National Medical Association and Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health Celebrate Graduation of Climate and Health Equity Fellowship Class of 2025
Washington, D.C. — The National Medical Association (NMA), in partnership with the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health (MSCCH), proudly celebrated the graduation of 14 physician fellows from the Climate and Health Equity Fellowship (CHEF) Class of 2025 this weekend, marking both the completion of the program’s intensive 10-month fellowship and the fifth anniversary of CHEF.
CHEF is a flagship physician leadership initiative advancing climate-informed, equity-centered healthcare solutions. Through comprehensive training, mentorship, and applied learning, the fellowship equips physicians—many serving communities disproportionately impacted by environmental injustice—to lead at the intersection of climate change, public health, and health equity.
Throughout the fellowship, participants design and implement capstone projects that translate evidence into action, strengthening community-centered care delivery and policy solutions. Projects from the Class of 2025 include:
- Healthy Payers, Climate Sustainability, and Climate Resilience
- AI-Powered Climate Mental Health Toolkit for Psychiatric Providers
- Health Equity in Urban Asthma Care Among APIA Pediatric Patients
- Advancing Climate-Ready Care in Mississippi
- A Pediatric Residency Curriculum on Climate Change and Social Advocacy
- H.E.A.T. & Harm Reduction
The graduation ceremony featured a keynote address by Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., MD, forensic pathologist, nationally recognized public health leader, and 126th President of the National Medical Association. Dr. Mitchell emphasized the moral and professional responsibility of physicians to confront climate change as a public health crisis—particularly as it compounds longstanding racial, economic, and environmental inequities.
“The National Medical Association has long recognized that environmental injustice is a civil rights and public health issue,” said Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr. “Through our partnership with the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, CHEF is preparing physicians to lead with scientific rigor, cultural humility, and a deep commitment to justice—ensuring that the communities most impacted by climate change are not left behind.”
“Five years ago, CHEF began with a clear and urgent vision—to prepare physicians to lead in a rapidly changing climate while centering equity, community, and accountability,” said Dr. Shaneeta Johnson, Fellowship Director of CHEF. “Our partnership with the National Medical Association has been instrumental in grounding this work in health justice and elevating physician leadership nationwide.”
Since its launch in 2021, CHEF, founded by Dr. Mark Mitchell, has trained more than 50 physicians across over 20 states and U.S. territories, many of whom now serve as educators, advocates, researchers, and advisors advancing climate and health equity within healthcare systems, communities, and policy spaces.
Graduates remain actively engaged through the CHEF Alumni Engagement Network (CAEN), where NMA members and fellows continue to mentor emerging leaders, publish thought leadership, collaborate on research, engage policymakers, and represent the profession at national and international forums.
CHEF is built on a collaborative framework and supported by national partners aligned with NMA’s mission, including the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, Association of American Indian Physicians, Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality, Meharry School of Global Health, and National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians, National Hispanic Medical Association.
