IDPH to Host Weather and Public Health Response Summit

IDPH to Host Weather and Public Health Response Summit

Groundbreaking gathering at UIC November 12-13 will examine effects of climate change, severe weather on public health

SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will host a first-of-its-kind "Weather and Public Health Response Summit" to examine how the effects of climate change and a growing number of extreme weather events are and will continue to impact public health. The two-day event will be held at the University of Illinois Chicago's Student Center West, 828 S. Wolcott Ave., Chicago, on November 12-13, 2025.

"Climate change is already reshaping the health of our communities," said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. "It is a growing public health emergency that demands urgent, coordinated action. This summit brings together leaders and experts across Illinois to forge the partnerships, strategies, and systems we need to protect lives and build resilience in the face of extreme weather."

The conference will feature several main events and multiple breakout sessions, covering a wide array of topics, including:

• Clinician and health system responses to extreme weather
• Communications strategies in natural disasters
• Sustainable recovery in a changing climate
• Impacts of extreme weather on the health of children
• How severe weather events may worsen health disparities
• Hazard mitigation across Illinois
• Food safety during and after an emergency
• And many others.

One of the centerpiece events of the conference will be "Illinois Response to Severe Weather: A Director-Level Discussion." This panel discussion will feature IDPH Director Vohra and several other state agency directors: Ted Berger, Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security; James Jennings, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency; and Kristi Jones, deputy director, Illinois Department of Agriculture. It will be held at 12:45pm on Thursday, November 13.

For more information on the conference and panelists, please go to Illinois Weather & Public Health Summit 25 - University of Illinois Conferences.

NOTE TO MEDIA: If you would like to attend any of the sessions of the conference, please notify Anna Pinsoneault in advance at [email protected] to make arrangements.