Educators

Abbey Alkon, RN PhD is a Professor at the UCSF School of Nursing, and Director of the California Childcare Health Program. She is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and epidemiologist who had conducted community-based studies in child care settings. She has published findings on the effect of child care health consultation on child care quality and is presently developing a National Health and Safety Checklist based on the third edition of Caring for Our Children.

Abby Mutic felt compelled to become a researcher, close the clinical research gap that persists, and translate literature into clinical practice changes. Abby’s unique academic experiences have provided her with a diverse background with which to pursue a doctoral education. She chose to enhance my undergraduate biology studies with psychology, leading to a focused biobehavioral discipline. Later, Abby focused on maternal-child nursing receiving a MSN specializing in nurse-midwifery. Working with high poverty rates and women with poor health awareness, she developed an interest in identifying chemical risk factors adversely affecting pregnant women and children. While at Emory, Abby has been building foundational research skills in data collection, management, analysis, and dissemination.

Dr. Adrienne Wald holds a Doctorate degree from Teachers College Columbia University; MBA in health care management from Adelphi University, BSN from Boston University, and certification in Nursing Education (CNE) and Health Education (MCHES). She served as Health Services Administrator at the American Red Cross in Greater New York and in healthcare management in systems consulting and medical education and publishing firms, was undergraduate program director of nursing at the University of Massachusetts Boston and director of Wellness Education at the College of New Rochelle. Dr. Wald’s areas of teaching expertise are nursing research, leadership, policy, and health promotion. Her clinical areas are oncology nursing and public health.

Andy Naja-Riese MS, BS, Chief Executive Officer Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM) a San Francisco Bay Area non-profit that connects communities, responsible farmers and producers. He has 15 years’ experience in community food systems and education and previously spent 10 years with the Federal government, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, overseeing programs in the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. Andy Naja-Riese has led 100+ workshops, seminars, and presentations on food security and public health for a variety of adult audiences in health sciences, nutrition, and nursing. He holds a Masters in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health, and has worked in federal, state, and local anti-hunger and food systems work for 15 years.

Anna Fuhrmann focuses on administering the Nurses Climate Challenge, which provides resources and networking opportunities for nurses across Europe who want to take action to protect their patients and communities from the worst impacts of climate change. Additionally, she supports the Health Care Climate Challenge and Race to Zero (in cooperation with UNFCCC) in Europe, connecting European hospitals and healthcare systems in their efforts to become climate-smart.

Anne, RN, MS, JD is the Connecticut Director of Clean Water Action/Clean Water Fund and focuses on passing health protective policies aimed at mitigating climate change by promoting energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy, protecting our waters and reducing exposure to toxic chemicals. Anne started her career as a critical care nurse and then as nursing director. She holds a BSN from the University of Hartford and a MS in administration from UCONN. Recognizing that the healthcare system focused on treatment rather than prevention and the links between human impact on the environment and health, Anne pursued a juris doctorate from Western New England College School of Law in order to combine nursing, health policy and the law. She was admitted to the CT Bar in October 2007. Prior to joining Clean Water Action, she served as the environmental health coordinator for the CT Nurses’ Association and was an environmental analyst at CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Aubrey Doede, PhD RN. Aubrey is a Postdoctoral Fellow, Cardiovascular Epidemiology in the Department of Family Medicine & Public Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Her presentation focuses on the effects of drought and airborne dust on childhood asthma in Imperial County, CA. The Imperial Valley region of Southeastern California is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the state and has the highest rates of childhood asthma in California. The lack of precipitation in the Imperial Valley has caused the water level of the Salton Sea to recede to a record low in the modern era. The diminishing water level in an already-arid climate pose a risk of exposing previously-sequestered toxic chemicals to open air, which can adversely affect lung health. Future droughts and heatwaves are expected to rise in frequency and severity, disproportionately affecting those impacted by financial and health disparities. The current research uses meteorological techniques to determine the extent to which airborne dust from the Salton Sea is responsible for the increased rate of pediatric emergency department visits due to asthma complications.

Audrey Lawson-Sanchez is the founder and Executive Director of Balanced, a nutrition and public health advocacy organization campaigning for healthier menus in schools, worksites, hospitals and other critical institutions in communities across the country. Formed in collaboration with leading nutrition expert, Best-Selling author, and founder of NutritionFacts.org, Dr. Michael Greger, Balanced was created to help end the ongoing public health crisis that is associated with the overconsumption of unhealthy foods. A former decade-long educator, Audrey was inspired by the birth of her daughter to fight for a food system that prioritizes health for all children and families. Audrey lives in Kansas City with her husband, daughter, and admittedly too many rescued animals.

Barbara Glickstein, RN, MPH, MS., is the founder of Barbara Glickstein Strategies. She was co-PI for the Woodhull Revisited Project that replicated the original Woodhull study from 1997 and found that today’s nurses are used as sources in only 2% of health news stories (published in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship in 2018). She is one of the lead authors on a follow up qualitative study of journalists’ experiences with using nurses as sources (American Journal of Nursing, 2018). She is the Media Strategist for Carolyn Jones Productions and worked on the documentaries The American Nurse and Defining Hope. Glickstein was selected to participate in Take the Lead’s 50 Women Can Change the World in Journalism 2019. She’s trained hundreds of nurses to be their most effective and impactful selves so they can shape public debate to advance the health of the public and public policy.

