For the last week, 12 public-health professionals and climate scientists from ten countries have been studying at Columbia University's Lamont campus, where the International Research Institute for Climate and Society is based, to learn how to use climate information to make better decisions for health-care planning and disease prevention. They're taking part in the second Summer Institute on Climate Information for Public Health, organized by IRI, the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) and the Mailman School of Public Health.Now that the world's attention is focused on climate change, it is essential for the health community to better understand the role climate plays in determining the fundamentals of health - air, water and food - as well as its role as a driver of specific outcomes related to infectious disease."After all, health is fundamental to the way we understand human well-being, and a key indicator of sustainable development", says Madeleine Thomson, who runs the IRI's Health and Africa programs, and is a principal organizer of the course. "Here, we like to think of climate as both a challenge and a resource."Extreme weather events or prolonged droughts are often associated with negative outcomes, Thomson says, but by understanding climate and its associated impacts and potential predictability, decision makers can start responding proactively to climate challenges. In some situations, they can even get ahead of the game, she says.To learn more about the training course and about the connection between public health and climate, please visit the Summer Institute home page.