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,…
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…
Senior Fellows 2014 – 2017
The first cohort of JPB Environmental Health Fellows was comprised of nine assistant professors (Faculty Fellows) from academic institutions across the U.S and three research scientists from government agencies (Agency Fellows).
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…
Viniece Jennings
Deputy Director NOAA Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Florida A&M University Tallahassee, FL https://ccme.famu.edu/ viniece.jennings@famu.edu Viniece Jennings is the Deputy Director at the NOAA Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems. The center is led by FAMU (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University) and includes 5 partner institutions. Her role is to provide executive leadership for the center in administering operations, education, research, and professional development for students. Prior to taking…
Wildfire smoke worse for kids’ health than prescribed burns
(Reuters Health) – Children who are exposed to smoke from wildfires may experience a greater health impact than those exposed to smoke from prescribed controlled burns, according to a small study in northern California. “Prescribed burns have been done for thousands of years to maintain the health of the forest, but there is public opposition to them due to the smoke exposure,” said lead study author Dr. Mary Prunicki of…
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JPB Fellows Explore Environmental Public Health at UM
JPB Fellows visited the University of Montana this week as part of a Harvard program to address social and environmental health disparities that disproportionately impact vulnerable communities. “It’s a really unique opportunity for UM to host a diverse group of Fellows who are really working to transform the lives and health of people throughout the nation,” said Senior Fellow Annie Belcourt, who has Blackfeet, Chippewa, Mandan and Hidatsa tribal affiliations.…
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Atlanta Meets Smog Standards As EPA Delays Reducing Them
That’s good news for people’s health, but the pollution rules could be stricter. The Trump Administration recently delayed fully implementing a lower ozone standard. Still, officials here say it’s a big deal that Atlanta is meeting federal ozone rules. Read more.