Barbara Hollinger MSN, FNP Clinical Professor Emeritus at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner Program. She taught from 1995 through 2016 and has 10 years’ experience in the California Central Valley providing primary care to Latino farmworkers at Firebaugh Community Health Center. Her special expertise is in farmworker health, with a focus on the health issues that disproportionately affect agricultural workers and their families. She developed the Farmworker Primary Health Care elective course offered every year at UCSF. She has her BSN from California State University Sacramento and her MSN from California State University, Fresno.

Dr. Barbara Sattler is a Professor at the University of San Francisco and an international leader in environmental health and nursing. While at the University of Maryland, she directed the Maryland Hospitals for Healthy Environments, a 10-year statewide initiative that helped hospitals develop sustainable policies and practices to achieve the triple bottom line of employee health, patient health, and ecological health. Supported by grants from the US Department of Agriculture she also helped to bring local, sustainable, healthy foods to Maryland’s hospitals. Dr. Sattler has worked at the local level in communities facing environmental health risks associated with lead-based paint, pesticides, Superfund sites, and risks associated with gas and oil extraction, including fracking. She has been an advisor to the US EPA’s Office of Child Health Protection and the National Library of Medicine for informational needs of health professionals on environmental health. Dr. Sattler is a Registered Nurse with an MPH and DrPH from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.

Elizabeth Schenk, PhD, RN, FAAN is the Executive Director of Environmental Stewardship for Providence, a health system with over 50 hospitals and 1000 clinics. She is instrumental in helping advance the organization toward its goal of becoming carbon negative by 2030, through the conservation of resources, education, and research. Beth is assistant research professor at Washington State University College of Nursing. She led the development of CHANT: Climate and Health Tool, measuring health professionals’ awareness and engagement with climate change and health, which has been translated to several languages and used in over 30 nations. She developed the WE ACT Framework (Waste, Energy/water, Agriculture/food, Chemicals, Transportation) to organize the extensive range of environmental stewardship, while motivating action. As a board member of the ANHE, she hosts the Nurses for Healthy Environments podcast. She is on the boards of Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate and Climate Smart Missoula. Beth has been honored with the Charlotte Brody Award, as a distinguished alumnus from the University of Montana, and as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.

Cara Cook, MS, RN, AHN-BC is the Director of Programs for the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments. In her role, she leads ANHE environmental health programming to engage nurses, nursing organizations, and the profession in advancing health advocacy, education, and practice change. Prior to joining ANHE, Cara was a Local Care Coordinator with Healthways-Sharecare, Inc., coordinating care for high-risk patients in partnership with their primary care providers as part of an insurance-based Patient-Centered Medical Home program. She has experience in critical care nursing working in both medical and trauma intensive care. Cara holds a Master’s in Community/Public Health Nursing through the University of Maryland.

Carol Kwiatkowski, PhD is the Science and Policy Senior Associate at the Green Science Policy Institute, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University. At the Institute, she heads the program to reduce the use of “Six Classes” of harmful chemicals: PFAS, flame retardants, antimicrobials, bisphenols & phthalates, organic solvents, and certain metals. Prior to joining GSPI, Dr. Kwiatkowski served for eleven years as Executive Director of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, a science-based non-profit organization focusing on the impacts of environmental chemicals on hormone disruption.

Dr. Feaga is Director of Osteopathic Education and Obstetrics Coordinator for the Meritus Family Medicine Residency Program. She received her medical degree from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency in family medicine at Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency in 2013. She practices full-spectrum rural family medicine including non-operative obstetrics and has been teaching family medicine residents since 2014. With an extensive background in integrative medicine and a holistic approach to patient care, Dr. Feaga enjoys helping patients reverse chronic disease and regain and maintain their health. She is passionate about Osteopathy and particularly enjoys discovering the nuances of Cranial Osteopathy and Biodynamics. Dr. Feaga is board certified in family medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine and in integrative medicine by the American Board of Physician Specialties. She is currently pursuing functional medicine certification.

Chrisina has conducted policy relevant research on the intersections of gender, education, and climate change to translate this research for different technical and non-technical audiences in policy reports, blogs, podcast, public lectures, seminars and other outlets. She has also taught graduate and undergraduate level courses in education in the past and regularly conducts capacity building trainings in research and writing for policy impact.

Dr. Christine Till received her B.Sc. (1997) from the University of Waterloo, Ontario. From there she moved to Toronto where she attended the University of Toronto to complete her Masters (2000) and PhD (2004) in Psychology. She then accepted a post-doctoral position at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute where she completed her clinical training in neuropsychology (2006). She is a registered psychologist with an expertise in neuropsychology in both children and adults. Dr. Till is a tenured Associate Professor in the Clinical Developmental Area in the Department of Psychology and Faculty of Health at York University. She is also appointed as an Adjunct Scientist of the Neurosciences and Mental Health Research Program at The Hospital for Sick Children.

