What inspired your interest in Planetary Health?

My interest in Planetary Health began with my clinical work as a dentist. I saw firsthand how a community’s health was directly tied to the environment. In my hometown, for example, high fluoride levels in the water caused widespread fluorosis. This experience taught me a core lesson: to improve human health, we must first address the health of the planet.

This early lesson was further deepened by my work with vulnerable populations. I saw how environmental stressors like air pollution and heat intersected with social determinants, exacerbating health inequities. These experiences inspired me to view health not just through a biomedical lens, but through the broader planetary context. I believe that protecting ecosystems is inseparable from protecting people, and this connection has guided every aspect of my career since..

Tell us about your Planetary Health work at JHU

At JHU, I explored the intersection of environmental health, health systems, and equity through my capstone and practicum in the Department of International Health and the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, where I assessed population health risks linked to environmental exposures and resilience in low- and middle-income countries. I contributed to global guidance for the World Health Organization on women’s health by conducting systematic reviews, building evidence to inform policy on climate- and environment-related health determinants. I also examined sex-based differences in adverse reactions, reinforcing the need for intersectional approaches to global environmental change. 

My coursework in systems thinking, advocacy, and spatial analysis further equipped me to translate complex data into actionable insights. Most recently, as Senior Consultant at a U.S.-based AI startup, I designed frameworks that align clinical workflows, data, and digital health strategy, underscoring how technology can advance sustainable, resilient healthcare within a Planetary Health framework.

What excites you about the future of Planetary Health?

What excites me most about the future of Planetary Health is its power as a unifying framework. It can connect different fields, sectors, and communities to tackle the intertwined crises of climate, biodiversity, and human health. I am particularly excited about how innovations in data science and systems thinking can transform how we design resilient health systems. This is more than just a new field, it’s an opportunity to reimagine public health as a truly collaborative, globally connected, and equity-focused discipline. By centering human well-being within the limits of Earth’s natural systems, we can create a future that is not only sustainable but also fundamentally just.