climate-health education in climate-vulnerable settings.