Environmental anthropology and health sciences: key aspects in medical education

The intersection between environmental anthropology and medical education has gained relevance in recent decades, especially in the face of global challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation and social inequalities. This systematic review identified that environmental anthropology offers conceptual and methodological tools to enrich medical training by integrating cultural, social and ecological perspectives in the analysis of health determinants. However, its incorporation into medical curricula remains limited and fragmented. Critical areas such as the need to address gender inequalities and the impacts of climate change on health, as well as the importance of participatory methodologies and community collaboration, were highlighted. These methodologies, although promising, face challenges such as the lack of systematization and long-term evaluation. In addition, the urgency of fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between anthropologists, physicians and educators, and of exploring the role of digital technologies in medical training, was identified. Together, these strategies can promote a more just, equitable and contextualized medical education, preparing health professionals to face the challenges of the 21st century with a comprehensive and human perspective.