the NUANCE // a community health podcast.

Disclaimer: The term woman is frequently used in this episode and Kanwal’s book Taking Care of You, to refer to the target audience, although the material discussed applies to anyone with a uterus, cervix, or vagina. We recognize that not all people with these body parts identify as a woman and that not all people who identify as a woman have these body partsKanwal Haq is dedicated to improving health and care for women across the world. With 17+ years of experience working in various healthcare roles and spaces, Kanwal brings dedication, creativity, and humility to keep learning and moving forward. Kanwal founded TCY Women to build better tools, resources, and systems of care to support women’s health, across the lifespan. Kanwal completed her B.S. in biology from the University of Missouri, her M.S. in medical anthropology from Boston University, and is working on her PhD in public health at UTHealth. Kanwal is the co-author of “Taking Care of You: The Empowered Woman’s Guide to Better Health (Mayo Clinic Press 2022). Kanwal’s rural midwestern roots cultivated her passion to make health education and care both accessible and appropriate for every woman.When we look at the research, a clear pattern emerges — women and gender diverse people are too often dismissed, undertreated, and left behind by our healthcare system. The 2024 KFF Women’s Health Survey found that one in three women reported being ignored or disbelieved by a healthcare provider, and data from the PNAS (2024) study showed that clinicians consistently rated women’s pain as less severe than men’s for the same symptoms. Together, these studies tell a sobering truth — gender bias is not anecdotal, it’s structural. 

We had a beautiful community gathering for Sun Day, celebrating the power of green energy while centering environmental justice in the green energy transition. Thank you to all of the community members and organizations that made it possible! We had 3 speakers at the event: Chedaya Brown, PhD student:Investigating dual-use solar initiatives and renewable energy policy and implementation through an environmental justice lensDr. Loraine Lundquist, PhD has a  PhD in physics, and teaches sustainability – economic, social, and scientific solutions at California State University, Northridge, she is the chair of the Board of Directors for LA ForwardKevin Briseno rising sophomore who is studying Physiology and Environmental Sciences. He is a member of the Youth advisory board at Youth on Root. 

Artist Shelley Bruce is a 4th generation, Black Los Angelino, sharing her service work with a focus on the arts, healing and activism. With two Bachelors in Ethnic Studies and Fine Art, for nearly 20 years, Shelley has performed poetry at hundreds of shows, directed nonprofit organizations, and organized social justice programs throughout Southern California. She has most notably traveled to Washington DC, New York, Ghana, London, Barcelona, and across Southern California sharing her artistic expression. Her first book of poetry titled On Blooming (2018) first poetry album Heaven Here (2021), and newest poetry EP “MVP.iii” (2024) reflect some of her published bodies of work. Shelley is also the founder of grassroots movements Day of Healing and BIPOC cultural production company The Heart Dept. Her central focus is to create wellbeing for all people through compassion-centered, sustainable movements.theheartdept.cowww.instagram.com/artistshelleybruce

Jeff Share’s research and practice focuses on preparing educators to teach critical media literacy and environmental justice. He was an award-winning photojournalist and bilingual elementary school teacher. Since 2007 he has taught at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the School of Education and Information Studies. Jeff has written several books including: Media Literacy is Elementary: Teaching Youth to Critically Read and Create Media, Teaching Climate Change to Adolescents: Reading, Writing, and Making a Difference, The Critical Media Literacy Guide: Engaging Media and Transforming Education, and For the Love of Nature: Ecowriting the World. Jeff is a Fulbright and Language Specialist who has provided professional development to educators in the US, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. His personal website:  https://jshare.wixsite.com/jeffshare

Patricia Plude, D.Min. is a teacher, musician, organizer, and pastor. She is an educational consultant for Radical Listening with Health In Harmony, a certified leader of Interplay, and a leader with Faith in Action, a network of congregations and community leaders organizing to uphold the dignity of all people in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more than forty years she has taught people across the lifespan, including elementary-age children, students of higher education, and seasoned teachers looking to enrich their pedagogy. Pat lives in San Francisco with her husband, where they raised two beloved children, now young adults.Link to their website and book, "The Art of Radical Listening: Revealing Collective Wisdom for Change."  https://radicallistening.org/#page-top

