Our Team
STAFF
Sam Myers
Director
Sam Myers works at the intersection of human health and global environmental change. He is a Principle Research Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Director of the Planetary Health Alliance, an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.
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Director
Sam Myers works at the intersection of human health and global environmental change. He is a Principle Research Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Director of the Planetary Health Alliance, an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.
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Marie Studer
Senior Program Manager
Marie Studer is the Senior Program Manager of the Planetary Health Alliance, overseeing the strategic visioning, external relations, and program operations for PHA. She is a scientist with a passion for connecting people with meaningful and creative explorations of the world that are relevant to them and our future.
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Senior Program Manager
Marie Studer is the Senior Program Manager of the Planetary Health Alliance, overseeing the strategic visioning, external relations, and program operations for PHA. She is a scientist with a passion for connecting people with meaningful and creative explorations of the world that are relevant to them and our future.
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Max Zimberg
Member Engagement & Outreach Coordinator
Max Rose Zimberg is the Member Engagement & Outreach Coordinator of the Planetary Health Alliance, working to grow the planetary health community of practice through global education and public outreach efforts, thematic and regional initiatives, and strategic expansion of the PHA's mission and membership. She graduated summa cum laude from Columbia University with a dual B.A. in evolutionary biology of the human species and sustainable development and research focus in food systems sustainability and public health.
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Member Engagement & Outreach Coordinator
Max Rose Zimberg is the Member Engagement & Outreach Coordinator of the Planetary Health Alliance, working to grow the planetary health community of practice through global education and public outreach efforts, thematic and regional initiatives, and strategic expansion of the PHA's mission and membership. She graduated summa cum laude from Columbia University with a dual B.A. in evolutionary biology of the human species and sustainable development and research focus in food systems sustainability and public health.
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Carlos Faerron Guzmán
Associate Director
Formerly the PHA's Education Fellow, Dr. Faerron now serves as the Associate Director of the PHA and is the co-founder and current director of the InterAmerican Center for Global Health (CISG). CISG is the first global health hub in Central America and seeks to redefine the meaning of leadership and global health through innovative educational approaches. He obtained his medical degree at the University of Costa Rica, and his MSc. in International Health at Queen Mary University in Edinburgh and Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.
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Associate Director
Formerly the PHA's Education Fellow, Dr. Faerron now serves as the Associate Director of the PHA and is the co-founder and current director of the InterAmerican Center for Global Health (CISG). CISG is the first global health hub in Central America and seeks to redefine the meaning of leadership and global health through innovative educational approaches. He obtained his medical degree at the University of Costa Rica, and his MSc. in International Health at Queen Mary University in Edinburgh and Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.
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Jeremy Pivor
Senior Program Coordinator
Jeremy Pivor is the Senior Program Coordinator for the Planetary Health Alliance. For over a decade, he has worked in environmental conservation, international climate change diplomacy, and public health. His conservation efforts have brought him around the world from the United States, Madagascar, the Sargasso Sea, the Coral Triangle region in Southeast Asia, to Indonesia Borneo. He cherishes working with and bridging partnerships with organizations from the local to international scale.
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Senior Program Coordinator
Jeremy Pivor is the Senior Program Coordinator for the Planetary Health Alliance. For over a decade, he has worked in environmental conservation, international climate change diplomacy, and public health. His conservation efforts have brought him around the world from the United States, Madagascar, the Sargasso Sea, the Coral Triangle region in Southeast Asia, to Indonesia Borneo. He cherishes working with and bridging partnerships with organizations from the local to international scale.
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Joanna Wagner
Program Assistant
Joanna Wagner is a Program Assistant with the Planetary Health Alliance, where she provides administrative and communications support for all aspects of PHA programs. Before joining the team at the Planetary Health Alliance, Joanna graduated from Boston University’s Kilachand Honors College with a degree in International Relations and Environmental Analysis & Policy.
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Program Assistant
Joanna Wagner is a Program Assistant with the Planetary Health Alliance, where she provides administrative and communications support for all aspects of PHA programs. Before joining the team at the Planetary Health Alliance, Joanna graduated from Boston University’s Kilachand Honors College with a degree in International Relations and Environmental Analysis & Policy.
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Mahaa Ahmed
Communications & Newsletter Intern
Mahaa M. Ahmed is a graduate student at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the department of Environmental Health. She graduated from Rowan University with degrees in biology and philosophy and religion studies. Her research experiences have revolved around global environmental health, focusing on children’s health in Bangladesh.
