Sonja Wicklum and Stephen B. Wilton appointed to lead Planetary Health at the Cumming School of Medicine

The Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) is pleased to announce leadership appointments in the new Planetary Health initiative — Dr. Sonja Wicklum, MD’92, BSc’88, has been named director of Planetary Health and Dr. Stephen B. Wilton, MD, MSc’10 is the department’s inaugural associate director.

The appointments are effective December 1, 2024. The new directors will work within the CSM’s Health Equity and System Transformation portfolio (HEST). 

Dr. Sonja Wicklum, director, Planetary Health 

Wicklum is a specialist in family medicine which she practices at the Central Teaching Clinic at Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre. She is also a clinical associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the CSM and member of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health. Wicklum is a University of Calgary alum, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in zoology and Doctor of Medicine. 

Wicklum has a wealth of research experience in planetary health, obesity management, family medicine, Indigenous women’s health care and rural medicine. She was the principal investigator of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funded project culminating in the Makoyoh'Sokoi — The Wolf Trail Program (WTP), a holistic physical-activity-based wellness program for Indigenous women. The program’s expansion was supported by a Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) grant allowing the program to run for over five years (and counting) in communities across Alberta and Saskatchewan. 

Wicklum is passionate about helping others adopt a planetary health lens in their health-care practice. In the last two years alone, she has given over 13 addresses on the importance of creating sustainable health care and incorporating planetary health into health-care curriculum. 

Wicklum has served in a number of local, national, and international leadership roles, including education site lead of the family medicine central teaching clinic in Calgary, the family medicine clerkship director, co-chair of the Association of Faculties of Medicine (AFMC) Planetary Health Committee and North American chair of the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA). She has won several awards for environmental health, leadership, and teaching, including the Nicole Bruinsma Award for Environmental Leadership, the College of Family Physicians of Canada Environmental Health Award and teaching awards from the CSM.

Dr. Stephen Wilton, associate director, Planetary Health 

Wilton is a specialist in clinical cardiac electrophysiology and clinical epidemiology and an associate professor in the departments of Cardiac Sciences and Community Health Sciences. He is also a member of the CSM’s Libin Cardiovascular Institute and the O’Brien Institute for Public Health. 

Wilton’s research spans clinical and health services research, focusing on the prevention and treatment of common, high-impact cardiovascular diseases. He is the principal investigator of the APPROACH initiative and is working on a number of Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) funded projects focused on improving electronic clinical decision support tools. Wilton sits on numerous committees, including serving as chair of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) Alberta Regional Committee, the Alberta Health Services (AHS) Sustainability Committee and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Planetary Health Committee. He is passionate about helping medical professionals and the public draw connections between environmental health and physical health, providing commentary through op-eds and podcasts. 

Wilton holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Manitoba, a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Science in Community Health Sciences from the University of Calgary. He has completed residencies in internal medicine and cardiology at the University of Calgary as well as fellowships in cardiac electrophysiology at the University of Calgary and complex catheter ablation at the Hôpital Haut-Lévêque in Bordeaux, France.

Wilton has received numerous awards, including the AHS President’s Excellence Award, the University of Calgary Peak Scholar Award and Clinical Cardiology Teacher of the Year in the Department of Cardiac Sciences. 

Expanding focus on planetary health

The CSM’s strategic plan, Reimagining Health For All, Ahead of Tomorrow, acknowledges the fragile nature of our planet and the importance of adapting for a changing climate. It seeks to expand research and education into the impact of climate change on health and align with the World Health Organization Sustainable Development Goals and UCalgary Office of Sustainability. 

The Academic Health Institutions’ Declaration on Planetary Health has declared earth’s health a “Code Red emergency” with calls for immediate action on planetary health education and research. The Planetary Health Alliance defines planetary health as “a solutions-oriented, transdisciplinary field and social movement focused on analyzing and addressing the impacts of human disruptions to Earth’s natural systems on human health and all life on Earth”. 

CSM is thrilled that Drs. Wicklum and Wilton will join the HEST team and lead our efforts to meet and exceed the objectives set out in the Declaration and increase our profile in this critical area of medical practise, education and scholarship. 

Please join me in congratulating Drs. Wicklum and Wilton on their new leadership roles within the CSM.

Sincerely,

Todd Anderson, MD                                                                                    
Dean, Cumming School of Medicine                          
University of Calgary