The impacts of wildfire smoke on human health with Dr. Colleen Reid

In this discussion, Dr. Colleen Reid discusses her field of Health Geography, or how environmental exposures impact population health. A detailed breakdown of the pollutant composition of wildfires, how they impact health outcomes, and which populations have been affected. Learn more. Reid, C., Seifert, M. (2022). The impacts of wildfire smoke on human health with Dr. Colleen Reid. Headwaters Science Institute, QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/W5J7-BC86

Why Doctors Are Prescribing Nature Walks

In early April 2022, about two dozen children and their families gathered beneath the redwoods in a regional park near Oakland, Calif. They sat with a physician, Dr. Nooshin Razani, beneath the branches of the ancient giants, breathing the fresh air and discussing the phenomenon of fairy rings—when a mama tree is cut down, the baby trees grow up in a circle surrounding the stump of the parent tree. These…

Towards Equitable Clean Energy in Cities

The transition to clean energy is happening in Boston and other cities across the country. Strategies to expand clean energy technologies include allocating public resources and direct benefits to residents. However, an important question that must be addressed is how can we ensure that the benefits are equitably distributed when historically marginalized communities have been left behind? Answers to this question were explored by experts during a Rappaport Center for…

Green infrastructure helps cities with climate change. So why isn’t there more of it?

Federal agencies are beginning to hand out billions of dollars in infrastructure spending, the largest investment ever made in the country’s water system. Much of it will go to improving pipes, drains and stormwater systems. But some scientists and urban planners are pushing to fund projects that are better adapted to the changing climate. Instead of just gray infrastructure, supporters say the answer is green. Green infrastructure, whether it’s large…

New Article: Stress recovery from virtual exposure to a brown (desert) environment versus a green environment

The beneficial association between nature contact and human health is often explained with psycho-evolutionary frameworks such as stress reduction theory and the savanna hypothesis. However, evidence is limited on how natural environments that are not green affect stress. One example is the desert, which does not offer affordances for nourishment or safety in an evolutionary sense. In this study, we determine the effect of a virtual reality (VR) exposure to…

Close to Home: Personal Experience Inspires Planning Strategies in Wake of Marshall Fire

CU Anschutz public health expert joins other local researchers in reducing chances of repeat tragedy Uncertainty and new questions are some of the first things that come to mind for Katherine Dickinson, PhD, assistant professor of Environmental & Occupational Health at the Colorado School of Public Health, when recalling Dec. 30, 2021 – the day of the Marshall Fire. “Afterward, I tried to write something and then had to take a step back,” said…

New Article: Perceptions of green space usage, abundance, and quality of green space were associated with better mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among residents of Denver

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted both physical and mental health. This study aimed to understand whether exposure to green space buffered against stress and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic while taking into account significant stressors of the pandemic. Read more about JPB Fellow Colleen Reid’s study on the benefits of green space exposure during the pandemic was published this week. This work is co-authored by her students Emma Rieves and…

New Article: “I Can’t Breathe”: Examining the Legacy of American Racism on Determinants of Health and the Ongoing Pursuit of Environmental Justice

“I can’t breathe” were the last words spoken by Eric Garner (July 17, 2014), Javier Ambler (March 28, 2019), Elijah McClain (August 30, 2019), Manuel Ellis (March 3, 2020), and George Floyd (May 25, 2020). These were all African American men who died at the hands of police in the United States. Recently, police brutality has gained critical and overdue attention as one clear manifestation of systemic racism. However, historical…

New Article: Perceptions of green space usage, abundance, and quality of green space were associated with better mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among residents of Denver

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted both physical and mental health. This study aimed to understand whether exposure to green space buffered against stress and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic while taking into account significant stressors of the pandemic. We leveraged a cross-sectional survey on green space exposure and mental health among residents of Denver, CO that ran from November 2019 through January 2021. We measured objective green space as the…