The NYSCHECK Summer Academy views advocacy as the vehicle for using our collective voice, knowledge, expertise, and passion to improve environmental health outcomes for every child in New York State. The overarching goal of the advocacy projects is to gain experience working as a team and integrating public health concepts into the design of public health interventions and advocacy strategies that address a specific aspect of climate and health. Students explore upstream public health interventions that have the potential to improve children’s health at the population level.
In 2023, Summer Academy students were divided into three advocacy subgroups that triangulate climate change with a structural concern that impacts children’s environmental health in New York State. The three areas for advocacy exploration and expansion include:
- Climate Change, Transportation, & Children’s Environmental Health
- Climate Change, Housing, & Children’s Environmental Health
- Climate Change, Healthcare/Industrial Contributions, & Children’s Environmental Health
Climate Change, Transportation, & Children’s Environmental Health
Faculty Facilitator: Dr. Sarah Evans, Phd, MPH, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Scholar Facilitator: Olivia Malvasi, MPH, Syracuse/Upstate Children’s Environmental Health Center
Alumni Facilitator: Maroska Ishak, Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition
Transportation is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, comprising 28% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2021. The majority of emissions from this sector arise from the burning of fossil fuels by automobiles, ships, plans, and trains. Examples of local, state and federal initiatives that seek to curb emissions include electrification of bus fleets, anti-idling legislation, and the creation of walkable communities. Students explored various ways in which transportation impacts climate and health with a focus on food transportation systems and reducing the contribution of car traffic by improving access to safe biking.
Participants:
Christopher Annabi – Hudson Valley/Westchester – Medical Student – New York Medical College
Emily Do – NYC/Mount Sinai – High School
Julia Goldberg – Hudson Valley/Westchester – College – Vassar College: Saratoga Hospital
Ameer Hamid – Long Island/HBCAC – High School
Elena Kaplan – Fingerlakes/ Rochester – College – SUNY Potsdam
Mason McMullen – Buffalo – Medical Student – University At Buffalo
Rochelle Mendonca – Hudson Valley/Westchester – Medical Student – New York Medical College
Heeya Mody – NYC/Mount Sinai – College – Parsons School of Design, The New School
Shira Oppenheimer – Hudson Valley/Westchester – High School
Ekaterina Sazon – Albany – Medical Student – Albany Medical College
Ananya Shah – Rochester – Medical Student – University of Rochester
Jacqueline Whitehead – Syracuse – Medical Student SUNY – Upstate Medical University
Sheyla Zakashansky – NYC/Mount Sinai – College
Brandon Zhang – NYC/Mount Sinai – High School
Advocacy Projects to come.
Climate Change, Healthcare/Industrial Contributions, & Children’s Environmental Health
Faculty Facilitator: Dr. Amy Brown, MD MBe FAAP, Children’s Environmental Health Center of the Hudson Valley
Scholar’s Facilitator: Zachary Messer, MPH, Children’s Environmental Health Center of the Hudson Valley
Alumni Facilitator: Maya Wedner, Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition
Industrial emissions contribute significantly to climate change. Activities and emissions in various industrial settings can have immediate impacts on child health (ie air pollution) or can cause health effects by creating adverse environmental conditions. Although the “industrial” sector represents a broad category of many fields, the healthcare field, in particular, requires specific and focused attention. Throughout an immersive eight weeks, students in this advocacy group focused on the direct and indirect responsibilities that the healthcare sector has on the changing climate. Students explored tools to advocate for the connection of the healthcare sector, climate change and health by proposing evidence-based solutions. The students worked as a team to develop a rhetoric for their advocacy project that expanded the capacity of practical solutions to improve children’s health through NYS.
Participants:
Aleena Ali – Long Island/HBCAC – High School
Sarah Ampalloor – Hudson Valley/Westchester – Medical Student
Virginia Apel – NJ – Rutgers University
Anneke Fleming – NYC/Mount Sinai – University of Puget Sound
Tatia Goldberg – Hudson Valley/Westchester – Tulane
Siana Jacobs – Buffalo – Medical Student – University At Buffalo
Sumita Mahmood – Hudson Valley/Westchester – Medical Student
Marla Minkoff – NYC/Mount Sinai – Masters – Yale School of Public Health
Tanish Parlapall – Long Island/HBCAC – High School
Hayley Pawlowski – Albany – Masters – University at Albany
Mia Petrouniak – Hudson Valley/Westchester – High School
Priscilla Rene – Long Island/Northwell – High School
Advocacy Projects to come.
Climate Change, Housing, & Children’s Environmental Health
Faculty Facilitator: Dr. Sandy Jee, Finger Lakes Children’s Environmental Health Center
Scholar’s Facilitator: Rebekah Prasad, Finger Lakes Children’s Environmental Health Center
Alumni Facilitator: Aliyyah Hamid, Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition
Safe home environments, including exposure to toxins, mold, pests, and lead are concerns that many of our families confront. We sought to address family and community concerns about how to make environmentally safe housing, including connecting families to resources to address identified needs. Examples of projects that may be relevant for families included addressing environmental justice issues to improve indoor air quality. Opportunities to advocate for change included (1) supporting legislation to provide resources for mold exposure and, (2) building on the work of prior summer academy students to apply and expand resources in community settings.
Participants:
Amal Ahmed – Hudson Valley/Westchester – Drexel
Demi Ajao – Syracuse Medical Student – SUNY Upstate Medical University
Basem Ashkar – Syracuse – Medical Student – SUNY Upstate Medical University
Christopher Boettger-smolich – Long Island/HBCAC – High School
Jane Chakraborty Fingerlakes/ Rochester – Emory University
Lutfia Chowdhury – Buffalo – Masters – University At Buffalo
Alyssa Kamara – Albany – College – SUNY Albany
Alex Katthi – Hudson Valley/Westchester – High School
Tina Li – Buffalo – College – University At Buffalo
Aashna Pawar – Long Island/HBCAC – High School
Princy Shah – Hudson Valley/Westchester – Medical Student – New York Medical College
Mackenzie Steen – Buffalo – Masters – Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Juliette Thibodeau – Albany – College – University of Chicago
Emily Traw – Fingerlakes/ Rochester – College – Mount Holyoke College/ University of Rochester Medical Center
Emily Zhang – Hudson Valley/Westchester – Medical Student – Touro
