The YSM Environmental Health Group is dedicated to furthering health profession students' knowledge of the connections between the environment and human health. Topics include the built environment, toxics, carcinogens, nutrition, infectious diseases, extreme temperatures, and occupation, with an emphasis on the ways in which these factors play a role in the practice of medicine. EHG is also a home for health profession students seeking to be advocates for public health on issues like climate change and environmental sustainability. Events include lectures, discussion groups and opportunities for activism on a local and national scale.

Or at least that's what we tell anyone looking for the long description. But mostly we're just a bunch of people that realize that the quality of the environment has some real and measurable effects on human health. We organize a handful of events each school year for faculty and students to share some of what they know about the ways that we interact with our physical, social and built environment, and we also have a great mailing list where we share information. We've got a few people who are really interested in activism on environmental issues (global climate change is always a good one, but we also care about clean water, clean air, safe food supplies and more) and we could always use a few more good people. We're mostly medical students but we have some great folks from the other health professions schools and beyond, too.

Email isaac.benowitz@yale.edu to get onto the mailing list, and/or check out http://yale.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4604447987 for more information.