GEOLOGY AND HEALTH: WHAT WE NEED TO DO FOR A HEALTHY FUTURE

Geology and health (Medical Geology) has grown rapidly since the formal emergence of this discipline nearly a decade ago. This growth is evidenced by: the formation of international (the GSA’s Geology and Health Division and the International Medical Geology Association), national, regional, and local geology and health groups; the establishment of a regular series of international conferences (MEDGEO) as well as national conferences and technical sessions at scientific conferences; and the publication of numerous books and articles on the topic. But, the discipline is not as healthy as it should be. Among other ailments it suffers from a paucity of jobs, sparse funding, a lack of formal educational opportunities, and an absence of recognition and acceptance by established organizations. What can we do to improve the health of the discipline? We should all make a concerted effort to communicate with the broader geoscience community in which some view us as a curiosity – volunteer to give talks on what geology and health is all about and how it is relevant. As individuals and organizations we need to reach out to the public health organizations to convince them that we can be valuable collaborators rather than competitors – we should organize sessions and give talks at their conferences. We need to be more creative in seeking funding support for our research – e.g. approach state, regional, local geoscience, public health, environmental, water and air quality organizations. We need to educate the decision makers at every level as to the value of input from medical geology researchers in addressing a wide range of environmental health issues. And most of all we need success stories – clear demonstrations of how we have reduced suffering from environmental health problems. This is a prescription for a healthier future for geology and health.