About

Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH, is Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor and the John P. Holton Endowed Chair of Health and the Environment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has faculty appointments in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Department of Population Health Sciences, and he directs the university’s Planetary Health Scholars Program. From 2011 to 2022, he served as the inaugural Director of UW-Madison’s Global Health Institute. His pioneering work at the intersection of climate change and public health led to his election into the National Academy of Medicine in 2019. Patz's efforts in environmental public health date back to 1994 when he convened the first session and authored the first policy resolution on climate change for the American Public Health Association. Over more than 25 years, he has taught and conducted research on climate change, publishing over 200 scientific publications and several textbooks on this topic. He co-chaired the health report for the first US National Assessment on Climate Change and served as a Lead Author for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. His awards include the Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellows Award, the Zayed International Prize for the Environment, a Fulbright Scholarship, the American Public Health Association’s Homer Calver Award, and others. He earned his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1987 and his Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1992, with board certifications in Occupational/Environmental Medicine and Family Medicine.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Medicine
• Environmental planning
• Political Science
• Environmental resource management
• Environmental health
• Environmental science
• Ecology
• Engineering
• Psychology
• Medical education
• Environmental protection
• Physics
• Biology
• Engineering ethics
• Pedagogy
• Astrobiology
• Economics
• International trade
• Geography
• Natural resource economics
• Business
• Programming language

Selected publications

• Using Satellites to Track Indicators of Global Air Pollution and Climate Change Impacts: Lessons Learned From a NASA‐Supported Science‐Stakeholder Collaborative

  UNC Libraries · 2025-06-26

  articleOpen access

  The 2018 NASA Health and Air Quality Applied Science Team (HAQAST) "Indicators" Tiger Team collaboration between NASA-supported scientists and civil society stakeholders aimed to develop satellite-derived global air pollution and climate indicators. This Commentary shares our experience and lessons learned. Together, the team developed methods to track wildfires, dust storms, pollen counts, urban green space, nitrogen dioxide concentrations and asthma burdens, tropospheric ozone concentrations, and urban particulate matter mortality. Participatory knowledge production can lead to more actionable information but requires time, flexibility, and continuous engagement. Ground measurements are still needed for ground truthing, and sustained collaboration over time remains a challenge.

  PublisherDOI

• Critical Steps To Address Climate, Health, And Equity

  Health Affairs · 2025-01-22 · 5 citations

  article

  Climate change poses an unprecedented threat to human health and well-being in the United States. In this article, part of the National Academy of Medicine's Vital Directions for Health and Health Care: Priorities for 2025 initiative, we outline key strategies to address climate change, health, and equity, using a public health approach. We focus on three critical areas: transitioning to clean energy sources, upgrading health infrastructure, and scaling public health and health care resilience. Priorities for action must be coupled with further research to ensure the equitable implementation of climate solutions, create effective communication strategies, and build public support and momentum. Addressing the climate crisis requires urgent, coordinated action across sectors. With concerted effort, the health sector can play a vital role in mitigating climate change and protecting the population's health.

  PublisherDOI

• Water, Waterborne Pathogens and Public Health: Environmental Drivers. Report on an American Academy of Microbiology Colloquium held on Dec. 5 and 6, 2024 Washington (D.C.)

  HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · 2025-06-06

  report

  International audience

  Publisher

• Charting a path to health for all at net-zero emissions

  The Lancet · 2025-04-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Applying Climate Science to Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events

  2024-02-15 · 1 citations

  book-chapterSenior author

  Abstract This chapter introduces basic concepts and methods used by climate scientists to analyze climate change and its effects on weather patterns, including areas of scientific uncertainty. It explains how greenhouse gases cause climate change and how computational sciences enable improved attribution of extreme weather events to climate change. Globally, extreme weather events are becoming more intense and more frequent. The chapter also includes tools for predicting future climate, such as climate modeling and downscaling, and feedback processes. Positive and negative feedback processes, such as the ice-albedo feedback mechanism, which accelerates warming as bright reflective sea ice disappears, have profound influences on climate change. Climate modeling has advanced dramatically due to improved understanding of climatic processes and ever-increasing processing speed and data-memory capacity of computers.

  PublisherDOI

• Climate Change, Floods, and Human Health

  New England Journal of Medicine · 2024-11-20 · 40 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• An Analysis of the Health Effects of Physical Activity due to Active Travel Policies in Rennes, France

