Climate change poses growing threats to children’s health. Pediatricians are among the most trusted sources of health information, but many lacked guidance on how to talk with families about these risks. The Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) needed a continuing medical education (CME) course that would build pediatricians’ knowledge and help them communicate the impacts effectively.
Partnered with four pediatricians to design and develop an asynchronous eLearning course that met CME requirements. The course moves learners from understanding the science to applying it in patient conversations.
Opened with a thought-provoking visual prompt to draw learners in from the start.
Organized the core content around five questions: Why, When, What, Where, and Who.
Prototyped key interactions in PowerPoint, with draft narration scripts, before building in Storyline.
Used children’s voices to narrate key sections, putting the people most affected at the center of the message.
Built interactive explorations of exposure pathways and their effects on child health.
Designed knowledge checks that challenge common assumptions about climate change.
Translated the AAP policy statement into a practical communication framework grounded in motivational interviewing.
Modeled the framework in a well-child visit scenario that shows how to weave climate counseling into routine care.
Highlighted environmental justice considerations throughout.
Built with Articulate Rise and Storyline, Adobe Illustrator, Canva, and Audacity.
Inside the course
Five-question explorer
