Jill Baumgartner is a Professor jointly appointed in Department of Equity Ethics and Policy and the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill University, and Director of the McGill Centre for Climate Change and Health.
Climate change and environmental pollution are major threats to human health, contributing to cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, and other chronic conditions, especially among vulnerable populations. Understanding how these exposures affect health, and the effectiveness of interventions to reduce these risks, is critical to protecting communities and guiding policy. Baumgartner’s research project focuses on measuring and mapping environmental exposures, such as extreme weather events, heat, and air pollution, and evaluating their health impacts in Canada and around the world. Her research centers on the design and evaluation of energy and environmental interventions and policies to determine how well they reduce environmental exposures, improve population health, and address health inequities.
She has served in advisory roles for national and international organizations, including the World Health Organization, Health Effects Institute, Project Drawdown, and other public health and environmental agencies, contributing scientific expertise to inform climate, air quality, and energy policies. Through this work, she aims to support evidence-based decision-making that protects health while advancing sustainable and climate change-resilient communities.
Baumgartner is a leader in environmental health research, working at the interface of science and policy to translate evidence into action.