Faculty

Research Interests

Dr. Hess is Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Global Health and Emergency Medicine at the University of Washington. He serves as the director of the UW Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE). Dr. Hess has an MD and an MPH in global environmental health and is residency-trained and board-certified in emergency medicine.

His research interest is in climate change and health, including climate change adaptation in the health sector and health co-benefits of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He is also very interested in advancing public health practice related to climate change through development and implementation of interventions to reduce climate change risks.

DEOHS Biography

Education

MD Medicine, Emory University, 2003

MPH Public Health, Emory University, 2002

In the News

Wildfires in US West undo air quality progress of past 20 years
Axios, 12/05/2023

NYC subways unbearably hot again as outside temps fall
New York Post, 11/16/2023

Climate change fight is woefully underfunded, UW prof. says
MyNorthwest , 10/03/2023

Dangerous heat waves expose India’s inequality, deadly risk for poor
Washington Post, 09/22/2023

Lessons learned from the Pacific Northwest’s 2021 heat dome
KNKX, 07/03/2023

New tool from UW provides strategies to prevent heat deaths
KNKX, 06/28/2023

A grid collapse would make a heat wave far deadlier
WIRED, 06/27/2023

Allergy season is getting longer
Fox 13, 03/21/2023

WA hired a climate epidemiologist — and not a moment too soon
Crosscut, 06/03/2022

Extreme Heat Can Be Deadly. Here’s How To Stay Safe.
Buzz Feed News, 05/05/2022