Christopher Lemon, MD

As a practicing Emergency Medicine Physician at Johns Hopkins, I’ve dedicated my career to providing exceptional care while recognizing the deep connection between human health and Earth’s natural systems.

Serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic was a transformative experience that exposed the vulnerabilities of both communities and healthcare systems to sustained global threats. This crisis motivated me to transition from community medicine to academic medicine, focusing on systemic factors impacting health—particularly environmental drivers such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. In the emergency department—the open door to our community and a critical safety net—I witness these impacts firsthand, from heat stress to respiratory illnesses. This experience has shaped my commitment to integrating Planetary Health principles into clinical care and education.

I am the Co-Faculty Director for Clinical Programs at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health, where we foster a transdisciplinary space for cross-collaboration, bringing together experts to engineer transformative solutions. As Co-Chair of the Sustainability Leadership Council’s Healthcare Working Group, I help healthcare providers address the health effects of environmental degradation, aiming to create healthcare systems that fully embrace “First Do No Harm” by transforming operations and practices through a Planetary Health lens.

To deepen my expertise, I’m a Fellow with the Bloomberg American Health Initiative’s Environmental Challenges section and actively earning an MPH. This work enhances my ability to engage in policy, research, community engagement, and interdisciplinary solutions to the public health impacts of environmental challenges.

As a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Climate Collaborative, I work with national leaders to decarbonize the U.S. health sector and advocate for systems that acknowledge the climate crisis as a public health issue, ensuring healthcare not only adapts but helps mitigate these impacts—particularly for vulnerable populations.

Through my roles in academia, clinical care, and leadership, I strive to inspire the next generation of clinicians to view health through the Planetary Health lens, encouraging colleagues and students to rethink healthcare’s role—not just in treating patients but in safeguarding the natural systems that sustain life.

Outside of work, I’m a proud father and partner, driven by my family to pursue a career of meaningful impact.