Daniel Smith, PhD, ENP-C, LNC, NP-C is a practicing intensivist nurse practitioner in the ICU department and in addition is an Independent Contractor for multiple Emergency Room Departments. In the recent past, he worked in an Orthopaedic Trauma setting treating both pediatric and adult populations. Within the Orthopaedic Trauma practice, he routinely manage patients with multiple traumas performing such duties as: closed reductions of fractures, cast application, skeletal pinning and assisting with surgical procedures that stabilize fractures. In the ER, he has consistently managed a multitude of medical conditions, traumas, chronic illnesses, orthopeadic injuries, lacerations, laboratory studies, antibiotic therapy, acute cardiac/stroke events and x-ray interpretations, intubations, central lines, chest tubes and lumbar punctures. In the ICU, he was responsible for the care of critically ill patients with responsibilities that were complex in nature. Ventilator management, invasive drips, shock of all forms, intubation, central lines, bronchoscopy, complex medical treatment and multiple specialty treatment teams approach.

Dante Laghetto is a Registered Nurse at Kaiser Permanente, Unit-Based Team’s Health and Safety Champion, and a member at the Kaiser Permanente San Diego Green Team, where he plays an important leadership role in sustainable health care practices. He is also a member of the Leadership Council of California Nurses for Environmental Health & Justice. In addition, Dante manages biO2america.com, a plant-based outdoor nutrition company with large-scale environmental green projects, such as planting more than 40,000 trees and spreading ecological awareness of preserving nature, encouraging open-air sports practice, and stimulating a vegan diet.

As Regional Community Relations manager for the Climate Center, Destiny Rodriguez is designing and implementing local strategies to further community choice energy in the Fresno area. She continues to build support for strategic policy objectives from policymakers, allied organizations, and volunteers. Destiny is a Thriving Earth Exchange recipient in collaboration with Shake Energy Collaborative to launch a project in Fresno, California that will advance community priorities that explore the opportunity for local decision making on community-scale energy projects including community choice energy. Destiny has worked on air quality, health, and environmental issues in the Central Valley for nearly fifteen years. Prior to working for The Climate Center, Destiny worked for organizations such as the Central California Asthma Collaborative, Central Valley Air Quality Coalition, Coalition for Clean Air, National Parks Conservation Association, and the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust. She is passionate about helping her community and the environment. Destiny is also a graduate of the Gamaliel National Leadership Training and Emerge California Political Candidate Training Program. Destiny has a B.S. in Mass Communications Journalism with emphasis on Public Relations, and Chicano Latin American Studies from California State University, Fresno.

Dominic Machi is the Director of Food & Nutrition Services at Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Concord California. 

Elizabeth Landau is an award-winning journalist and science communicator. Currently, she lives in Washington, D.C. She is a contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, WIRED, Smithsonian, Scientific American, Quanta, and other publications. As a contractor, she serves as a Senior Communications Specialist at NASA Headquarters, where she produces and edits podcasts, videos, and website articles.

U.S. Army Colonel (retired), Sustainability Scientist, Registered Nurse, and former community college educator with expertise in the intersections of climate change and public health. More than 35 years of professional healthcare experience, and 17 years of senior-level leadership and management experience in medical training, development, facilities, operations, logistics, and program management. Seven years of command in three separate military units. Expertise in sustainability solutions, innovative leadership, healthcare, planning and executing multiple time-critical tasks simultaneously. Accustomed to working in high-stress environments and commanding organizations in austere locations during multiple deployments, including a combat tour in Afghanistan and two humanitarian support missions in Honduras and the Dominican Republic. Former Army Senior Medical Advisor, MedEvac Helicopter pilot, and Top Secret government security clearance holder.

Erika Alfaro Lemus is a public health nurse for Health and Family Services with San Mateo County, where she works as a nurse case manager for California Children’s Services. Erika was a participant of the inaugural ANHE Environmental Health Nurse Fellowship program. Ms. Alfaro Lemus has a broad range of nursing experience, from pediatric cardiac ICU to utilization review and community health. She has been working in the nursing field since the age of 18, when she worked as a nursing assistant in a variety of nursing specialties including skilled nursing, psych/mental health, medical-surgical, and ICU.

Eriko Sase is an award winning scholar in Health Science. She is a member of The Lancet Commission on the Value of Death (2018-2020) and studies the relationship between medicine and death/dying. She conducts her research on human rights and bioethics issues in end-of-life care as a visiting researcher in the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. Her 60+ publications include the articles from The Lancet and a book chapter in Gostin L.O. et al (eds.) Advancing the Human Right to Health from the Oxford University Press (2013). She specializes in health and human rights, global/public health, and healthcare policy. She received her Ph.D. from The University of Tokyo, Japan, and was a Takemi Fellow in International Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She was the inaugural Director of the Global Health Systems Program in Wright State University. She currently holds multiple appointments; Abe Fellow with the Social Science Research Council & the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, adjunct faculty in the Graduate School of Medicine at The University of Tokyo, visiting professor at Saitama Prefectural University, and a member of the board of directors at the Global Health Research Center of Japan.

