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JPB Fellows in the 31st Annual Conference of the ISEE 2019

The 31st annual conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE 2019) took place in the historic city of Utrecht, the Netherlands. The meeting theme was ‘”On Airs, Waters, Places”’ in recognition of what was probably the first surviving text on environmental health, written by Hippocrates of Kos some 400 years B.C.E. Find below what some JPB Fellows presented: Acetylcholinesterase inhibition and symptoms of depression and anxiety among adolescents near agriculture…

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There is no Green Book for Walking

Why do African-Americans still need to cautiously navigate as pedestrians? by JPB Fellow Jennifer Roberts. Late last year, the movie “Green Book,” starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen was released. This true story, which received three Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Ali, was about Tony Lip (Mortensen), an Italian-American bouncer in the early 1960s, being hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), an African-American jazz pianist,…

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How to consider nature’s impact on mental health in city plans

Almost one in five adults in the U.S. lives with a mental illness. That statistic is similar worldwide, with an estimated 450 million people currently dealing with a mental or neurological disorder. Of those, only about a third seek treatment. Interacting with nature is starting to be recognized as one way to improve mental health. A number of scientific studies have shown that nature experiences may benefit people’s psychological well-being and cognitive function.…

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Article: Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective

JPB Fellow Greg Bratman’s research. A growing body of empirical evidence is revealing the value of nature experience for mental health. With rapid urbanization and declines in human contact with nature globally, crucial decisions must be made about how to preserve and enhance opportunities for nature experience. Here, we first provide points of consensus across the natural, social, and health sciences on the impacts of nature experience on cognitive functioning,…

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Are sleep patterns influenced by race/ethnicity – a marker of relative advantage or disadvantage?

Evidence to date Sleep is a fundamental necessity of life. However, sleep health and sleep disorders are not equitably distributed across racial/ethnic groups. In fact, growing research consistently demonstrates that racial/ethnic minorities are more likely to experience, for instance, shorter sleep durations, less deep sleep, inconsistent sleep timing, and lower sleep continuity in comparison to Whites. However, racial/ethnic disparities in reports of sleepiness and sleep complaints are inconsistent. Racial/ethnic groups…

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The JPB EH Fellowship By Numbers

The JPB Environmental Health Fellowship Program was developed to create compassionate environmental health leaders who inspire and engage their colleagues, students, institutions, and communities in order to solve complex environmental health problems. In 2014, after a national recruiting campaign the first cohort of 12 scholars (nine from Academic Institutions and three from Federal Agencies) were selected. Together they have implemented interdisciplinary research projects that advance the knowledge on social and…

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Exposure to artificial light at bedtime linked with weight gain in women

Sleeping with a television or light on in the room may be a risk factor for gaining weight or developing obesity, according to scientists at the National Institutes of Health. The research, which was published online June 10 in JAMA Internal Medicine, is the first to find an association between any exposure to artificial light at night while sleeping and weight gain in women. The results suggest that cutting off lights…

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Can Sleeping With The TV On Really Lead To Weight Gain?

JPB Fellow Chandra Jackson latest study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, suggests that sleeping with something that produces light may not be a bright idea. The study showed an association between the amount of artificial light, such as light produced by a television or a night light, in a room while sleeping and gain in body weight over time. Is this yet another reason why you shouldn’t install a constant…

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Implications of the California Wildfires for Health, Communities, and Preparedness

National Academies of Science – Workshop (June 4, 2019 – June 5, 2019, Sacramento CA). California and other wildfire-prone western states have experienced a substantive increase in the number and intensity of wildfires in recent years. Indeed, a “new normal” in wildfires has emerged in California and elsewhere. According to the Sacramento Bee, large scale wildfires in California destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures in 2017, a higher total…

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