Planetary Health: For People and Planet
Examine the links between accelerating global environmental change and human health in a dynamic session led by the Planetary Health Alliance. Take part in a simulation to examine how changes in our natural systems impact our health!
The Planetary Health Alliance (PHA) is a consortium of over 115 dedicated universities, NGOs, government entities, research institutes, and other partners around the world committed to understanding and addressing the human health impacts of global, human-induced environmental change. Through collaboration across stakeholders and disciplines, the PHA aims to achieve progress in human health and environmental stewardship goals through research, education, and policy efforts. The PHA is co-housed at the Harvard University Center for the Environment and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The PHA is led by Dr. Sam Myers, Principal Research Scientist in Planetary Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Instructor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School.
The PHA works to support the field of planetary health by: connecting the planetary health community; facilitating the training of future scientists through the development of educational resources, tools, and fellowships; communicating planetary health science for educational and policy applications; and applying science to inform policy and practice. The PHA also hosts an annual meeting to facilitate international and interdisciplinary communication and collaboration between stakeholders in the field.
The Alliance has curated a collection of open-access teaching materials for educators to use to build planetary courses at their institutions. This includes a series of modules that will be employed during the PHA’s workshop at NUGHI.
Mr. Nick Arisco
Nick Arisco is a first-year doctoral student in Population Health Sciences at Harvard University. His research focuses broadly on the effects of global environmental change on human health. More specifically, he is investigating the linkages between deforestation and malaria transmission in Madagascar and more recently has been studying the effects of climate change induced coral bleaching on human nutrition on a global scale.
Prior to beginning his doctoral program, Nick graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2016 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and Ecology and received an M.S. in Environmental Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2018. Nick also leads the Sustainability and Health Student Forum at the Chan School, which provides students a platform for discourse and action on addressing pressing challenges facing the health of people and planet.
Ms. Erika Veidis
Erika Veidis serves as the Member Engagement and Outreach Manager of the Planetary Health Alliance, a consortium of over 120 dedicated universities, NGOs, government entities, research institutes, and other partners around the world committed to advancing planetary health.
At the Planetary Health Alliance, Erika works to grow the planetary health community of practice, develop global student initiatives, and build the public education and outreach-focused Planetary Health Storytellers program. Before joining the Planetary Health Alliance, Erika graduated from Harvard University in 2015 with a B.A. in Government and Mind/Brain/ Behavior and received an M.B.A. from the California Polytechnic State University in 2016.
She has had experience across a range of topics, including political insecurity and governance, social movements, environmental economics, and conservation.