Gem Montes is a Policy Analyst and Advocate at the People’s Collective for Environmental Justice (PCEJ) in the Inland Empire. Upon realizing that the City of Colton, which experiences some of the worst air in the nation, has little to no public access air monitoring information, she partnered with PCEJ to create a Community-Based Participatory Research project called The Air I Breathe. Gem is a leader in grassroot advocacy. In 2022, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Riverside’s School of Public Policy. While there, she received a fellowship with the University of California’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative as an Engagement Fellow. Immediately afterwards, she received a fellowship with the California Climate Action Corps as a Heat Rezilient Fellow at Pauma Tribal Farms. Notably, she has accrued multiple certifications in tribal subjects. Gem’s broad range of education and experience has allowed her to successfully navigate complex relationships and establish trust with government agencies, tribal affiliates, environmental organizations and community members. Her passion and commitment to finding solutions for the injustices imposed upon frontline communities results in work that is second to none. At an age when most are retiring, she remains eager to learn and continues to be a force to be reckoned with.

Dr. Wendy Johnson is a family physician, writer, photographer and community activist whose career includes stints scaling up HIV treatment in Mozambique, overseeing a large urban public health department and, most recently, directing a community clinic in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her work has been published in McSweeney’s, The Nation, and newspapers in Cleveland, Seattle and Santa Fe. She spends most of her spare time cultivating and rewilding her acre and a half homestead, and writing about health justice and the intersection of human and environmental wellbeing. To learn more about Dr. Johnson and a link to her new book, Kinship Medicine: Cultivating Interdependence to Heal the Earth and Ourselves: https://wendyjohnsonmd.com

Dr. Emily Schutzenhofer, MD MPH is a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellow at the University of Washington, in Seattle, WA.  She will be joining as junior faculty in July 2024.  She is dedicated to promoting global mental health through action including climate advocacy.  She joined the Early Career Network early in her residency and rapidly grew into leadership as Co-Chair.  She developed and continues to lead the ECN Speakers Bureau and CPA/APA Social Media Team. She is an effective and talented speaker and has presented numerous times on the topic of Climate Change and Mental Health for organizations nationwide, including at the APA Annual Meeting. Dr. John Sullenbarger is an associate of Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine's department of psychiatry where he is focusing on residency and medical student education regarding climate change effects on mental health. He has been active with the Climate Psychiatry Alliance since 2020, delivering lectures to various audiences and co-authoring a chapter on climate change in the American Association of Community Psychiatry's textbook amongst other activities. He has ties in both Oregon and Ohio, and enjoys reconnecting with Nature in his spare time.

Wendy Miranda is a Wilmington community member. She has lived in Wilmington most of her life and has experienced the impacts of oil drilling near her neighborhood. She is currently a Policy Associate at Esperanza Community Housing where she supports policy work through advocacy and outreach in multiple coalition spaces in a wide range of issues such as affordable housing, environmental justice, equitable development, and immigrant rights; including the STAND LA coalition. She is passionate about serving frontline communities to create healthier and equitable communities. Wendy holds a double Master's degree in Urban Planning and Public Health. Prior to joining Esperanza, Wendy worked on environmental justice, tenant rights, and transit justice in the Harbor and South Los Angeles area.

Stefan Wheat, MD is an emergency physician and faculty in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Washington, practicing at both Harborview Medical Center and UWMC—Northwest Hospital emergency departments. With the Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE) at the University of Washington, Dr. Wheat works to understand the scope of the health threats posed by climate change, promote healthcare system adaptation and emergency preparedness, and inform policies to keep people safe in a rapidly changing world. He completed a fellowship in Climate & Health Science Policy at the University of Colorado where he worked as a Physician-Fellow at the Department of Health and Human Services in their Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) and as an Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University’s Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education.His work has included founding ClimateRx, a seamless tool designed to help health professionals to connect with patients and colleagues on how we can respond to the health risks of climate change, and the development of Climate Resources for Health Education (CRHE), a global health professional-led initiative that aims to provide free, publicly accessible, evidence-based resources to accelerate the incorporation of climate change and planetary health information into educational curricula.Link to ClimateRx:https://www.climaterx.org/Funded Climate and Health Research opportunity for WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region researchers and community partners:https://deohs.washington.edu/change/implementation-and-evaluation-fellowship-climate-change-and-healthClimate Change and Health Bootcamp (intensive 3-day certificate based course hosted by Columbia University (open to all health professionals):https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/academics/non-degree-special-programs/professional-non-degree-programs/skills-health-research-professionals-sharp-training/trainings/climate-change-health