NW Nature & Health Coalition

Backed by over a decade of groundbreaking research from our research collaborative and millennia of Indigenous knowledge, one truth is clear: nature heals. Spending time in nature reduces chronic disease, improves sleep and birth outcomes, strengthens community bonds, supports mental and physical well-being, and so much more—all while lowering healthcare costs.

Despite these proven benefits, public and private investment in nature, including parks, trails, playgrounds, and work and school grounds, continues to fall short.

That’s why we created The Northwest Nature and Health Coalition, a transdisciplinary group of thought leaders, movement builders, researchers, and healthcare providers dedicated to advancing research in nature and health, alongside equitable nature-based policies, programs, and practices. When we expand equitable engagement with nature, we support healthier and happier people, stronger and better connected communities, and a planet more resilient in the face of urbanization, shifting baselines of nature contact, and climate change.

Meet the Coalition

Marc Berejka, JD (he/him)

• Senior advisor, Brumidi Group
• Strategic advisor, UW Center for Nature & Health
• Strategy, partnership, & policy advisor, Nature and Health Alliance

Sarah Brandt (she/her)

• Environmental policy & initiatives lead, King County Parks

Gregory Bratman, PhD (he/him)

• Associate professor, UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
• Co-director, UW Center for Nature & Health
• Director, UW Environment & Well-Being Lab

Lee Cerveny, PhD (she/her)

• Research social scientist, US Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station

Kitty Craig (she/her)

• Policy director, The Wilderness Society

Monika Derrien, PhD (she/her)

• Assistant professor, UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
• Affiliate assistant professor, UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences

Ailene Ettinger, PhD (she/her)

• Quantitative ecologist, The Nature Conservancy

Dr. Howard Frumkin, DrPH, MPH (he/him)

• Professor Emeritus, UW Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences

Alicia Harvie (she/her)

• Head of community & government affairs, REI Cooperative Action Network

Janelle Choi Hillhouse (she/her)

• Program officer, REI Cooperative Action Fund

Michelle Johnson-Jennings, PhD, EdM (she/her)

• Choctaw Nation
• Co-executive director, Indigenous Wellness Research Institute
• Professor, UW Schools of Social Work and Public Health
• Deputy, Indigenous Engagement, Development, and Research, CoVaRR-Net

Peter Kahn, Jr., PhD (he/him)

• Professor, UW Department of Psychology and School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
• Director, Human Interaction with Nature and Technological Systems (HINTS)

Alicia Keefe, EdM (she/they)

• Program manager, UW Center for Nature and Health

Josh Lawler, PhD (he/him)

• Co-director, UW Center for Nature and Health
• Professor, UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
• Faculty director, UW Botanic Gardens

Phil Levin, PhD (he/him)

• Interim executive director, EarthLab
• Professor of Practice, UW College of the Environment
• Director, Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Lab

Philip Loring, PhD (he/they)

• Global director, human dimensions science, The Nature Conservancy

Edmund Seto, PhD (he/him)

• Professor, UW Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
• Director, UW Center for Environmental Health Equity
• Director, Seto Lab

Dr. Pooja Tandon, MPH (she/her)

• Health director, Trust for Public Land
• Associate professor, UW Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
• Pediatrician and researcher, Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development

Allie Tripp, MPA (she/her)

• Strategic initiatives senior manager, Washington Trails Association

Usha Varanasi, PhD (she/her)

• Affiliate professor, UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Science
• Distinguished Scholar in Residence, UW College of the Environment

Amy Wagenfeld, PhD (she/her)

• Affiliate associate professor, UW Department of Landscape Architecture
• Principal, Amy Wagenfeld | Design

Kathleen Wolf, PhD (she/her)

• Research social scientist (retired, affiliate), UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences

Spencer Wood, PhD (he/him)

• Principal research scientist, EarthLab
• Senior Data Science Fellow, eScience Institute
• Affiliate assistant professor, UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences