Christie Godsmark

Dr. Christie Godsmark is a Lecturer in the School of Public Health at University College Cork (UCC) and Academic Director of the MSc in Occupational Health (online) program. She is affiliated with UCC's Environmental Research Institute. Her research focuses on climate change impacts on human health, particularly in vulnerable populations such as informal settlement residents in Dar es Salaam and temperate climate regions like Ireland. She coordinates the CATCH project (Communication and Action through Tree-planting for Climate-Health), funded by the Irish Research Council. Her teaching includes developing a 5-credit Environmental Health module for the MSc program.

Education:

• Doctorate in Human Thermoregulation (University of Portsmouth, 2016)
• MSc in Medicine (Cardiovascular Physiology) – University of Cape Town (2012)
• BSc Honours in Human Kinetics/Ergonomics – Rhodes University (2009)
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology – Rhodes University (2008)

Research Interests: Climate change and health co-benefits, heat-health vulnerability, environmental health advocacy, and Sustainable Development Goals integration. Her work emphasizes actionable solutions that align climate action with health equity and environmental sustainability.

Grants & Projects:

• CATCH project: €4,808 from Irish Research Council (2020–2021)
• Development of climate adaptation frameworks for South African provinces and Irish temperate regions

Awards: Honorary Lecturer at University of Cape Town (2018–2021).

Advising & Grants: Leads UCC's MSc Occupational Health program and contributes to policy briefs for governments in Tanzania and South Africa. Active in the Irish Climate and Health Alliance, UCC's Athena SWAN committee, and Green Campus Forum.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the Environmental Research Institute and international teams on climate health projects.