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Communications & Newsletter Intern
Mahaa M. Ahmed is a graduate student at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the department of Environmental Health. She graduated from Rowan University with degrees in biology and philosophy and religion studies. Her research experiences have revolved around global environmental health, focusing on children’s health in Bangladesh.
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Erin Devlin
Intern
Erin Devlin is a summer and fall intern at the Planetary Health Alliance. She is an MPH student at Oregon State University, taking classes online while working part-time for OSU Extension’s Family and Community Health program. She will complete the MPH program in March. Her current job with Extension is to coordinate local nutrition education programs, and she previously worked as a faculty research assistant on a federal grant examining weight health in rural Oregon communities.
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Intern
Erin Devlin is a summer and fall intern at the Planetary Health Alliance. She is an MPH student at Oregon State University, taking classes online while working part-time for OSU Extension’s Family and Community Health program. She will complete the MPH program in March. Her current job with Extension is to coordinate local nutrition education programs, and she previously worked as a faculty research assistant on a federal grant examining weight health in rural Oregon communities.
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FELLOWS
Melvine Anyango Otieno
Next Gen Fellow
Melvine Anyango Otieno is a 2019 Planetary Health Campus Ambassador turned PHA Next Generation Fellow, working to inspire, activate and convene the next generation of planetary health campus ambassadors from around the world, as well as conduct outreach to facilitate local and international collaborations through her leadership in growing the Planetary Health Eastern Africa regional hub. She attained a BSc in Environmental Biology and Health and currently pursuing MSc in Environmental health at the University of Eldoret.
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Next Gen Fellow
Melvine Anyango Otieno is a 2019 Planetary Health Campus Ambassador turned PHA Next Generation Fellow, working to inspire, activate and convene the next generation of planetary health campus ambassadors from around the world, as well as conduct outreach to facilitate local and international collaborations through her leadership in growing the Planetary Health Eastern Africa regional hub. She attained a BSc in Environmental Biology and Health and currently pursuing MSc in Environmental health at the University of Eldoret.
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Sandeep Maharaj
Global Outreach Fellow
As the PHA's Global Outreach Fellow, Sandeep works to support and strengthen the emerging network of Planetary Health Regional Hubs around the world, mainly through convening and cross-fertilizing current hubs and facilitating the creation of new hubs where desired. At an academic level, Sandeep serves as a lecturer in the School of Pharmacy at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, and administratively, he serves as both the Associate Dean for Distance Education and Planning and the Director of the Entrepreneurship and Business Transformation Office for the Faculty of Medical Science at UWI's St. Augustine Campus.
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Global Outreach Fellow
As the PHA's Global Outreach Fellow, Sandeep works to support and strengthen the emerging network of Planetary Health Regional Hubs around the world, mainly through convening and cross-fertilizing current hubs and facilitating the creation of new hubs where desired. At an academic level, Sandeep serves as a lecturer in the School of Pharmacy at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, and administratively, he serves as both the Associate Dean for Distance Education and Planning and the Director of the Entrepreneurship and Business Transformation Office for the Faculty of Medical Science at UWI's St. Augustine Campus.
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Teddie Potter
Clinicians for Planetary Health Chair
Dr. Teddie Potter is a Clinical Professor, the Specialty Coordinator of the Doctor of Nursing Practice in Health Innovation and Leadership, and the Director of Planetary Health at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. She serves as the Chair of the Clinicians for Planetary Health (C4PH) initiative.
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Clinicians for Planetary Health Chair
Dr. Teddie Potter is a Clinical Professor, the Specialty Coordinator of the Doctor of Nursing Practice in Health Innovation and Leadership, and the Director of Planetary Health at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. She serves as the Chair of the Clinicians for Planetary Health (C4PH) initiative.
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Hannah Nash
Clinicians for Planetary Health Outreach
Hannah Nash serves as the Clinicians for Planetary Health Outreach Manager, helping to build a community of clinicians engaged in planetary health. She has a longstanding passion for understanding the intersection of human health and the environment. Hannah graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in biology and a concentration in human health and ecology.
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Clinicians for Planetary Health Outreach
Hannah Nash serves as the Clinicians for Planetary Health Outreach Manager, helping to build a community of clinicians engaged in planetary health. She has a longstanding passion for understanding the intersection of human health and the environment. Hannah graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in biology and a concentration in human health and ecology.
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Nathaniel Uchtmann
Clinicians for Planetary Health Partnerships
Nathaniel Uchtmann is a Physician and Lawyer who currently works as an Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Hospitalist at Natividad Medical Center in Salinas, California. He completed a 2-year Global Health Fellowship through UCSF and graduated from residency training and medical school at the University of Illinois, where he also received his law degree and a master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. His advocacy work centers around ethically modelling ecology through highlighting our interdependency with healthy communities and a healthy planet.
