Henry Fremont Researches Healthier Transportation for Wisconsin Department of Health Services as Part of MPH
The Intersection of Climate Change, Health, and Transportation
Article Author: Michael Kamp, MS
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
Overview
Henry Fremont has now worked with Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH, for five years as a research scientist, primarily working on the Health Oriented Transportation (HOT) project. The HOT project runs a model that estimates the benefits of active travel (walking and biking) – reduced air pollution and better physical health. By driving less, cars release fewer air pollutants and greenhouse gases, and the active travel replacement can lead to a healthier, less sedentary lifestyle. These benefits are frequently termed co-benefits because they support climate change mitigation and public health.
Before studying the intersection of health and transportation, Fremont worked as a data engineer for Epic Systems – a healthcare software company. With a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and skilled at coding, Fremont was well suited for the role. Fremont said, “I like taking those technical tools and applying them to multidisciplinary projects, and ideally for health.” However, Fremont wanted to see another side of the health equation besides the software industry and came to work for Dr. Patz in 2018.
After a few years on the HOT project, Fremont decided to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) to advance his expertise in health and completed the degree in August 2023. To wrap up the MPH, Fremont completed the required Applied Project Experience (APEX) where students work with a health-related organization to apply their skills and knowledge acquired during their degree. The aim is to benefit the organization on an important project but also develop the skills and knowledge even further for the student.
“We should be investing time and resources into this communication effort and show that climate change is definitely a piece of the greater health puzzle”
Applied Project Experience
Fremont worked with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) on a topic that was quite familiar – the crossroads of climate change, health, and transportation. Climate change has certain negative human health impacts, and the transportation sector is a part of the picture. Cars emit greenhouse gases as well as pollutants that harm air quality. Relying on cars can also lead to sedentary lifestyles that increase the possibility of certain diseases, like type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease (1). Infrastructure, such as roads, contribute to the urban heat island effect and reduce urban green spaces. All that is to say, the current transportation sector harms human health through several pathways.
Yet, climate change, health, and transportation are still commonly separated into three separate topics. Communication needs to highlight that climate change and health are related. Fremont said, “We should be investing time and resources into this communication effort and show that climate change is definitely a piece of the greater health puzzle.” Tackling climate change is an enormous health opportunity for the residents of Wisconsin and beyond.
Specifically, Fremont worked under the Climate and Health Program at DHS which investigates the effect of climate change on human health in Wisconsin and how to minimize the negative impacts. Maggie Thelen, Climate and Health Program Coordinator, supervised Fremont’s work with DHS. “She [Thelen] was wonderful, super flexible, very communicative, and very responsive. She allowed me to get in as deep as I wanted. She invited me to a lot of meetings within her role, like the climate and health team meetings,” Fremont said.
Fremont’s APEX work was split into three main parts. The first part was creating two systems level diagrams to provide a backdrop for his APEX as well as the climate and health work at DHS. Fremont created both a climate change and health diagram in addition to a transportation and health diagram (See below). While Fremont had basic knowledge of the concepts, he conducted a thorough literature review to ensure he understood the information.
Climate and health systems diagram made by Henry Fremont.
Transportation and health systems diagram made by Henry Fremont.
“My wheelhouse is transportation and its impacts on health. So, I was essentially creating materials that DHS could then use that were more specific to transportation and how it intersects with climate change and health,” Fremont said. The systems level diagrams show the connections between climate change, health, and transportation while including equity.
The second part was bringing Fremont’s work with the HOT project to the DHS. Fremont spent hours combing through Wisconsin transportation datasets to assure data quality and prep the data for analysis. This was no small feat. Once the data was prepped, Fremont ran the HOT model, and then wrote up the results which showed the expected air quality and physical health benefits of active travel.
Fremont received extensive feedback on the first round of results from his MPH advisors and is currently prepping to run the analysis again. The methods need to be thoroughly vetted so the results can be trusted and later acted upon. After the completion of another analysis, the results are planned to be written for scientific publication.
The final part of Fremont’s APEX was researching national information on climate change and health and filtering the information relevant to Wisconsin. “Maggie’s team has already identified things that are specific to Wisconsin that are more pressing as a result of climate change, like flood resilience is something that is important to Wisconsin,” Fremont said. Other climate impacts, such as sea level rise, are not necessary to plan for in Wisconsin in a direct sense.
Looking Ahead
Fremont said, “Ultimately, the point is to build up the portfolio of the state health department’s team on climate change and health and reinforce for people that it is true that climate change impacts Wisconsin’s residents’ health.” Moreover, the portfolio should include communicable materials that can be shared with health departments across Wisconsin. Despite officially finishing the APEX and his MPH, Fremont is working on a one-page summary of climate, health, and transportation in Wisconsin that will be shared via the DHS communication team.
Upon finishing the APEX, Fremont was happy with the experience as he wanted to complete independent research while guided by knowledgeable health professionals, like Thelen. “I wanted to do a project where I was doing independent research that was helping an organization, but also they were giving me some guidance in the real world, how research can inspire change,” Fremont said.
When asked about the full health puzzle, Fremont described the importance of research on climate change and health, “In theory, our research group is building evidence that is peer reviewed, that can be trusted, and that can be cited by decision makers and policy makers.” Fremont’s APEX and the research of the Climate Solutions for Health Lab are contributing to a body of research that is showing how combatting climate change also improves human health.
“Depending on the health issue, I think there’re various ways you that can impact health, and I think for our research group, we’re really invested in the policy route, and our research is built to support policy,” Fremont said. Admittedly, conducting rigorous and credible research takes time, but Fremont is hopeful the research builds a foundation for beneficial health policy far into the future.
References
1. Lee, I. M., Shiroma, E. J., Lobelo, F., Puska, P., Blair, S. N., & Katzmarzyk, P. T. (2012). Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy. The lancet, 380(9838), 219-229.