Hannah Noel-Bouchard, BSN, RN is a public health nurse and the Nurse Operations Coordinator for the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments. She supports the organization’s staff and nurse members, who are working in communities across the nation to promote healthy environments. She is currently a school nurse in Charleston, SC and volunteers weekly at a free clinic serving the Charleston area barrier islands. Prior to joining ANHE, Hannah has worked in cardiac/telemetry and research nursing. After participating in ANHE’s inaugural Environmental Health Nurse Fellowship program, Hannah continues to build relationships and work with local communities to better understand, prepare for, and mitigate the negative health effects of climate change and polluted air, soil, and water.

Hector A. Olvera Alvarez Ph.D., P.E. is an Associate professor and Sr. Associate Dean for Research at the School of Nursing at Oregon Health and Science University. The overarching goal of his academic work is to reduce the disproportionate burden that social disadvantage has on lifelong health by understanding how social and environmental determinants of health interact and how these interactions can be leveraged to inform effective interventions. He tackles this goal by integrating interdisciplinary perspectives and research techniques, training intrepid health scientists who seek the resolution of health challenges rather than the mastery of skill, and by forming a scientific community that understands that the solution to the most pressing health challenges ahead of us will come from collaborative, daring, interdisciplinary work that emerges from the experiences of the community and that it doesn’t end until its product reaches the community.

Irene Yang is an Assistant Professor, tenure track, and received her MSN in Nursing Education and PhD in Nursing Research from the University of Louisville in 2014. She continued her research training with a T32 postdoctoral fellowship at Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and was privileged to join the faculty in 2016. As a Biobehavioral scientist and registered nurse she is currently conducting biobehavioral research investigating the oral-systemic connection. Interested in collaborating with researchers on the intersections between oral health, oral microbiome, oral health care access, maternal outcomes, mild cognitive impairment, and e-cigarette use.

Jamie is the Executive Director of Quiet Communities, Inc. She has a professional background in health outcomes in economics, health technology assessment, environmental behavior, and policy. She served in senior positions at leading organizations. She is an academic background in biochemistry, developmental, molecular biology, bio statistics, epidemiology and health economics.

Jessica Fisher, RN, DNP is a transplant surgery nurse practitioner. She advocates for climate change reform and bringing the voice of health care to the public debate on clean energy, fossil fuel related pollution, and our changing climate. She is dedicated to public health and currently pursuing her MPH.

Dr. John Balmes is Professor of Medicine Emeritus at UCSF and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences Emeritus in the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley. He is an Attending Physician at San Francisco General Hospital. Dr. Balmes has been studying the health effects of exposures to air pollution for over 40 years and has been serving as the Physician Member of the California Air Resources Board since 2008.

John has worked at the nexus of food and the environment for over 10 years. As a national program manager at health care without harm John works with healthcare facilities across North America to support them in implementing policies and programs that support sustainable food systems. 66% of reporting hospitals in John’s Netwerk are purchasing me raised without routine antibiotics. John works directly hospitals to implement strategies to lower their climate impact from food and support regional food systems that are resilient and health promoting.

Dr. Declet-Barreto earned a Ph.D. in environmental social sciences, M.A. and B.S. degrees in geography, and an associate’s degree in geographic information systems, from Arizona State University. At UCS, his research maps, analyzes, and finds solutions to the unequal human health and livelihood impacts of environmental hazards, particularly those exacerbated by climate change. Before joining UCS, Dr. Declet-Barreto spent two years as a climate and health research fellow with the Natural Resources Defense Council, where he helped link climate change to adverse health impacts, with a special attention on low-income communities, and communities populated predominantly by people of color. His research maps, analyzes, and finds solutions to the unequal human health and livelihood impacts of environmental hazards, particularly those exacerbated by climate change. Dr. Declet-Barreto earned a Ph.D. in environmental social sciences, M.A. and B.S. degrees in geography, and an associate’s degree in geographic information systems, from Arizona State University.

Dr. Eldeirawi received his PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Currently, he is an Associate Professor at the College of Nursing at the University of Illinois at Chicago and an affiliate Assistant Professor at the UIC’s School of Public Health. His interdisciplinary research focuses on individual and neighborhood factors associated with chronic conditions, especially asthma in vulnerable and underserved populations. He has pioneered an area of inquiry on the effects of immigration and acculturation on the risk of asthma and atopic conditions in children of Mexican origin and is currently replicating some of this work on other immigrant populations. He has garnered intramural and extramural support for his research and received several prestigious awards. Dr. Eldeirawi was one of just 12 nursing educators from across the United States to win a highly competitive 3-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Nurse Faculty Scholars program. He teaches interdisciplinary courses and mentor students, junior faculty, and international scholars. Dr. Eldeirawi’s work has been disseminated widely in scientific conferences, top-tier journals, and media outlets (e.g., BBC News and Chicago Sun-Times). He is actively engaged with community initiatives and professional organizations. Eldeirawi’s research has implications for identifying causes of asthma and defining effective multilevel and culturally appropriate interventions as well as policies to prevent asthma and reduce asthma-related disparities.

