Selected from a pool of over 1,000 applicants across Canada, the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine’s inaugural Director of Planetary Health and colleagues have earned new recognition as sustainability leaders who are creatively harnessing the power of innovation and collaboration to inspire climate action and develop solutions.
Accolades from the 2025 Clean50 Awards– recognizing 50 individuals or small teams who have done the most to advance the cause of sustainability in Canada – are well deserved. Led by Dr. Husein Moloo, uOttawa Faculty of Medicine members have demonstrated commitment to prioritizing the health of the planet and working toward a low-carbon future for health care systems.
At an Oct. 10 summit for the prizewinners, Dr. Moloo received an individual Clean50 award for being among the most impactful 50 leaders in Canada and “reshaping the landscape of medical education.”In addition, a team from the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine comprised of Dr. Moloo, Dr. Mark Walker and Dean Bernard Jasmin earned a “Top Project” honour for their initiative titled “Revitalizing Medical Governance for a Healthier World.”
“When you talk to climate scientists, it becomes clear that this decade is incredibly important. We need transformative change – and we need it now," says Dr. Moloo, Professor of surgery at the Faculty of Medicine and a clinical investigator in epidemiology at The Ottawa Hospital’s research institute.
"I’m thrilled to see our Faculty recognized as leaders in advocating for Planetary Health and taking up the mantle of educating tomorrow’s leaders so they can steer both adaptation and mitigation efforts."
The competitive honours from Clean50 came just three years after Dr. Moloo was appointed as the Faculty’s Director of Planetary Health as part of uOttawa’s expanded efforts in social accountability and commitment to creating a sustainable future.
The Clean50 organization was impressed by the innovative character of the position – the first of its kind in a North American medical faculty – as well as its reach and significance.
Earlier this year, Dr. Moloo and colleagues published an impactful commentary in Lancet Planetary Health urgently calling for every medical faculty across the globe to follow its lead and create a planetary health director of their own. Our example is inspiring action, including the creation of kindred positions at uCalgary and Northern Ontario School of Medicine University.
Dr. Moloo’s groundbreaking role has prompted fruitful discussions with decision-makers at influential organizations such as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC), and the American College of Surgeons (ACS). At uOttawa, our Faculty of Medicine leadership is working on integrating planetary health longitudinally into the medical school curriculum and created a Planetary Health Research lab, among other key initiatives.
Dr. Moloo says it’s all part of “Leading Innovation for a Healthier World,” quoting the mission statement of the Faculty’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan.
“In the past, people may have seen the climate crisis as something that was coming at some point in the future. But the fact of the matter is it’s here – right now,” says Dr. Moloo. “We will need to advance transformative change together.”
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