Fostering Collaborations: A Symposium to Advance Equitable Heat Health Actions
Part of Strengthening Pathways: A national conversation about health research
Hosted by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) in partnership with the Center for Climate and Health at Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) on June 18, 2025, this regional symposium engaged more than 150 stakeholders from across various sectors.
The in-person symposium aimed to foster constructive dialogue with the focus on bridging the gap between heat health research and practice.
The stakeholders included but were not limited to experts and leaders from academic, state and municipal governments, healthcare institutions, community-based organizations, foundations, and advocacy groups in the Greater Boston region.
Questions? Please contact:
Van Du ([email protected]) or Kat Kobylt ([email protected])
Event Information and Materials
Lightning Talks
Exposure on the Move: Assessing the Health Risks of Heat and Mobility
Seth Strumwasser , Data Analyst, Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Shade as a Third Place
Drew Kane, Senior City Planner, City of Cambridge, Community Development Department
Kendra White, Climate Resilience Manager, City of Cambridge, Office of Sustainability
Uplifting Community Expertise to Inform Clinical Responses
Kathleen O'Brien, MA, Community Health Program Manager, Cambridge Health Alliance
Nicole Fina, Civic Engagement and Advocacy Manager, Everett Community Growers
Heat Education Alert Tool (HEAT) Response Initiative: Addressing Extreme Heat through Public Health Agency, Health Care and Community Partnerships
Marissa Hauptman, MD, MPH, FAAP, Medical Director, Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health; Pediatric Environmental Health Center, Boston Children's Hospital
Amanda McNeill, MPH, Environmental Analyst IV, Division of Environmental Toxicology, Hazard Assessment and Prevention, Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
How Researchers Can Engage with Schools, Community Organizations, and Cities on Extreme Heat Resilience
Patricia Fabian, ScD. Associate Professor of Environmental Health and Associate Director at the Institute for Global Sustainability, Boston University, School of Public Health
Panel Discussion
Moderator:
Isabella Gambill, Assistant Director of Climate, Energy, and Resilience, A Better City
Panelists:
Mia Mansfield, Assistant Secretary for Resilience, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Caleb Dresser, MD, MPH, Emergency Medicine Physician, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Zoë Davis, Senior Climate Resilience Project Manager, City of Boston Office of Climate Resilience
Agenda Overview
8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast and Networking (optional)
9:00 - 9:15 a.m.
Welcome
9:15 - 10:15 a.m.
Lightning Talks
10:15 - 11:00 a.m.
Panel Discussion
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Debrief and Group Discussion on Regional Health Priorities
12:00 p.m.
Lunch and Networking
12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Heat and Health Symposium Poster Session (add-on event/optional)
Event Materials
Event Presentation Slides:
Introduction and Lightning Talk Slides
Heat and Health Posters:
Advancing Heat Resilience in Metro Boston
Trends in Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Heat-Related Illness Hospitalizations, 1998-2019
Interventions for Strengthening Resilience to Extreme Heat in Worcester, MA
Identifying and Engaging Heat-vulnerable Communities
Heat Readiness Resources for Clinics and Health Centers
Collaborative Heat Resilience: The Need for Health and Design Partnerships
Climate Change and Operational Impacts on the Emergency Department
C-HEAT: Chelsea and East Boston Heat Project
CATCH: Community Adaptations to City Heat
Event Archive
Event Planning Conversations
MAPC in conjunction with partners, hosted three different interactive virtual event planning conversations, April 29, May 13, and May 14. Each covered similar but slightly different topics, and all three provided the opportunity to hear from stakeholders, which helped inform the content for the symposium event, and future conversations.
Find the recordings and slide decks from all three sessions below.
April 29, 2025 | Beyond Alerts: Using Heat-Health Data to Inform Local Action
Watch the Event Recording
View the Presentation Slides
Co-hosts: Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA), and the Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC).
May 13, 2025 | Town Hall - Exploring Heat Resilience: Scenario-based Insights and Collaborative Solutions
Watch the Town Hall Recording
View the Presentation Slides
May 14, 2025 | Town Hall - From Insight to Action: Evidence-based Approaches to Heat Challenges, Opportunities, and Solutions
Watch the Town Hall Recording
View the Presentation Slides
Town Hall co-hosts: Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH).
Strengthening Pathways
A national conversation focused on identifying opportunities to better translate innovations from prevention and care research to maximize societal benefits, comprised of 18 symposia occurring across the country in the spring and summer of 2025.
Supported by a collective of leading funders of health research in the U.S., these symposia will illuminate strategies to connect societal health priorities with research ideas, funding models, policies and commercial incentives to improve health outcomes.
The aim is to create a blueprint for action that can shape new funding models, policy changes and industry investments to promote health innovations that prevent disease and improve outcomes of clinical care.
The Strengthening
Pathways Collective.
Image Descriptions
Strengthening Pathways Collective: the logos of the funders in the Collective. Doris Duke Foundation, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Dana Foundation, The Donaghue Foundation, Prebys Foundation, Robertson Foundation, and Susan G. Komen. Under the logos in black ink, it says, "The Strengthening Pathways Collective".
Map: A white map of the United States with every state outlined in black. The states hosting symposiums are colored in lime green. Under the map in black text it says, "4 months. 18 conversations."