Launched in 2018, the Center for Health & Nature is a partnership between Texan by Nature, Houston Methodist, and Texas A&M Health Science Center. The Health & Nature Symposium convenes friends of the center, researchers, potential funders, and donors to explore ways to advance the science of the interplay between exposure to natural environments, health and healing.
The symposium increases awareness of the Center for Health & Nature research priorities, the current state of research in the field, and funding mechanisms available to collaborative partners of the center. Researchers can develop collaborations for innovative and meaningful research and take steps to secure funding in support of their projects.
Agenda and Speakers
Nature Contact and Health Promotion: From Science to Application
Erin Largo-Wight, PhD
Director, Institute of Environmental Research and Education (IERE)
Professor, Department of Public Health
University of North Florida
The Clean Environment for Healthy Living Initiative: A Case for Environmental Justice
Research Assistant Professor, School of Public Health
Texas A&M University
Exposure to nature and children’s health and development: Understandings from life-course research
Dongying Li, MLA, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning
Texas A&M University
Exploring the Connection Between Health and Nature: Research Updates from CHN
Omar Elsayed, MBBCh
Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Health & Nature
Houston Methodist Research Institute
Morning Vision Panel
(audio only)
Panelists:
- Erin Largo-Wight, PhD, University of North Florida
- Garret Sansom, DrPH, MPH, Texas A&M University
- Dongying Li, PhD, MLA, Texas A&M University
- Omar Elsayed, MBBCh, Houston Methodist Research Institute
Keynote
(not recorded)
Howard Frumkin, MD, DrPH
Senior Vice President and Director, Land and People Lab, Trust for Public Land,
Hagler Fellow Professor, Texas A&M University
Beyond the Bayous for a Healthier Harris County
Lisa Graiff
Senior Capital Projects Manager
Houston Parks Board
Waterloo Greenway Overview: A Place for All
Jesús Aguirre
Chief Executive Officer
Waterloo Greenway
Using Big Data, Machine Learning, and Passive Behavioral Data Collection to Understand the Relationships between Nature and Health
Jared Hanley
Chief Executive Officer
Co-Founder
NatureQuant
Afternoon Vision Panel
(audio only)
Panelists:
- Howard Frumkin, MD, DrPH, Hagler Fellow Professor
- Jared Hanley, NatureQuant
- Lisa Graiff, Houston Parks Board
- Jesús Aguirre, Waterloo Greenway