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Clinicians for Planetary Health Partnerships
Nathaniel Uchtmann is a Physician and Lawyer who currently works as an Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Hospitalist at Natividad Medical Center in Salinas, California. He completed a 2-year Global Health Fellowship through UCSF and graduated from residency training and medical school at the University of Illinois, where he also received his law degree and a master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. His advocacy work centers around ethically modelling ecology through highlighting our interdependency with healthy communities and a healthy planet.
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Michael Xie
C4PH Outreach Intern
Michael serves as the Clinicians for Planetary Health outreach intern, working to build a global movement of clinicians invested in planetary health. He is an undergraduate at Harvard College studying history of science and global health. Michael has helped promote more sustainable practices in labs and clinics in the greater Boston area and is passionate about exploring the intersection between the environment and the concept of health.
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C4PH Outreach Intern
Michael serves as the Clinicians for Planetary Health outreach intern, working to build a global movement of clinicians invested in planetary health. He is an undergraduate at Harvard College studying history of science and global health. Michael has helped promote more sustainable practices in labs and clinics in the greater Boston area and is passionate about exploring the intersection between the environment and the concept of health.
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Hilary Duff
Case Studies Writer
Hilary Duff is a multimedia journalist and communications consultant. In her role with the Planetary Health Alliance, Hilary traveled the world conducting interviews with stakeholders, researchers, and organization leads to build an anthology of 10 planetary health case studies, which highlight cross-sectoral solutions that optimize human health in the face of anthropogenic environmental change.
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Case Studies Writer
Hilary Duff is a multimedia journalist and communications consultant. In her role with the Planetary Health Alliance, Hilary traveled the world conducting interviews with stakeholders, researchers, and organization leads to build an anthology of 10 planetary health case studies, which highlight cross-sectoral solutions that optimize human health in the face of anthropogenic environmental change.
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STEERING COMMITTEE
Richard S. Ostfeld
Richard Ostfeld is Senior Scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, a not-for-profit research institution in Millbrook, New York, dedicated to providing the science behind environmental solutions. His research focuses on ecological determinants of human risk of exposure to infectious diseases, emphasizing Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
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Richard Ostfeld is Senior Scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, a not-for-profit research institution in Millbrook, New York, dedicated to providing the science behind environmental solutions. His research focuses on ecological determinants of human risk of exposure to infectious diseases, emphasizing Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
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Antonio Saraiva
Dr. Antonio Saraiva has a degree in Electrical Engineering from Universidade de São Paulo (1980), Agronomy from Universidade de São Paulo (1987), a Master's in Electric Engineering from Universidade de São Paulo (1993) and Ph.D. in Electric Engineering from Universidade de São Paulo (1998).
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Dr. Antonio Saraiva has a degree in Electrical Engineering from Universidade de São Paulo (1980), Agronomy from Universidade de São Paulo (1987), a Master's in Electric Engineering from Universidade de São Paulo (1993) and Ph.D. in Electric Engineering from Universidade de São Paulo (1998).
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Stephen Luby
Stephen Luby earned his MD degree from the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. His previous positions include directing the Centre for Communicable Diseases at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh in Dhaka, Bangladesh, conducting research and teaching epidemiology at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, and working as an epidemiologist in the Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Stephen Luby earned his MD degree from the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. His previous positions include directing the Centre for Communicable Diseases at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh in Dhaka, Bangladesh, conducting research and teaching epidemiology at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, and working as an epidemiologist in the Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Courtney Howard
Courtney Howard is a University of British Columbia and McGill-trained Emergency Physician who practices in Canada’s subarctic and is the Vice President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE). Motivated by work on a Médecins Sans Frontières pediatric malnutrition project in Djibouti, and by climate-related health impacts on her Northern patient population, she led the successful campaign to have the Canadian Medical Association divest from fossil fuels and for MD-Financial to create a Fossil-Free Fund for individual physician investment.
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Courtney Howard is a University of British Columbia and McGill-trained Emergency Physician who practices in Canada’s subarctic and is the Vice President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE). Motivated by work on a Médecins Sans Frontières pediatric malnutrition project in Djibouti, and by climate-related health impacts on her Northern patient population, she led the successful campaign to have the Canadian Medical Association divest from fossil fuels and for MD-Financial to create a Fossil-Free Fund for individual physician investment.
