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August 2026 · Teaching and Further Education
Elective Module "Climate Change and Health" at the Schneefernerhaus
From 18 to 21 August 2026, the elective module "Climate Change and Health – Internship at the Schneefernerhaus/Zugspitze" for first-year medical students at the University of Augsburg took place for the third time. GEWISA provided financial support for the event. After a preparatory day at the Augsburg University Hospital, the group spent three days at the Schneefernerhaus Environmental Research Station (UFS) on the Zugspitze.
The elective module, which is anchored in the curriculum, imparts scientific fundamentals on the effects of climate change on the environment and health early in medical studies. Students learn to scientifically and clinically classify climate- and environment-related health risks and to communicate them understandably to patients.
Experience Climate Research First-Hand
An interdisciplinary teaching team from Medicine, Human Exposure Science and Aerobiology, Integrative Data Science, and Microbiology combined scientific fundamentals with practical and clinical teaching formats. In the high-alpine research environment, students engaged directly with climate-related environmental changes and current environmental and climate research.
A "Climate Puzzle" introduced key aspects of climate change. In units on exposure science, aerobiology, and microbiology, students collected and analysed pollen, spore, and microbial samples, among other things, and gained insights into microbiome research.
A Journal Club taught the fundamentals of scientific work, data visualisation, and critical evaluation of scientific literature. Clinical case studies and discussions established the link to medical care. During a glacier excursion on the Zugspitze, climatic and ecological changes were observed on-site.
Outlook: The next session is planned for August 2027; planning is already underway.
