Kristie L. Ebi

Kristie L. Ebi is an American epidemiologist whose primary focus is the impact of global warming on human health. She is a professor of Global Health and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences in the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington.

Education Ebi graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry in 1972. In 1976, she completed a Master of Science in toxicology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Career and research Ebi's research focuses on the health risks of climate variability and climate change, including extreme events, heat stress, food safety und vector-borne disease, and adaptation strategies to address these risks in environments with multiple stress factors. Ebi's chapter documents the impacts that 1.5°C of global warming would have on natural and human systems. In public debate on the climate crisis, Ebi compared the report to a doctor with a serious diagnosis for their patient: "If you have cancer, you need the doctor to tell you how serious your cancer is and what your options are."

At TED 2019, Ebi spoke about the effects of increased carbon dioxide on the nutritional content of food.

Ebi was elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 2023.

Selected works