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Russ Hauser
Dr. Russ Hauser’s research interests are in the fields of reproductive, perinatal and pediatric epidemiology. His research focuses on the impact of environmental chemicals on fertility, pregnancy outcomes and children’s health. He is currently conducting a NIH funded study on the effects of chemicals classified as endocrine disruptors on male and female reproductive health endpoints.
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Dr. Russ Hauser’s research interests are in the fields of reproductive, perinatal and pediatric epidemiology. His research focuses on the impact of environmental chemicals on fertility, pregnancy outcomes and children’s health. He is currently conducting a NIH funded study on the effects of chemicals classified as endocrine disruptors on male and female reproductive health endpoints.
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Mandeep Dhaliwal
Dr. Mandeep Dhaliwal is the Director of UNDP’s HIV, Health and Development Group and a strong advocate for planetary health and stronger synergies between the climate and health movements. Dr. Dhaliwal brings to the organization over 20 years of experience working on HIV, health, human rights and evidence-based policy and programming in low-and middle-income countries.
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Dr. Mandeep Dhaliwal is the Director of UNDP’s HIV, Health and Development Group and a strong advocate for planetary health and stronger synergies between the climate and health movements. Dr. Dhaliwal brings to the organization over 20 years of experience working on HIV, health, human rights and evidence-based policy and programming in low-and middle-income countries.
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Teddie Potter
Dr. Teddie Potter is a Clinical Professor, the Specialty Coordinator of the Doctor of Nursing Practice in Health Innovation and Leadership, and the Director of Planetary Health at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. She serves as the Chair of the Clinicians for Planetary Health (C4PH) initiative.
Read more...
Dr. Teddie Potter is a Clinical Professor, the Specialty Coordinator of the Doctor of Nursing Practice in Health Innovation and Leadership, and the Director of Planetary Health at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. She serves as the Chair of the Clinicians for Planetary Health (C4PH) initiative.
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COMMITTEE EMERITUS
Natalia Linou (Linos)
Natalia Linou (Linos) the new Executive Director of the Harvard FXB Center for Health and Human Rights. Formerly a policy specialist at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), she has worked in international development for the last decade, mostly with the United Nations in Beirut, Lebanon and at headquarters in New York.
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Natalia Linou (Linos) the new Executive Director of the Harvard FXB Center for Health and Human Rights. Formerly a policy specialist at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), she has worked in international development for the last decade, mostly with the United Nations in Beirut, Lebanon and at headquarters in New York.
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Ruth DeFries
Ruth DeFries is a professor of ecology and sustainable development at Columbia University in New York. She uses images from satellites and field surveys to examine how the world’s demands for food and other resources are changing land use throughout the tropics. Her research quantifies how these land use changes affect climate, biodiversity and other ecosystem services, as well as human development.
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Ruth DeFries is a professor of ecology and sustainable development at Columbia University in New York. She uses images from satellites and field surveys to examine how the world’s demands for food and other resources are changing land use throughout the tropics. Her research quantifies how these land use changes affect climate, biodiversity and other ecosystem services, as well as human development.
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Howard Frumkin
Howard Frumkin is Professor Emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington School of Public Health, where he served as Dean from 2010-2016. He is an internist, environmental and occupational medicine specialist, and epidemiologist, who has worked in academia and public service.
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Howard Frumkin is Professor Emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington School of Public Health, where he served as Dean from 2010-2016. He is an internist, environmental and occupational medicine specialist, and epidemiologist, who has worked in academia and public service.
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Daniel Shrag
Daniel P. Schrag is the Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology at Harvard University, Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, and Director of the Harvard University Center for the Environment. Schrag studies climate and climate change over the broadest range of Earth history. He is particularly interested in how information on climate change from the geologic past can lead to better understanding of anthropogenic climate change in the future.
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Daniel P. Schrag is the Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology at Harvard University, Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, and Director of the Harvard University Center for the Environment. Schrag studies climate and climate change over the broadest range of Earth history. He is particularly interested in how information on climate change from the geologic past can lead to better understanding of anthropogenic climate change in the future.
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Andy Haines
Andy Haines was Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) for nearly 10 years until October 2010 and continues to work at LSHTM as Professor of Public Health and Primary Care. He was previously a Professor of Primary Health Care and Director of the Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences at UCL and formerly Director of Research & Development at the National Health Service (NHS) Executive, North Thames.
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Andy Haines was Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) for nearly 10 years until October 2010 and continues to work at LSHTM as Professor of Public Health and Primary Care. He was previously a Professor of Primary Health Care and Director of the Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences at UCL and formerly Director of Research & Development at the National Health Service (NHS) Executive, North Thames.
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