Strengthening the Resilience of the Turkish Healthcare Systems Through a Novel Climate and Health Curriculum

Background. The ‘Climate Clinic’ project was launched to enhance healthcare system resiliency by prioritising the upskilling of the workforce. This study aimed to describe a process for developing a pre-graduate climate and health curriculum. Methods. The climate and health education literature was reviewed with a focus on competencies. Focus group meetings with national and international experts, as well as pre-graduate students, were conducted using preformed questions, followed by a needs analysis. We selected core competencies from the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE) to guide curriculum development, ensuring alignment with recognised standards. A curriculum framework with defined learning objectives and outcomes was proposed, along with flexible curricular programmes adaptable to various pre-graduate settings. Results. Key needs identified from the focus group meetings include establishing a pool of instructors, providing content on health-climate interaction, tailoring programmes to Türkiye-specific risks, strategically positioning educational programmes for flexible basic competencies, offering specialisation and certification options for trainers, and adopting a participatory policy at the leadership level involving students. Conclusions. This study is the first to propose a methodology, systematically conduct a needs analysis, and outline a roadmap for integrating a climate and health curriculum into pre-graduate programmes in Türkiye.