  Wellcome Open Research · 2024-08-19 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Background: Rennes, a midsize city in France, features many opportunities for active travel. City officials seek to increase walking and cycling by 2030 to improve public health. Physical inactivity, a leading risk factor for premature mortality around the globe, has been shown to be associated with many chronic diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Methods: Using the 2018 household travel survey of Rennes residents, we apply the Health-Oriented Transportation statistical model to assess health impacts associated with population-level rates of walking and cycling. We consider two proposed mobility and climate objectives which outline sustainable transportation goals by 2030. These include a shift in transportation mode share to increase walking and cycling trips, as well as a broad reduction in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) across the metropolitan area. Results: Our regression analysis demonstrated that factors of household car access and inner-city residency were predictors of prevalence (observed one-day proportion engaging in walking or cycling), participation (weekly proportion), and intensity (mean individual physical activity achieved through walking/cycling) of active travel. Age and education were additionally associated with prevalence. The 2030 mobility objective (mode share: 9% cycle, 35% walk) was associated with a reduction of 1,051 DALYs (disability-adjusted life-years), translating to $73 million USD ($23-$177) in averted costs. The climate objective (10% reduction in VMT) was associated with a reduction of 369 DALYs when replaced entirely by walking and 714 DALYs with cycling, translating to $26 million ($8-$62) and $50 million ($15-$121) saved, respectively. Conclusions: Rennes residents experience high participation in active travel, particularly those in the inner city. If residents achieve the city's active travel goals for 2030, there is potential for a large reduction in health burden and subsequent costs. Reaching these goals may require significant investment in transportation programming and infrastructure to improve active travel opportunities.

  PublisherDOI

• Agriculture Policy

  2024-02-15 · 3 citations

  book-chapterSenior author

  Abstract Climate change and agriculture share a bidirectional relationship; agricultural activities are both driving climate change and are directly impacted by it. Policies and farming activities that lead to deforestation or the conversion of marginal lands to crop production are damaging, often emitting extensive greenhouse gases and increasing environmental pollution, including hazardous nutrient runoff. Agriculture policy is often embedded in energy policy; production of crops for energy (biofuels) is a critical consideration for both human health and climate change. Subsidies and other agriculture policies in the United States incentivize widespread production of a few crops, especially corn, which leads to homogeneous land use, increased use of fertilizers, and pollution, and adversely affects food availability, energy independence, and human health. A healthy food system is diverse and resilient, supported by policies that promote crop rotation, reduce soil disturbance, lower reliance on resource-intensive inputs, and diversify diets.

  PublisherDOI

• The impact of climate change on public health, human rights, and social justice

  Elsevier eBooks · 2024-01-01 · 1 citations

  book-chapterSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Integrating planetary health education into tertiary curricula: a practical toolbox for implementation

  Frontiers in Medicine · 2024 · 15 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science
  • Astrobiology

  Objective: To present a series of case studies from our respective countries and disciplines on approaches to implementing the Planetary Health Education Framework in university health professional education programs, and to propose a curriculum implementation and evaluation toolbox for educators to facilitate the adoption of similar initiatives in their programs. We emphasize the importance of applying an Indigenous lens to curriculum needs assessment, development, implementation, and evaluation. Methods: Case studies from Australia and United States were collated using a six-stage design-based educational research framework (Focus, Formulation, Contextualization, Definition, Implementation, Evaluation) for teaching planetary health and methods of curriculum evaluation. These components were then mapped to derive the curriculum implementation toolbox reflecting the six-stage design-based educational research framework. Results: The case studies demonstrated different approaches to successful integration of the Planetary Health Education Framework in medicine, nursing, public health, and allied health disciplines. This integration often involved Indigenous perspectives on environmental stewardship, holistic health, and community well-being into the curriculum. The case studies also highlighted the importance of community engagement, cultural competency, and interdisciplinary collaboration in curriculum development. Findings from case studies were used to propose a curriculum implementation toolbox to assist educators in adapting and integrating planetary health education into their own programs. Discussion: While valuable frameworks for teaching planetary health in health science programs exist, challenges remain in implementing these frameworks in real-world educational environments. The proposed curriculum implementation toolbox offers practical strategies and resources for educators to incorporate these principles into their teaching. Additionally, the case studies reported here contribute to the growing body of literature on planetary health education pertinent to addressing the triple planetary crisis.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R21ES02023201

  NIH · $218k · 2013

• IGERT: Vulnerability and Sustainability in Coupled Human-Natural Systems: An Integrative Traineeship in Sustainability and the Global Environment

  NSF · $3.1M · 2006–2013

• NIH Grant R21ES020232

  NIH · $180k · 2014

Frequent coauthors

• Tracey Holloway

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  58 shared

• Jonathan A. Foley

  32 shared

• Holly Gibbs

  Leiden University

  29 shared

• Kim Knowlton

  Columbia University

  28 shared

• Christian Hogrefe

  Research Triangle Park Foundation

  28 shared

• Patrick L. Kinney

  Boston University

  28 shared

• Gregory P. Asner

  University of Hawaii at Hilo

  27 shared

• Michelle L. Bell

  University of Washington

  27 shared

Labs

• Climate Solutions for Health LabPI

Education

• Ph.D., Environmental Health Sciences

  University of Wisconsin-Madison

  1995

• M.S., Environmental Health Sciences

  University of Wisconsin-Madison

  1992

• B.S., Environmental Studies

  University of Wisconsin-Madison

  1989

Awards & honors

• Nobel Peace Prize (2007) shared as a Lead Author for the IPC…