Patrick Kinney

Dr. Patrick Kinney is Professor of Environmental Health, Emeritus at the Boston University School of Public Health. Before coming to BU in 2017, he was a tenured professor at Columbia University, with appointments in both the School of Public Health and the Earth Institute. Dr. Kinney has been a leading researcher in the field of air pollution and health since the 1980’s and was one of the lead developers of the field of climate change and health starting in the early 2000’s. He created and directed the first climate and health program in the US at Columbia University, where he pioneered studies examining how climate change could increase health risks from air pollution and extreme heat in the future. More recently, Dr. Kinney has worked to quantify the health benefits of urban mitigation and adaptation strategies targeting air pollution and carbon emissions. He earned his doctorate at the Harvard School of Public Health, studying the effects of air pollution on lung function in children as part of the Harvard Six Cities Air Pollution and Health Study.