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Resident Physician
Department of Oncology
Operating rooms (OR) have been identified as a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, in part due to their waste generation, producing an estimated 30% of hospital waste. This team will reduce procedural waste in radiation oncology through implementation of waste audit findings and nationally through development of a publicly accessible brachytherapy waste audit toolkit to engage oncologists in environmental stewardship. Further opportunities to reduce waste and rethink important aspects of care include telehealth, thereby reducing Scope 3 transportation-associated emissions.
The team estimates a 30% reduction of biohazardous waste per brachytherapy procedure would reduce biohazardous waste generation at Main Campus by 330 lbs. in a year.
Melissa Frick, MD
Resident Physician
Department of Radiation Oncology
Hilary Bagshaw, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Radiation Oncology
Lisa Sheih, MD, PhD
Clinical Professor
Department of Hospital Medicine
Invited Lecturer. Penn State Medical School. Climate and Health Elective Course. “Healthcare Waste & Climate Smart Health Care (U.S.)” January 5, 2023. Virtual.
Invited Speaker and Panelist. “Resident Led Quality Improvement: A Six Minute Waste Audit Toolkit”. NorCal Symposium for Climate, Health and Equity. September 23, 2022. Virtual.
Selected for oral presentation, Resident Travel Award Recipient: “ A Six Minute Brachytherapy Waste Audit: A feasible, efficient method for identifying opportunities to enhance the environmental sustainability of a radiation oncology department.”
Selected for asynchronous oral presentation. “Development of Oncology Based Lectures on Climate Change and Health: Understanding Climate Change’s Effect on Cancer Care & Physicians’ Roles.”
Biophilic Design for Psychological and
Physiological Health Outcomes
Quality Improvement Waste Audits:
An Opportunity to Increase Environmental Stewardship in Healthcare
Building Sustainable Clinical Supply Chain,
Materials Management, and Nursing Leadership
Engaging Nurses in Qaste Sorting Quality: Liquids Reduction in Waste and Waste Sorting Guide. Training, Education, and Feedback
Supporting the Stanford Health Care Food System: Demonstrating the Benefits of
Healthy Food on Patient Outcomes
Reducing Hand Surgery’s Impact on the
Planet by Implementing Initiatives that
Decrease Disposable Waste
Leading Sustainability
Changes in Anesthesiology
Integrating the Nurses’ Voice in the Sustainable Guidelines from the Design & Construction Workgroup
Redistribution of Unused and
Clean Surgical Supplies
Returning Unused and Unopened Medical Supplies
Reduce Staff Commute by Single Occupancy Vehicle: Reductions Campaign & Commute Information
Evaluating the Emergency Department’s
Utilization of Biohazardous
(Red-Bag) Waste Bins
Mentoring and Coaching Healthcare
Professionals to Deliver
Climate Smart Healthcare
Quantifying the Pro-Environmental Impacts
of Telehealth Tobacco Treatments
Addressing the Environmental Impacts
of Orthopaedic Surgery
Standardizing Carbon Footprint
Calculations of Clinical Care Delivery
Empowering and Educating Healthcare
Professionals to Help Reduce the Environmental Footprint of Healthcare
Increasing Environmental Stewardship in
Healthcare Through Clinical Leadership
Optimizing Energy & Water Use for
Radiation Oncology Treatment
Practice Greenhealth Award Application & Reusable Product Pilot Implementation
Reducing the Carbon Footprint of the
Operating Room through Waste Reduction
