Jeanne Herb, Executive Director of the Bloustein School’s Environmental Analysis & Communications Group has been appointed Chair of the Planning Committee on Communities, Climate Change, and Health Equity – A Workshop Series by the National Research Council.
As climate change worsens air pollution, expands urban heat islands, and intensifies extreme weather events, communities least able to respond often bear the largest health burden. Targeted investments that prioritize disproportionately impacted communities are needed to mitigate and adapt to the health effects of climate change. This workshop series will explore the current state of knowledge about climate-related health disparities. Participants will explore specific actions to take when working with communities to improve climate-related health outcomes and invest in health equity.
Jeanne’s work involves facilitating cross-sector coalitions and collective impact partnerships to advance shared efforts and to use those experiences to inform evidence-based public policy. She leads efforts to assess health equity outcomes of decisions associated with the built and natural environment and other sectors and to develop tools that can be used at the state level to inform state and local strategic health equity and environmental sustainability efforts. Jeanne Co-Directs the state’s Climate Change Resource Center, a statutorily established and academically housed service center providing support to communities, state and local decision-makers and the private sector to advance equitable and science-informed climate change solutions.