www.Ups tatePhys i c i ansSC . com | www.Hea l thL i nksUps tate. com | 41 Susan L. Johnson, Ph.D., the Medical University of South Carolina’s director of health promotion and assistant professor of graduate studies in the College of Health Professions, was one of 23 people selected to serve in the six-month Sustainability Leadership Initiative held from October 2021 through April 2022. Sponsored by Sustain SC, in partnership with Furman University’s Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities, the exclusive leadership program represents diverse stakeholders from across the state and spanning the sectors of business, government and non-governmental organizations. Its purpose is to identify pathways and implement solutions that move us toward a sustainable future, according to Sustain SC President and CEO Ethel Bunch. “The launch of our inaugural class for the Sustainability Leadership Initiative will be a game-changer for South Carolina as our state’s leaders find new ways to think about sustainability from a business and economic development perspective,” she said. “Dr. Susan Johnson, an inaugural fellow, has been a champion for sustainability initiatives as a founding member of Sustain SC, a board of directors member of Lowcountry Land Trust and a community volunteer for SC 7. Dr. Johnson has worked tirelessly to ensure that South Carolina’s natural resources are protected, providing clean air, clean water and quality of life for a healthy and prosperous state.” The SLI consists of six sessions, and participants must have attended all six to graduate in April as certified sustainability leadership fellows. Each session featured two days of classes: the first entailed high-level sustainability thinking while the second delved into sustainability issues such as carbon neutrality. “It is truly an honor, particularly that it is the inaugural class,” remarked Dr. Johnson. “I believe that completion of the sustainable leadership certification will allow me to expand my sphere of influence to help providers, clinicians, students and health care leaders understand their role in promoting green health and advance the growing health care sustainability movement and create environmentally responsible, climate-smart health care.” While Dr. Johnson has always been passionate about sustainability and conservation issues, this marks her first opportunity to help elevate the work across such a broad spectrum. “What is so unique about this is that it brings leaders together from diverse sectors,” she noted. SUSTAINABILITY IN HEALTH CARE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR QUALITY OF CARE Dr. Johnson explained that sustainability in health care concerns the “impact of climate change on human health and the adverse health effects due to climate change,” which often disproportionately affect vulnerable populations such as low-income communities, communities of color, the elderly, children and those with underlying health conditions. These entail problems of flooding, extreme heat and pollution. “We’re contributing to the problem of climate change as a sector,” stated Dr. Johnson of the health care industry, adding that the current approach isn’t viable. “We produce a huge amount of waste. There are a lot of issues that we need to address.” Dr. Johnson, who has served on the city of Charleston Health and Wellness Committee, the Carolinas Heat Health Coalition and the state committee of PowerPlant SC, which endeavors THE FIRST SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP PROGRAM IN SOUTH CAROLINA By Colin McCandless Susan L. Johnson, Ph.D.
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