Annual Newcomers Welcome Event
Annual Newcomers Welcome Event
with guest lecture, “Intersecting Vulnerabilities related to Climate Change, Housing, and Mental Health”
by Dr. Amruta Nori-Sarma and Dr. Rachel Oblath
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
11:45 am – 1:15 pm
Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground
808 Commonwealth Ave, 1st Floor
Event Photos
This event is for new BU employees. Register to attend using the link in the email invitation. Space is limited.
This annual BUWG event welcomes newcomers to the Boston University community. Drs. Nori-Sarma and Oblath will discuss their ongoing collaboration related to climate change and mental health. The presentation, “Intersecting Vulnerabilities related to Climate Change, Housing, and Mental Health”, will highlight results from a research project evaluating the mental health impacts of extreme heat within metropolitan Boston, reflecting data from medical records, patient interviews, and clinician focus groups. Policy recommendations as well as barriers to addressing community needs will also be discussed.
| Program | |
| 11:45 am | Refreshments & Conversation |
| 12:10 pm | Speaker’s Presentation |
| 1pm | Complimentary boxed lunch pickup at conclusion of event |
We encourage all to become members. Membership to the BU Women’s Guild is open to faculty and staff at BU, inclusive of all gender identities and expressions.
Amruta Nori-Sarma is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Health and Population Science in the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she studies the relationship between environmental exposures associated with climate change and health outcomes in vulnerable communities. Prior to joining HSPH in October 2024, Dr. Nori-Sarma was an assistant professor in the Environmental Health Department at BU School of Public Health. Her previous work has examined the impact of heat waves and air pollution on health in vulnerable communities in India, South Korea, and across the US. Her current research aims to understand the impacts of interrelated extreme weather events on mental health across the US utilizing large insurance claims datasets. She also has an interest in evaluating the success of policies put in place to reduce the health impacts of climate change.
Rachel Oblath is an Assistant Professor at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and the Director of Research Methodology in the Department of Psychiatry at Boston Medical Center. Her research focuses on the provision of psychiatric emergency services in vulnerable communities using data from electronic health records. To do this, she is actively collaborating on projects with the Boston Police Department, Boston Emergency Medical Services, and the Boston Municipal Court System. Her previous work has examined how children and adolescents with mental health challenges, including experiences of trauma, access behavioral healthcare. Rachel Oblath is also a past recipient of a BUWG Award.