Rutgers Health

Climate Action Group

Mission

The Rutgers Health Climate Action Group will build and promote a culture of sustainability at Rutgers Health.

Participants

Co-Chairs

Wendy Purcell

Vice Chair for Education, Deptartment of Environmental and Occupational Health and Justice; Professor, Rutgers School of Public Health

Professor Wendy Purcell PhD FRSA is a full professor and Vice Chair Education with the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Justice in the Rutgers School of Public Health. Before joining the university in Fall 2022, Wendy was at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2016-2022) where she remains a Visiting Research Scientist. She is a Visiting Professor with University College London Global Business School for Health and a Fellow of the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges and chairs their Sustainability Leadership Academy held annually the University of Cambridge. Wendy is Emeritus Professor of Biomedicine and was President of a UK university (2007-2015) leading the university to be among the top one per cent of world universities and number one ‘green’ UK university. She was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Medal for Excellence in Higher Education.

Wendy has authored over 100-publications, is an academic editor and author. Her edited book ‘The Bloomsbury Handbook of Sustainability in Higher Education – An agenda for transformational change’ was published in 2023 and she is Series Editor for a suite of seventeen books on ‘Higher Education and the Sustainable Development Goals’ for Emerald Publishing. Wendy is Council Member of the United Nations University, Governing Board Member of the European University EELISA, and Member of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health National Task Force on Climate and Health. She is editor of various journals, including the International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Frontiers in Sustainability, and the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Wendy’s purpose lies in transforming lives through education and research in pursuit of social equity, the knowledge economy, and sustainable development. She leads research on education, leadership, and governance for sustainable transformation in higher education and across various business sectors. Her work focuses on sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as fuel for societal transformation and the adaptive change necessary to achieve a just transition and the creation of a world that leaves no one behind.

Soko Setoguchi

Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Rutgers Robert Wood Medical School and Rutgers School of Public Health

Dr. Soko Setoguchi, MD DrPH is a practicing general internist and epidemiologist, professor of medicine and epidemiology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and School of Public Health. Dr. Setoguchi is an international expert in health services/outcomes research, comparative effectiveness research, and pharmacoepidemiology using large longitudinal population-based healthcare databases and data linkage. Her most recent work focuses on an application of large database approach to understand the impact of climate change on health outcomes in vulnerable populations (NIH R01). She has authored ~150 peer-reviewed papers, and has obtained federal and non-federal funding for her research program. As a clinician, researcher, and mother, she has personal and professional interests in promoting sustainability and reducing health disparities from the health effects of climate change

Members

Emily Balog, Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy Program, School of Health Professions
Liza Barbarello Andrews, Clinical Professor, Clinical Director of Simulation, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy
Lila Bazina, PhD Student, School of Public Health
Brian Buckley, Executive Director of Laboratories, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute
Meg Castro, Senior Public Relations Specialist, Rutgers Communications and Marketing
Catherine Chen, Assistant Professor, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Paul Copeland, Professor and Associate Dean, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Helene DeRisi, Administrative Coordinator, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute
Carlos DeSousa, Director, Environment of Care, University Behavioral Health Care
David Garyantes, Medical Student, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
William Gause, Senior Associate Dean for Research, New Jersey Medical School
Mary Beth Giacona, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Dental Medicine
Jose Guillermo Cedeno Laurent, Assistant Professor, School of Public Health and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute
Georgios Kelesidis, Assistant Professor, School of Public Health and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute
Nancy Kirsch, Interim Chair, Rehabilitation And Movement Sciences, School of Health Professions
Robert Laumbach, Associate Professor, Center for Environmental Exposures and Disease
Deborah Lazzarino, Associate Dean for Research, New Jersey Medical School
Jeremy Lessing, MD/PhD Candidate, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and School of Biological and Environmental Sciences
Jillian Prior, Director of Strategic Communications, Rutgers Communications and Marketing
Gloria Rodriquez, Associate Professor, New Jersey Medical School
Alejandro Ruiz, Executive Director Rutgers Environmental Health and Safety
Heili Truumees, Medical Student, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Anisha Tyagi, Medical Student, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Jacquelyn Boyett, Peer Support Specialist, University Behavioral Health Care

Scope:

Build a culture of sustainability at Rutgers Health that:
- Integrates climate action into academics, life, and policy across campus
- Embodies the core values expressed in the climate action plan
- Is inclusive of all Rutgers Health students, faculty, and staff
Measure and communicate progress toward building a culture of sustainability at Rutgers Health