Karen Dannemiller, PhD is an Associate Professor, Environmental Health Sciences at Ohio State University College of Public Health. Her interdisciplinary research integrates engineering with microbiology and addresses emerging health challenges and environmental concerns using –omics approaches. Within the indoor environment, we are simultaneously exposed to thousands of chemicals and microorganisms which compose our indoor exposome, and these exposures are different from those of our ancestors. Broadly, the goal of Dr. Dannemiller’s work is to understand these exposures, their sources, and their impact on human health. Her unique background combines training in both engineering and public health to tackle difficult questions, particularly with regards to exposures in the built environment where we spend 90% of our time. Dr. Dannemiller graduated with honors in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from Brown University and earned her PhD at Yale University in Chemical and Environmental Engineering. During this time she completed an internship at the California Department of Public Health in the Indoor Air Quality Program. Her work improved our understanding of human exposures linked to childhood asthma development and severity. Her research also elucidated resident microbial populations and fundamental transport processes occurring in homes. Dr. Dannemiller’s current research is on microbial activity in house dust and biotransformation of phthalates in homes, and she is excited to tackle new challenges as an assistant professor at The Ohio State University.

Katie Cantrell, Director of Corporate Outreach, Better Food Foundation. Katie is the founder of the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition. For more than a decade, Katie has led workshops, speaking to over 5,000 people about the ecological and health impacts of the food system. She has led workshops on sustainable food policy, on the social and ecological hazards of industrial animal agriculture and consulted on food policy at universities, government agencies, Fortune 500 corporations, at government agencies, and top universities. Her materials have been used as a resource by food justice advocates around the world.

Katie Huffling, MS, RN, CNM, FAAN is a Certified Nurse-Midwife and is the Executive Director of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments. Ms. Huffling works with nurses and national nursing organizations on a variety of environmental health issues including climate change, chemical policy, inclusion of environmental health into nursing education, and sustainable healthcare. Ms. Huffling has written numerous peer-reviewed articles on environmental health issues and was an editor of the recently released environmental health e-textbook “Environmental Health in Nursing” which won the 2017 AJN Book of the Year in Environmental Health.

Kristina Dahl is a senior climate scientist for the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. In her role, she designs, executes, and communicates scientific analyses to make climate change more tangible to the general public, and to policymakers. Her research focuses on the impact of climate change, particularly sea level rise and extreme heat, on people and places. Much of Kristy’s work involves spatial analyses and products, reflecting her lifelong passion for maps. Prior to joining UCS, Dr. Dahl was the associate director of a school-wide climate change initiative at Rutgers University, and provided scientific guidance as a course scientist for the American Museum of Natural History’s Seminars on Science program, a set of online courses geared toward K-12 educators. She also served as a science communicator for Al Gore’s Climate Project, delivering presentations on global warming for K-12 students and adult learners. Dr. Dahl earned a PhD in paleoclimate from the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program, and a BA in Earth sciences from Boston University. She has been quoted in Bloomberg, The Guardian, National Geographic, The New York Times, The New Republic, San Francisco Chronicle, The Weather Channel, and local news outlets.

Laetitia Benador is a food systems researcher, writer, and farmer. As the CCOF Research Fellow, Benador spearheads the Roadmap to an Organic California project, which is a first-of-its kind research project that investigates how organic is a solution to California’s toughest challenges. Prior to joining CCOF, Benador lived and worked on organic and biodynamic farms in California and Oregon, where she experienced farming and economic models that work for all life, allowing her to reimagine possibilities for creating a just world. She earned her B.A. in Political Economy at the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in the intersection of global economic development and agriculture.

Dr. Laura Anderko PhD RN, adjunct lecturer for the Environmental Studies program at Georgetown University, is also Co-Director of the federally funded Region 3 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at Villanova University College of Nursing, the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment. She is a nurse, educator and scholar focusing on environmental health for over 20 years, publishing widely on a variety of children’s environmental health topics such as climate change. She has served on a number of boards and federal advisory committees, and is currently a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) committee establishing Guidance on PFAS testing and health outcomes. Dr. Anderko has received numerous awards for her work in environmental health. Most notably, in 2013 she was recognized by the Obama White House as a Champion of Change for her advocacy efforts in Climate Change and Public Health.

Laura Kate Bender is the National Assistant Vice President, Healthy Air at American Lung Association. Laura Kate has spent nearly a decade working for protections from air pollution and climate change. She currently serves as National Assistant Vice President, Healthy Air at the American Lung Association, where she leads the Healthy Air Campaign, directing advocacy initiatives in Washington, DC; field staff working in multiple states; and coordination of a broad group of national public health and medical organizations. She previously served as the campaign’s lead representative to Congress, advocating for limits on outdoor air pollution to protect public health. Prior to that, she worked in Virginia to implement the Healthy Air Campaign on the state level. She also served on the board of the Virginia Asthma Coalition. Prior to joining the Lung Association, Laura Kate worked as an organizer on clean air issues for Environment America. Laura Kate studied political science and communications at American University in Washington, DC. She lives in Fairfax, Virginia with her husband and two children.

