Submission ID 131987
| Issue/Objective | Medical student advocacy is a significant tool to drive change in planetary health policies and health equity in a fragmented and uncertain landscape. This study evaluated the Canadian Federation of Medical Students' inaugural Planetary Health Day of Action (PHDoA), a national student-led advocacy initiative to advance equity-oriented planetary health policies. Objectives were to assess student engagement and develop recommendations for future student-led interventions. We hypothesized that participation would increase student engagement in environmental advocacy, enhance meaningful interactions with policymakers and improve awareness of planetary health issues. |
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| Methodology/Approach | Planetary Health Day of Action (PHDoA) launched in October 2025. The initiative recruited medical students nationwide, consulted climate-health experts to develop policy asks, and engaged provincial legislators to advance planetary-health policies. The intervention was evaluated using a mixed-methods approach, with quantitative data on participation metrics and qualitative data in the form of post-intervention reflection surveys. |
| Results | PHDoA was delivered in two waves, in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026, bringing together 40 delegates from 12 Canadian medical schools. Participants attended an expert-led advocacy training workshop and subsequently met with 29 provincial legislators from seven provinces. Their advocacy focused on sustainable healthcare governance, emission tracking, heat adaptation in housing, urban biodiversity protection and energy poverty reduction, all key upstream determinants of health equity. Survey data from the second wave indicated a clear impact. Most participants reported improved advocacy skills and planetary health knowledge, greater confidence in discussing health impacts of climate change, increased use of evidence to support policy recommendations and a stronger intention to engage in future climate advocacy. Additionally, most participants felt prepared and had a stronger understanding of how medical students can engage in policy advocacy. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | PHDoA is a practical model for supporting medical student engagement in planetary health advocacy. Medical students can address the gap between planetary health, health equity, and policymaking when supported by environmental health organizations and evidence-based policy frameworks. This initiative offers transferable lessons for climate-health advocacy in other jurisdictions. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Nicoletta Dini Dalhousie University Aishwarya Rajesh Krishnan University of Toronto Catalina Ponce de Leon University of Toronto Susan O'Brien Memorial University Victoryia Shtop McMaster University Sameer Ahmad University of Saskatchewan Fiona Cui University of Calgary Rachiel Chirara Western University |
