PEACH of the Month
“Giving spotlight to our very own PEACH members”
“I grew up connected to nature and concerned about the environment since early childhood. Over the decades despite being immersed in a career in medicine, I couldn’t let go of my growing planetary angst that patients, family, friends and most of our living world were all threatened. This was galvanized with the birth of my first child. I literally held in my arms the next generation who would bear the burden of environmental harms created by those who came before.
As the climate crisis rapidly evolved I increasingly felt the need to do more beyond taking individual climate action. But I also felt held back by the constant demands of a busy surgical practice and raising children.
Until a moment of realization several years ago that the two previously competing spheres of health versus climate had merged into one deeply combined crisis. Since that moment, far from posing an obstacle, acting as a physician was suddenly transformed into the most powerful opportunity for climate action through the lens of planetary health.
To grow my personal skills and impact, I have since engaged in multiple trainings including Climate Reality Leadership Corps certification; CASCADES Fundamentals of Sustainable Health Systems; CAPE's Advocacy and Mobilization Program and the Harvard affiliated Climate Health Organizing Fellows Program. My work naturally led to joining the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) where I now serve as Ontario Regional Chair. I also serve as Co-chair of the Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign, an environmental democracy partnership of nearly 250 multi-sector organizations including PEACH. With a deep personal interest in planetary health advocacy and action around policy, democracy and education, I am grateful for this journey and for all the incredible people I have the privilege to work with along the way.”