Lisa Jordan is Director of the Environmental Law Clinic, appointed to the position in 2017. She has over twenty years of experience with the Environmental Law Clinic, including serving as Acting Director in 1999-2000, supervising students in the representation of clients who face threats from pollution and barriers to effective participation before governmental entities. From the beginning, Professor Jordan and her students’ representation has focused on Louisiana communities disproportionately impacted by industrial pollution. From 1996 through 1998, Professor Jordan led the Clinic’s legal team in representing a grassroots citizen group and their regional and national partners in opposing air permits to Shintech Corporation for a massive polyvinyl chloride plant proposed for Convent, Louisiana, a town in the middle of Louisiana’s Cancer Alley. The Clinic’s representation of these groups in the face of massive political and financial resistance and interference led to them being named Runner-Up for the National Law Journal’s Lawyer of the Year award. Professor Jordan continues this important work for clients across Louisiana and other areas, as well as clients fighting to protect invaluable natural resources such as the Atchafalaya Basin. Professor Jordan has an LLM in Environmental Law and previously practiced criminal law as an assistant district attorney in Orleans Parish. She is a native New Orleanian.

Dr. Lisa Thompson is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at Emory University and affiliated faculty in the Department of Environmental Health in the Rollins School of Public Health. She is the Director of Graduate Studies for the PhD program in nursing. Dr. Thompson is a member of the Network for Evaluation and Implementation Sciences at Emory University (NEISE). She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Dr. Thompson is a member of the Sustainability Vision Committee for the Emory Office of Sustainability, and a faculty member on the Emory University Senate, Committee on the Environment. She is the co-chair for the research working group, part of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments. She serves on the American Academy of Nursing Expert Panel on Environmental and Public Health. Dr. Thompson received her BSN, MSN and FNP degrees from San Francisco State University. She received her MS and PhD degrees in Environmental Health Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Before coming to Emory in 2017, Dr. Thompson was on faculty in the School of Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Huntington-Moskos is an Assistant Professor at the University of Louisville school of Nursing. Her current research efforts focus on the prevention of lung cancer by addressing secondhand smoke and radon exposure in the homes of low-income families with children. Using a life course perspective, she is interested in addressing cancer prevention early in the trajectory of a child’s life through the use of home testing for chronic environmental exposures. Her educational background includes a strong foundation in maternal child health and health disparities. As a recipient of two Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB) traineeships, she completed specialized training in child health theory, growth/development and adolescent resiliency. Her PhD dissertation examined the impact of tobacco use behaviors and secondhand smoke exposure on the cardiovascular health of rural adolescents. As a postdoctoral scholar with the Bridging Research Efforts and Advocacy Toward Healthy Environments (BREATHE) research team at the University of Kentucky, College of Nursing, she assisted in participant recruitment and expanded my knowledge of intervention research and home testing. As a co-investigator, funded by a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) diversity supplement, she examined the influence of having children in the home and the completion of home testing for radon and secondhand smoke. She has experience working with under-resourced communities during her service in the United States Peace Corps, as a registered nurse working in inner city Baltimore and on the Navajo Nation.

Madeline received her MPH in infectious diseases and vaccinology and received an undergraduate degree in public health and chemistry. While attending UC Berkeley she worked in a laboratory which looked at drug resistant tuberculosis. She also works at FACT coordinating KAW since 2019. During her work at FACT she has gained many experiences and expertise in the agricultural sector.

Dr. Marcy Ballman, with the American Lung Association has a multidisciplinary background with expertise in exposure assessment, pediatric asthma management and respiratory toxicology. She has the unique distinction of understanding both the exposure science and laboratory bench science that inform public health. She continues to work to address climate change-driven impacts on lung health and has worked on HEPA air filter unit distribution programs in Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California and has published multiple manuscripts on the efficacy of HEPA air filter units to improve indoor air quality in homes with wood stoves. Her teaching experience is mostly clinical, working with primary care providers in the clinic setting to improve their asthma care. She has taught pharmacy students in lecture and laboratory settings and have given a multitude of presentations on wildfire smoke related topics in the past 5 years as part of reginal and national webinars, conferences, and round tables. She has also worked with elementary aged children on topics in environmental health.

Maribel Castillon, RN is a Public Health Nurse for the Los Angeles County Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) Program. Since 2003, she has been part of a unique team of PHN’s that raise the quality of pediatric care for thousands of Angelinos. Since 2016 Maribel has co-chaired the first member driven SEIU 721 Environmental Justice Action Team (EJAT).

Mechelle Perea-Ryan is an Associate Professor at California State University, Stanislaus in the rural central valley of California. She received her Bachelor’s in Science Nursing in 1992, her Master’s in Science Nursing from UCSF and Family Nurse Practitioner Certification from CCNE in 1997, and is completing her Public Health PhD from the University of California, Merced. Her research interests include Health Disparities, especially for Hispanics and the integration of the Social Determinants of Health into patient centered care. Her dissertation research focuses on ED utilization by infants and how mothers’ make decisions regarding care when their infant has a health care issue.

Meghan Alderman RN, BSN, MPH is an experienced PACU/Pre-op nurse, with a passion for lifestyle medicine, and plant-forward dietary interventions to combat the global chronic disease crisis. She is the co-founder and Wellness Director of Navitas Organics, Co-creator of Futurewell Summit, and is the Communications Director for California Nurses for Environmental Health & Justice. She has 13 years of clinical and experiential nursing experience interwoven with knowledge and practical applications of preventative lifestyle behaviors through various entrepreneurial pursuits. She has facilitated and orchestrated numerous large scale educational events as well as participated in program development and management for holistic wellness programs, as well as 2-3 years’ experience producing day long retreats, workshops, and webinar series focused on the health implications of food and agriculture.

