Episode 11: The Climate-Health Connection

Have you heard of Deep Ecology?  On this episode, student doctors Jess Vergara and Nicole Blekhter dive into the connection between our environment and our health.

Co-Host/Guest Information:
Nicole Blekhter is a first-generation American from Moldova and Lithuania and currently an Osteopathic Medical Student at Rocky Vista University. She has known she has wanted to become a physician for as long as she can remember, eager to serve and care for patients locally and globally. Nicole completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Villanova University and continued to pursue her master’s degree in Physiology & Biophysics at Georgetown University. Any free time she can get is spent in the outdoors, whether it be skiing, climbing, canyoneering, running or hiking.

Jess Vergara is a Hawaiian-born first-generation American of Filipino heritage. She is an Osteopathic Medical Student at Rocky Vista University. After completing her Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sport Science with a minor in chemistry at the University of Utah, she earned her Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences at RVU. She is deeply passionate about public health, social justice, environmental protection, and providing healthcare services to underserved and indigenous communities. In between outdoor adventures and studying at the library, she enjoys indulging in podcasts, embarking on road trips, and expressing her culinary creativity in the kitchen.

For additional information on this topic, as well as to reference the items discussed, check out:
https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/effects/default.htm
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
https://indigenousclimatehub.ca/
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/geh/climatechange/index.cfm
https://www.treehugger.com/what-is-deep-ecology-philosophy-principles-and-criticism-5191550
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/climatechange/index.cfm
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/air-pollution/index.cfm
https://grassrootsonline.org/who-we-are/
https://ijhpr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2045-4015-2-23

Disclaimer intro by Claire Eliason.
Intro/Outro Music by Westin Wong