103 - Anna Roe Rasmussen - What happens when a doctor applies the rigour of clinical research to the carbon footprint of surgery?

What happens when a doctor applies the rigour of clinical research to the carbon footprint of surgery?

In this episode, Frederik speaks with Anna Roe Rasmussen, MD, MSc Health Policy — a scientific researcher at the Regional Unit for the Green Transition in Region Zealand.

Anna recently defended her PhD at the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark, where she applied lifecycle assessment (LCA) to total hip replacement surgery, working towards the integration of environmental impact into clinical decision-making.

About Anna: Anna has spent over a decade at the intersection of climate and health — as a co-founder of Doctors for Climate Denmark (Læger for Klimaet), as part of the working group that drafted the Danish Medical Association's climate and health policy (published 2022), and as a scientific researcher applying LCA methodology to surgical care pathways.

Three things you'll take away: Why the field needs to distinguish more clearly between carbon footprint screenings and full ISO-compliant LCAs — and what gets lost when clinicians can't tell the difference. Why specialty-level carbon literacy is the missing link between organisational sustainability targets and meaningful action on the ground in clinical departments. Why acting — finding someone to act with — is Anna's personal antidote to climate anxiety. Timestamps: 00:00 — Introduction 03:00 — Anna's PhD: applying LCA to total hip replacement surgery 08:00 — From medical student at COP to co-founding Doctors for Climate Denmark 10:00 — The Danish Medical Association's 2022 climate and health policy 13:00 — A passionate but fragmented global movement of healthcare workers 17:00 — The publication explosion in healthcare LCA — and why quality must keep pace 21:00 — Carbon screening vs. ISO-compliant LCA: the precision vs. direction trade-off 27:00 — Specialty-level carbon literacy as the next step for healthcare decarbonisation 33:00 — Carbon budgets and financial budgets: an uncomfortable but necessary analogy 38:00 — The hard conversations healthcare systems avoid 41:00 — What makes Anna hopeful: engaged colleagues and the power of acting together References and links mentioned: ISO 14040/14044 standards for lifecycle assessment (see iso.org) DTU Centre for Absolute Sustainability Doctors for Climate Denmark / Læger for Klimaet — Facebook [Joachim/Frederik: add official website if available] Danish Medical Association climate and health policy 2022 [Frederik: add direct link] International Federation of Medical Students' Associations: ifmsa.org Guest links: Anna Roe Rasmussen on LinkedIn Sjællands Universitetshospital DTU Centre for Absolute Sustainability You might also enjoy: Episode 097: Visualising Circular Healthcare — Tamara Hoveling (TU Delft) on LCA methodology in healthcare Episode 101: Sustainable Healthcare: Implementation and Hope — Maria Gaden Episode 088: Circular Material Flow in the ICU — Nicole Hunfeld (Erasmus UMC) [Episode Spotify/platform links to be added by Frederik] Hosts: Joachim Almdal on LinkedIn Frederik van Deurs on LinkedIn Care Pathway Consulting Pull quote: "If you want to do something — act. And find someone to do it with. That's always both more fun and more productive." — Anna Roe Rasmussen