We have over 400 ANHE Members in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands! Let’s join together to assure that all people have access to healthy air, water, soil, food, and climate. We host events, share information about what’s going on, and create opportunities for nurses to talk to their legislators and each other about all things environmental health.
Meet Your North East Regional Forum Co-Organizers
Adrienne Wald EdD, MBA, RN, CNE, MCHES (she, her)
Dr. Adrienne Wald, EdD, MBA, RN, CNE, MCHES is an Associate Professor at Mercy College, School of Nursing. Dr. Wald has been a nurse, health administrator and educator for over 45 years. She holds a Doctorate degree from Teachers College Columbia University, MBA in health care management from Adelphi University, BSN from Boston University. Dr. Wald’s areas of teaching expertise are nursing research, leadership, policy, and health promotion. Her clinical areas are oncology nursing and public health. She served as a mentor in the inaugural environmental nursing Fellowship program, and is active in the research, climate change, and advocacy work groups and in the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), —serving as an evidence analyst on an exertional heat-related illness, and on the Evidence-based Practice Committee; she is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, Nursing section. Her research on health-promoting behaviors and the impact of extreme heat on health and has been published in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, the American Journal of Health Promotion, Journal of Nursing Scholarship, Journal of Nurse Practitioners, and Nursing Economics and she has presented her work at national and regional conferences. Adrienne is a longtime activist on anti-war, environmental issues/climate change impact on health, opioid epidemic, and gun violence. She participated in FireDrillFridays with Jane Fonda and looks forward to continuing to work passionately for peace, justice, and planetary health.
Contact Adrienne at awald@mercy.edu
Emma N.H. Chang, MPH, RN
Emma N. H. Chang, MPH, RN, is an environmental health educator with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she works in close partnership with the Region 2 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) and the New York State Children’s Environmental Health Centers (NYSCHECK). She brings a clinical background in emergency and cardiac medicine, but also enjoys occasionally being a summer camp nurse.
Contact Emma at enh11@georgetown.edu
Meet North East Regional Forum Nurses:
Building Expertise and Collaboration in NY & NJ
Pamela K Ginex EdD, MPH, RN (Long Island, NY)
Assistant professor at the Stony Brook University School of Nursing with a joint appointment at the Stony Brook Cancer Center. Dr Ginex has expertise in identifying health outcomes following toxic environmental exposure and implementing behavioral interventions to mitigate the health effects of exposure. She has a strong interest in climate change and climate disasters and health, specifically how climate change and climate disasters affect cancer care.
Tara Heagele PhD, RN, FAAN (NY/NJ)
Associate Professor at the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing whose work centers on disaster preparedness and community resilience. She brings extensive clinical and volunteer experience, including service with her local Medical Reserve Corps during extreme weather events and public health emergencies. Her research includes developing a validated, interdisciplinary household emergency preparedness instrument and using it to better understand and improve readiness in diverse communities. Dr. Heagele views climate change advocacy as vital to reducing disaster-related harm and is dedicated to advancing prevention-focused research and action.
Sarah Kaplan (Brooklyn, NY)
Completing PhD at Hunter-Bellvue School of nursing with specific area of interest includes climate anxiety and the role of nursing in climate change and health. Currently conducting a study on the incidence of climate anxiety among nursing professionals in NYS and climate related health practices. Participate in the ANA-NY climate special interest group and joined this forum to meet with other nurses who are passionate about the environment.
Laurie Laugeman BSN, RN, HNB-BC, HWNC-BC (Western NY)
Interested in the Planetary Health Framework and our interconnectedness with nature. Developed a waste reduction program at work. Has presented at local and national conferences on Planetary Health. Member of the American Holistic Nurses Association Planetary Health Task Force, ANA-NY Special Interest Group on climate change and a member of ANHE. Looking forward to networking and learning what others are doing and hope we can grow ANHE membership with nurses in our areas (just learned that Erie County in NY state has 16571 RNs!).
Jessica Varghese, PhD, MS, MA, BS
Dr. Jessica Varghese is a tenured Associate Professor of Nursing at New York Institute of Technology. She holds a Ph.D. in Nursing from SUNY Buffalo, an M.S. in Nursing Leadership, an M.A. in Urban Affairs, and a B.S. in Nursing from St. John Fisher College. Her scholarship focuses on professional identity formation, trauma-informed care, health equity, environmental and global health. She serves as the Chair of the ANHE Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) committee and is an ANHE Environmental Health Fellow.