UW Center for Nature and Health

We're thrilled to share our lineup of speakers and panelists for the 8th annual Northwest Nature and Health Symposium. Our invited experts work hand-in-hand to understand the needs of communities who have borne the brunt of #social and #environmental #injustices, address #health and access #inequities, and bring critical insights and perspectives on environmental history as well as outdoor #recreation. Join us on May 21 to learn more about programs, policies, and research that are expanding equitable engagement with greenspaces so that all #people and #nature can thrive. Learn more and register:?https://lnkd.in/effTZUr4 #NHSymposium Quincy Henry Amy McDonnell, PhD Esther M. Daniel Winterbottom Michelle Johnson-Jennings Hillarie M. Friendly Vang-Johnson

Daniel Winterbottom is a landscape architect and renowned therapeutic garden expert.?During his talk at the NW Nature and Health Symposium, Daniel will describe how?therapeutic gardens have the power to?restore users “to an unimpaired or improved condition”, lower rumination, increase focus, lower stress, and reduce depression. Daniel's talk is titled "Turning Gray to Green: Rethinking the Carceral Environment" and will explore the following questions: - What role does, and can, nature interactions play to reduce the effects of incarceration and containment? - How can landscapes of incarceration be made more ecological and therapeutic, reduce recidivism and improve mental health? - What are successful models that reduce the traumatic effects of incarceration using nature based interventions? Learn more about?Daniel's work and register for the #NHSymposium at https://bit.ly/Daniel-2025

Esther Min's work focuses on promoting principles of #environmental and #climate #justice through community-academic-government partnerships, and in 2022 she received a Health Equity Award from the Washington State Public Health Association. Dr. Min is?a clinical assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health and is also part of the Northwest Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit. Esther has experience developing community-driven tools and community-responsive, research-to-action projects, conducting community listening sessions and communicating research results and environmental health topics to various audiences. She also serves as the Director for Environmental Health Research Partnerships at Front and Centered, a coalition of communities of color-led groups in the Pacific Northwest whose diverse missions and work come together at the intersection of equity, environmental and climate justice. Learn more about Esther's collaborative work at the Northwest Nature and Health Symposium on May 21: bit.ly/Esther-2025

Amy McDonnell, PhD is a cognitive neuroscientist at the?University of Utah. Her research at the Applied Cognition Lab focuses on the intersection of wilderness therapy, neuroscience, and environmental neuroscience. Amy's quest to identify biomarkers and neural signatures of the nature experience is groundbreaking, providing valuable insights into how nature impacts our brain and overall well-being. During the 2025 Northwest Nature and Health Symposium, Amy will be speaking about the psychophysiological effects of immersion in nature on attention, mood, and stress. Learn more about Amy and register for the 2025 #NHSymposium:?bit.ly/Amy-2025

A new open access paper published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology highlights the benefits of open-water swimming. This paper is co-authored by the Center's co-director, Gregory Bratman. https://lnkd.in/gDY7VgNy Key findings: ? Outdoor swimming was linked to positive well-being ? Open-water swimming was linked to higher well-being than open-air pool swimming ? This relationship was mediated by autonomy and competence, but not by relatedness ? In open-water, higher levels of competence were associated with greater anxiety ? Promoting open-water swimming can be beneficial for enhancing public health

In the latest edition of?Nature Cities,?Isabelle Anguelovski and Howard Frumkin explore how?recent climate emergencies and political transitions to the right or extreme-right internationally call for invoking shared values in the management of the #climate crisis and the protection of #naturalresources go.nature.com/3F4g6Wq

Get to know the speakers of the 2025 Northwest Nature and Health Symposium. Quincy and Whitni Henry were on a long drive from a family Thanksgiving in Utah to their hometown of Tacoma, WA, wondering what to do next with their lives. The couple decided to build a business around coffee—which both of them were interested in, but had no experience working with. Combining their love for great coffee with their passion for camping, the Henrys were inspired to roast coffee beans over a campfire, which creates a unique flavor profile.?Campfire Coffee, LLC was born. The company’s goals go beyond great-tasting coffee. The Henrys also launched The?Campfire Explorers Club, a non-profit that helps young people from low-income families gain access to the great outdoors. Learn more about our speakers and register for the 2025 symposium at bit.ly/2025-Symposium #NHSymposium

This afternoon, KUOW Public Radio interviewed Dr. Howard Frumkin about the National Nature Assessment. https://lnkd.in/gPFwrkui "The outdoor recreation economy is an economic powerhouse from coast to coast, irrespective of the politics of the state. This is something people really like. It's one of those things that can be a unifying force across the country. So, it was a real disappointment to see the study ended, to see it kind of swept up in the political events that are happening these days." Dr. Howard Frumkin Professor Emeritus, UW Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Co-Founder + Steering Committee member, UW Center for Nature and Health

???? We are incredibly grateful to Phillip Levin and the other scientists who are carrying on with the National Nature Assessment. ???? Read more: https://lnkd.in/gTp2wz9n