Milagros R. Elia is the founder of M. Elia Nature-Based Healthcare Solutions (NBHS), a company that offers professional presentations, educational workshops, and program development services to organizations interested in learning more about implementing sustainable nature-based solutions that restore, mange, and help to protect their local community’s natural ecosystems and public health.Currently she is a sitting member of the ANA Innovation Advisory Committee for Planetary Health, and the Patient Advocacy Committee of the Society for Integrative Oncology. Milagros is an accomplished speaker who has been invited to present at both national and international planetary health conferences. Her presentations are engaging and relevant to sustainable healthcare topics.

Molly Jacobs, MPH is a Senior Research Associate at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production (Lowell Center) at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She has over 20 years of experience in public health research and practice to promote effective disease prevention solutions across a range of organizations. Molly’s research at the Lowell Center focuses on environmental health issues with deep expertise on the environmental and occupational causes of cancer and asthma. As an active member of the Cancer Free Economy Network, Molly has supported numerous initiatives to grow the base of scientists, health professionals and cancer-focused leaders to engage in the environmental cancer crisis; developed training materials to support grassroots mobilization efforts; and provided environmental cancer epidemiologic expertise to a range of projects. Since 2013, Molly has also managed the Center’s informed substitution and alternatives assessment work. This work has focused on: supporting governments in the US and internationally to institute programmatic and policy structures that advance informed substitution efforts; co-authoring state of the art reviews and helping to set research and practice agendas for the field of alternatives assessment; and developing capacity building resources and materials. She currently is a member of California’s Green Ribbon Science Panel and an Executive Council member of the Association for the Advancement of Alternatives Assessment. Molly received her MPH with a concentration in environmental health and epidemiology from Boston University

Pat Bakalian, CA ANHE coordinator, served as a Regional Consultant for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Immunization Program for HHS Region IX for President Clinton’s Childhood Immunization initiative from 1994-2001. In that capacity, she worked with state and local public health departments to form statewide, regional and citywide immunization coalitions, provide health professionals training in organizational capacity development and conducted trainings in the use of public policy advocacy. She has conducted trainings, workshops and has spoken at numerous national conferences. As the President of Bakalian Consulting Group, she was the editor of Creating a Community Collaborative (distributed nationwide) and author of the Immunization Coalition Sustainably Project, a study funded by Aventis Pasteur, of over 200 Immunization coalitions focused on best practices regarding these coalitions’ organizational capacity and program development. She has provided hands on technical assistance to the state health departments of West Virginia, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Oregon and the Region IX states of California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and the Pacific Island Territories. Prior to this work Pat was a political campaign manager, field director and fundraiser for U.S. Senate, Congressional, CA Assembly and County Judicial campaigns. She is the author of her memoir, Persistence: The Power to Make Change available on Amazon.

Dr. Pat Camp is a clinician-scientist at St. Paul’s Hospital and an Associate Professor in the UBC Department of Physical Therapy. Her clinician-scientist appointment position is jointly supported by the University of British Columbia Department of Physical Therapy and the Providence Health Care Research Institute. Dr. Camp is a physical therapist with expertise in pulmonary rehabilitation for people with chronic lung disease.

Renata Brillinger is the co-founder and Executive Director of the California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN), a California statewide coalition of sustainable and organic agriculture organizations that has been advancing climate and agriculture federal and state policy since 2009 to realize the powerful climate solutions offered by sustainable and organic agriculture. She has more than two decades of experience in sustainable agriculture policy and food systems projects and 30 years’ experience in non-profit administration.

Dr. Renee Joy Dufault is recognized as a biomedical expert in the areas of inorganic mercury and fructose toxicology, nutrition, autism, ADHD, epigenetics, and environmental hazard assessment. Her articles published in peer reviewed medical journals continue to be widely accessed and cited by other scientists. She is widely known for blowing the whistle on the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when the agency attempted to block publication of her findings of inorganic mercury in high fructose corn syrup. To publish these findings, she retired early and gave up her career as a United States Public Health Service Officer. Mother Jones published an award winning article about Dr. Dufault’s investigation and it can be accessed at the following link: http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/07/corn-syrups-mercury-surprise

Robin Guenther is Principal of Perkins+Will and Senior Advisor to Health Care Without Harm. Her innovative healthcare projects have been published nationally and internationally. Healthcare Design magazine named her the “#1 Most Influential Designer in Healthcare” in 2010. In 2012, Fast Company included her as one of the “100 most creative people in business.” She led the Mazzetti-Perkins+Will team, one of two winning entrants in the Kaiser Permanente Small Hospital Big Idea Competition. She was a 2014 TEDMED speaker. Robin works at the intersection of health care architecture and sustainable policy and participates in a wide range of advocacy initiatives while continuing to practice. She is a Culture of Health Leader. She co-coordinated the Green Guide for Health Care, served on LEED for Healthcare committee, and released the second edition of “Sustainable Healthcare Architecture,” with Gail Vittori in May 2013. In 2005, she received the Center for Health Design’s Changemaker Award for her leadership and innovation in the design of healing environments.

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Ruth Ruivivar, BSN, RN, CCRN is a certified critical care nurse and has worked in the Surgical ICU for 8 years at LIJ-Northwell Health. In addition to critical care, she will start a new role as a home hospice nurse for Long Island Hospice Care Network. Ruth completed the Integrative Healing Arts Program for Holistic Nursing given by the American Holistic Nurses Association.  Through the program she has worked with nurse managers to promote self-care amongst staff. Ruth was featured in Northwell’s publication “Nurses of Northwell Health: A Sense of Purpose” where she wrote about Reiki and benefits to patients. She has volunteered to recover children after cleft lip and palate surgeries with Medical Missions for Children in Quito, Ecuador.

Dr. Ruth Zúñiga is an associate professor, clinical supervisor and licensed psychologist at Pacific University, Oregon. She is also the director of Sabiduría: Latinx Psychology Emphasis. She has a PhD in clinical and community psychology with an emphasis in rural and indigenous communities from the University of Alaska. Her research, teaching and practice have focused on community-based program evaluation, integrated health care, chronic disease management, cross-cultural issues, rural and Latinx psychology, community resiliency and strength. Dr. Zúñiga serves in several board of directors and advisory boards of community-based organizations in Oregon. She has extensive track record working with community brokers such promotores de salud, community leaders and community health workers. She provides consultation and community services in the areas of community emotional health, stress relief, and emotional health and wellness. Dr. Zúñiga has been teaching, researching and presenting in the subject of Latinx mental health for 10 years and has been providing mental health services for over 15 years in the areas of immigration, trauma, chronic disease management and overall mental health problems. Dr. Zúñiga is original from Costa Rica, she is a mother of a strong and resilient daughter and a wife.

Sandra Curtis, PhD, Director of Innovative Projects – Sandra brings a wealth of experience developing projects internationally across media and at the intersection of education, entertainment, science, and health. She is applying her creative, entrepreneurial, networking, writing, research, and business skills to expand the partnerships, programs, and projects of Plastic Pollution Coalition, including serving most recently as co-investigator for a pilot study Rethink Plastic, demonstrating that changing behavior can reduce the health hazards associated with toxic chemicals in plastic.

Sandy Worthington, MSN, WHNP-BC, CNM is the Director of Medical Continuing Education and Special Projects for Planned Parenthood Federation of America where she develops, implements and evaluates educational programs and materials that focus on reproductive health topics for staff and patients. She coordinates all aspects of the Green Choices program that highlights the affect that environmental toxins have on reproductive health outcomes. Prior to this position she was the director of the PPFA Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Program, the Colposcopy Training Program and ongoing continuing education courses for advanced practice clinicians. Ms. Worthington received her undergraduate and graduate degrees for the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She is active in numerous professional organizations.

Shanda Demorest, DNP, RN, PHN is a Sustainability Strategy Manager with Practice Greenhealth, where she works with hospitals and health systems to reduce their environmental impact. Dr. Demorest earned her Doctorate of Nursing Practice in Health Innovation and Leadership from the University of Minnesota, and holds the LEED Green Associate credential through the U.S. Green Building Council. A cardiovascular nurse with horticultural training by background, Shanda leads the Nurses Climate Challenge at Health Care Without Harm: A national campaign to educate 50,000 health professionals about the health impacts of climate change.

Sharima Rasanayagam, Ph.D., Director of Science at Breast Cancer Prevention Partners As BCPP’s director of science, Dr. Sharima Rasanayagam works to ensure that the organization continues to be a national leader in science-based environmental health advocacy. She oversees all of the organization’s science-related activities, including monitoring and interpreting emerging scientific research, representing the organization in key scientific bodies, developing and managing science-related program and policy initiatives, and providing scientific guidance on the development of new programmatic initiatives. Before coming to BCPP, Sharima was the founding academic coordinator at the U.C. Berkeley Institute for the Environment, where she built the institute from the ground up. Previously, she served as Consul for Science and Technology at the U.K. Consulate-General in San Francisco, where she built collaborative research and business ties between scientists in the U.K. and California. Sharima holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Kent at Canterbury, U.K. She has given numerous presentations to a variety of audiences including webinars and presentations to undergraduate and graduate students in both the U.S. and the U.K

Dr. Heagele’s research centers on understanding and minimizing occupational exposures to known carcinogens. She is working to understand and minimize occupational exposures to pesticides for Latino migrant and seasonal farmworkers in North Carolina. She is also very active in research and policy to minimize occupational exposures to antineoplastic drugs for healthcare workers including nurses, nursing assistants, and environmental services workers. She will be presenting an overview of her research and policy involvement.

Teddie’s work is heavily connected to building partnerships with nurses, health providers, community activists, diverse cultures, communities, and nature. As Director of Planetary Health and Clinical Professor School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, she is passionate about inspiring others to question how to create a better future for our planet. She believes nature connects us while diversity is the key to creating a healthy system.

Vivian Price is an experienced Educator and Organizer with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education and applied research. Focus of research is equity, labor, and climate change. Filmmaker and Published author of reports and peer-reviewed articles. Working locally in the US and internationally on research, visual studies and social change!

Wanda’s work engages systems thinking and the use of novel methodologies addressing public health problems for applied outcomes. Her program of research is on the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically focused on health equity, food systems, and climate change.