Listen to Shanda describe the Nurses Climate Challenge.
Shanda Demorest, DNP, RN-BC, PHN, Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, is committed to nudging healthcare toward safer practices regarding climate change and health. She has focused her abundant energy and intelligence to lead the project called “The Nurses Climate Challenge”. This exciting resource gives practicing nurses easy to access tools to share important health messages and information about climate change. Listen to Shanda describe the Challenge, and hear more about her passion for the topic.
Shanda Demorest, DNP, RN-BC, PHN graduated with her doctoral degree in Health Innovation and Leadership at the University of Minnesota, where she also earned a Certificate in Health Care Design and a minor in Horticulture. Shanda currently serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. She is also a practicing cardiovascular nurse at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. Shanda is a member of Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate, and co-founder of the affiliated student group Health Students for a Healthy Climate. Her current efforts involve educating health students and professionals on the health impacts of climate change and motivating them to take action, as well as working toward a more environmentally sustainable healthcare industry.
About your host, Beth Schenk
Elizabeth Schenk, PhD, MHI, RN-BC is Providence-WSU Nurse Scientist and Sustainability Coordinator at Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Montana. In addition, she is assistant research professor in Nursing at Washington State University in Spokane. Dr. Schenk co-leads nursing research efforts at St. Pat’s, and also across Providence St. Joseph Health, working with nursing leaders at 50 hospitals.
In addition, Dr. Schenk leads efforts for environmental stewardship at St. Patrick, and has worked with ministries across the system to reduce environmental impacts for the past 10 years. She co-leads ACES (Action Collaborative for Environmental Stewardship) across Providence St. Joseph. In her academic work, she developed the “Nurses Environmental Awareness Tool” which has been used in multiple states and several countries to assess awareness of the environmental impacts of hospital-based healthcare. Dr. Schenk serves on the national board of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, and several local boards.
In her free time, she loves her family, pets, garden, hockey, aikido and music.
