What does it mean for a society to take climate health seriously? What does a city look like when it’s centered on green living? These were key questions behind the recent public health study abroad trip to Scandinavia. For Kaylee Lambert, an athletic training student at the University of Cincinnati, it was the bikes that stuck with her. “There were more bikes than cars,” said Lambert. This was just one way that responses to climate change intertwined with daily life in Finland, Denmark, and Sweden, the three countries on the itinerary for this study abroad. In each country, “[g]reen alternatives are integrated everywhere, especially in food and transportation,” said Lindsey Thurber, a UC student studying mechanical engineering technology. These measures may not just be better for the climate but also for people. “Something I was not anticipating … was the pace of life,” said Bianca Wolmarans, a public health graduate student in biostatistics, “It felt much slower paced.”
This study abroad trip, which took students to three countries over ten days in August of 2025, was paired with an academic course the following fall semester focused on public policy and climate health. Dr. Kermit Davis and Dr. Michelle Burbage, professors in the Department of Public Health and Environmental Sciences at the UC College of Medicine, designed the course to help students understand how environmental changes directly affect human health. “Extreme heat, vector-borne disease, food insecurity, and displacement, are just a few examples of this. Climate exposures are a global public health concern, and it is important to examine those intersections as well as understand the policy mechanisms that can possibly mitigate harm,” said Dr. Burbage. The students who traveled saw how different countries respond to climate challenges; then, back on campus, they saw community initiatives and local action.
The trip’s academic itinerary took students to some of Scandinavia’s leading climate and public health research institutions. The group’s first stop, Denmark’s National Research Centre for the Working Environment, had a surprising entry point: road construction. When we talk about climate health, we often focus on carbon emissions, but many other human activities can also affect the climate. “Learning how aerosols from paving and milling roads can have such damaging effects was eye-opening,” said Thurber, “especially their role in accelerating climate change in the atmosphere.” She was similarly struck by how effectively research moves from the lab into government policy, with findings being implemented when shown to be effective. “That direct collaboration stood out to me.”
Another stop that had a lasting impact on the students was the Bolin Centre for Climate Research at Stockholm University. There, students heard from researchers studying climate change’s impact in the Arctic circle, as well as toured the facility, seeing all the machinery and instruments researchers used to track atmospheric change; Courney Clark, a junior majoring in environmental studies, said she felt “like a kid in a candy store,” and is now considering pursuing graduate school at Stockholm University. For Wolmarans, though, it wasn’t just the science, but how they talked about it. “They conveyed the information in a hopeful way,” she said, “which is so essential because pretty much everyone on the trip had vocalized the dread they regularly feel about the future.”
Perhaps the most meaningful part of the experience, though, wasn’t in the classroom, but on the streets throughout Scandinavia. The cities themselves seemed designed with health in mind, both for the environment and the people who live there. Public transit is everywhere, and physical activity is intertwined with daily life. Recycling was convenient, and there were markets full of fresh foods on many street corners. For Clark, it was the buses and trains that stood out: “Coming back into the states, I found myself longing for public transportation again, and I almost felt guilty for using my car,” she said. For Wolmarans, the parks best illustrated the difference from life in the U.S. “In each country, I visited a park in the middle of a workday,” said Wolmarans, “and each time it had so many parents playing with their children.”
The study abroad class will continue to evolve over the years by visiting different countries. In 2026, the program will visit many of the same institutions in Sweden and Finland as in 2025 but will now visit facilities in Norway. Future programs will visit countries in Africa, South America, the Mediterranean Region, and Asia. Dr. Davis stated that “the evolution of regions of the world over time will allow the course to be global in perspective”.
While travel can broaden perspectives, the class structure also allows students to join without requiring them to participate in the study abroad program. Whether students travel or remain in the non-travel section, they engage with researchers, public health professionals, community-based organizations, and policy makers. Drs. Burbage and Davis wanted students to see how climate health solutions are implemented and did not want international travel to barrier to learning. Dr. Burbage believes traveling allows students to “observe how different countries respond to climate challenges with varying levels of resources and policy support.” Regardless of what section a student takes, “they still get to engage with local policy and community initiatives, which gives the opportunity to explore action that is happening right here at home”.
Charles Gabel
Charles Gabel is an MPH candidate in Global Health at the UC College of Medicine. Before pursuing public health, Charles completed an MFA in creative writing from Boise State University and has since worked as a professional writer and taught rhetoric and composition. He is especially interested in how history, politics, and art intersect with human health, and he’s currently working on a capstone project that explores climate change through poetry.
