I AM
Forever
amazed by nature.
"The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it."
— Robert Swan
Growing up surrounded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), I developed a deep appreciation for nature and the intricate balance of ecosystems. Family vacations were spent exploring National Parks, further embedding a love for the environment. This early exposure shaped my understanding of conservation and stewardship, lessons I carried into college, where I crafted my own major in Community Health. During that time, I collaborated on a model that used a medical clinic as a trust-building tool for engaging in community-based participatory research, deepening my commitment to health equity, environmental justice, and solutions driven by the needs of the communities we served.
After medical school, I pursued a dual residency in Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics and became board-certified in both. My post-graduation career spanned solo-democratic, mid-sized, and corporate national emergency medicine groups, all within a rapidly evolving U.S. healthcare landscape. When the pandemic hit, I suddenly experienced vulnerability—for myself and my family—in a way I had never before. It was a stark reminder of what so many people endure regularly. The frontlines of COVID-19 felt like an allegory for the stressors healthcare will face with the escalating climate crisis. This realization motivated me to return to academic medicine, committed to engineering innovative solutions for the complex challenges ahead.
Now, I am a clinician dedicated to transforming healthcare through the lens of Planetary Health. Each day, I have the privilege of working clinically alongside brilliant residents and students. But now, I can also traverse interdisciplinary spaces that did not exist at our University just months ago. Alongside diverse colleagues at Johns Hopkins, we envision the future we need and work backward to define our role in making it a reality. What once felt like a series of disconnected life events now, in the context of my “origin story,” aligns with a deep sense of purpose. We are living in a time of immense opportunity, creating space for optimism and hope.
Nature @ Work and Home
Spending time in nature with my family has been my go-to stress relief from the demands of emergency medicine, especially during the pandemic. Engineering with nature has become a way to spark my kids’ imaginations as we reclaim parts of our suburban yard. By transforming a patch of grass prone to standing water into a thriving rainwater harvesting ecosystem, my kids have witnessed firsthand how plants flourish, and the yard’s biodiversity has expanded. Most importantly, it gets them outside, using their senses, exploring, and learning through play.
What Am I working on Now?
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Faculty Director, JH Institute for Planetary Health, Clinical Programs: I lead efforts to integrate Planetary Health principles into clinical practice and education, aiming to transform healthcare settings to better address the interconnectedness of human and environmental health.
Fellow, Bloomberg American Health Initiative, Environmental Challenges Section: As a fellow, I work on tackling environmental challenges that directly affect public health, with a focus on advancing policies and solutions that address the health impacts of climate change and other environmental stressors.
Member, National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the U.S. Healthcare Sector: I collaborate with national leaders to drive the decarbonization of healthcare, developing strategies to reduce the sector’s environmental footprint while maintaining high standards of patient care.
Co-Chair, JH Sustainability Leadership Council’s Healthcare Working Group: I co-chair a multidisciplinary team that works to advance healthcare sustainability within Johns Hopkins University, focusing on reducing environmental impact and fostering a culture of sustainability across the institution. NEED MORE PUBLIC HEALTH TRAINING? Apply to the program and if accepted, tuition is covered. Click to learn more.
Johns Hopkins Discovery Award Team Member – Climate Change-Proofing the US Healthcare System: In collaboration with the JH Center for Health Security, I contribute to research aimed at cultivating resilience within the U.S. healthcare system, focusing on understanding and mitigating the risks of climate-driven compound and cascading disasters.
Every day is a new adventure in the
Planetary Health community.
MORE IN THE WORKS!
For anyone who has someone they care about, it is easy to justify your actions as an attempt to keep them safe, secure, and free. I also wonder if it resonates with you that sometimes our pursuit of the "bigger picture" inevitably comes at the expense of the "little things" that matter so much. I want to make a better world for my children, but that too often equates to missed sporting events, bedtime stories, and art lessons. I do not know if there is a "perfect balance," but I will strive to find it, all the while thanking God for the luck to have such an understanding and supportive partner.
