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Learning Opportunities

Learn about our Pediatric Environmental Health Fellowship
Environmental Justice - Climate Change Scholar Program (EJCC)
Pediatric Environmental Health Grand Rounds for 2025-26

Children’s Environmental Justice-Climate Change (EJCC) Scholars Elective

The Region 1 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) of New England, located at Boston Children’s Hospital, provides an opportunity for learners of all stages, levels, and backgrounds to participate in a flexible educational and experiential program with a focus on environmental justice and climate change. Student enrollees — including but not limited to high school students, graduate and undergrad students, medical and nursing students, residents, etc. — will be learning from and collaborating with health professionals from Boston Children’s.

In addition to their chosen topic and project work, students will learn how to take an environmental history and field clinical questions regarding childhood/prenatal environmental exposures, such as lead, pesticides, and air pollution.

Students will build their own experience with opportunities to:

  • Choose a topic of interest to study (see topics below)
  • Shadow physicians in a clinical setting, either in person or via a telehealth visit
  • Attend educational seminars and lectures 
  • Attend meetings with representatives from public health agencies
  • Assist in ongoing research, education, and/or advocacy projects
  • Assist in health education and outreach efforts
  • Participate in activities such as field trips and Foto Fridays

What is environmental justice?

According to the EPA, environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone has:

  • The same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards
  • Equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work

Topics/areas of interest

  • Introduction to pediatric environmental health
  • Indoor air quality
  • Childhood lead poisoning
  • Climate change
  • Environmental justice and health disparities
  • Fertility, pregnancy, lactation, and the environment
  • PFAS/water contamination

Educational objectives

Educational objectives will depend on a number of factors. This EJCC educational objectives factsheet provides more details.

Shadowing locations

Student trainees will have the opportunity to shadow at the following locations, as available:

  • Boston Children’s Hospital

Length of course

The length of training in EJCC is necessarily variable, since trainees at every level may have constraints imposed by their own high school, college or university, medical or nursing or public health school, medical residency or fellowship, or other educational institutions.

“Mini-electives” may be as short as two to four weeks, for which the learning objectives will be abbreviated. Longer electives, externships, non-course-credit volunteer experiences, rotators, and observers may span one or more months in duration, with the opportunity for more in-depth study and more structured activities.

Course credits and financial compensation

The EJCC Scholar Program is an unpaid internship. Participating students may earn course credit or receive a small stipend, as allowed by their academic institution. Stipends may only be available for a limited time.

Applications

Summer 2026 program

Applications for the 2026 Summer EJCC Scholar Program are now being accepted. Please submit the application materials listed below to Kimberly.Manning2@childrens.harvard.edu by March 1. Spaces are limited.

Application requirements:

If you have questions about the program, please email Kimberly.Manning2@childrens.harvard.edu and include your resume or CV.

Timeline:

  • Program dates: June 29 to July 24 (four weeks)
  • Application due: March 1
  • Student acceptance determined: Early April
  • Onboarding: Begins in April

Staff

Clinical elective directors

  • Boston Children’s Hospital: Alan Woolf, MD, MPH; Marissa Hauptman, MD, MPH; Shalini Shah, DO

Faculty

  • Alan Woolf, MD, MPH
  • Marissa Hauptman, MD, MPH
  • Shalini Shah, DO
  • Rose Goldman, MD, MPH
  • Blair Wylie, MD

Elective coordinator

  • Kim Manning

Administrative credentialing

  • Alba Savinon
  • Le Pham

Contact information

Email Region1pehsu@childrens.harvard.edu or call 617-355-8177.

This EJCC Scholar Program is supported by cooperative agreement FAIN: NU61TS000356 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided support through Inter-Agency Agreement 24TSS2400078 with CDC/ATSDR. The Public Health Institute supports the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units as the National Program Office. The findings and conclusions presented have not been formally disseminated by CDC/ATSDR or EPA and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy. Use of trade names that may be mentioned is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the CDC/ATSDR or EPA.

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