|
|
March E-News |
|
|
|
Included in this edition:
|
|
|
|
As wildfires rage across our state, fueled by Climate Change, Texas PSR is closely monitoring the situation’s potential impact on safety, particularly concerning the nearby nuclear weapons facility. Our priority is ensuring that necessary precautions are taken to safeguard against any potential risks to public health and the environment amidst these challenging conditions. |
|
|
|
Texas PSR Welcomes New Chapter President |
|
On February 3rd our board of directors unanimously elected Professor Adelita G. Cantu, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Professor in the UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing, as the next President of Texas Physicians for Social Responsibility (Texas PSR)!
Professor Cantu, known for her dedication to community-focused health promotion and tireless advocacy, brings a wealth of experience and passion to this role. Her commitment to addressing the pressing issues facing our communities, especially the impact of Climate Change, and her inclusive leadership style make her the perfect fit to lead our organization. Professor Cantu has been at the UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing for more than 20 years, researching and teaching public health, nursing, and the social determinants of health, particularly on the ways that the environment impacts health. She has served as vice chair for both CPS Energy’s rate advisory committee and the city of San Antonio’s climate equity advisory committee.
“I am honored to be the next President of Texas PSR,” said Professor Cantu, “I look forward to working with our board and staff to expand our work on Climate Change for the health of Texans and beyond.”
After serving as the President of Texas PSR for the last three years - and for many other terms, intermittently, since its inception in 2003 - Dr. Lisa Doggett has decided to step down from her role, marking the end of a remarkable tenure filled with dedication and impactful leadership. Throughout her tenure as a leader of Texas PSR, Dr. Doggett has been instrumental in advancing the mission and vision, tirelessly advocating for social responsibility within the medical community and beyond. Her unwavering dedication to addressing environmental health issues, and championing policies that prioritize the well-being of all Texans, has left an indelible mark on the organization and the communities it serves.
“I am gratified to see the growth of Texas PSR over these last several years and to celebrate our success, especially in expanding environmental health education across the state,” said Dr. Doggett. “I am thankful to our board and staff, who have helped make Texas PSR sustainable and effective.”
As a founding member of Texas PSR, Dr. Doggett's leadership has been characterized by her strategic vision, collaborative spirit, and unwavering commitment to the organization's core values. Under her guidance, what was originally Austin PSR became Texas PSR, expanding its focus and reach throughout the state and amplifying its voice on critical issues affecting environmental health.
Thank you, Dr. Doggett (pictured right) for your years of service to Texas PSR! And Welcome Professor Cantu (pictured left)! |
|
|
|
|
|
Texas PSR Presents: Climate Change, Child Health, and Our Role as Healthcare Providers |
|
Monday, March 25, 2024, 7pm CT
Free CME Credit Available
In this session, attendees will learn the impacts of climate change on childhood health with regards of heat-related illness, respiratory disease, infectious disease, and psychosocial health, report interactions between social risk factors and a changing climate, and demonstrate clinical and academic means for reducing the carbon footprint of the healthcare system.
|
|
|
This webinar series will be held monthly through June. Next month's webinar is: How to Prepare for the Unexpected: Disaster Preparation for Healthcare Professionals, April 29, 7pm CT. Speaker: Douglas Havron, RN |
|
|
|
Texas PSR Presents: Previous Webinars |
|
Missed one of our previous webinars? No worries! You can access them by clicking below!
Watch July's webinar, "Beat the Heat: How to help protect your patients from heat illness in the Texas summer" with featured speaker: Ronda Brewer McCarthy, MD, MPH, FACOEM
Watch November's webinar, "How Climate Change Affects Cancer" with featured speaker: Lakshmi Balasubramania, MD
Watch January's webinar, "Greening Your Medical Practice: Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Your Practice while Saving Money" with featured speaker: Todd Sack, MD. Still curious about direct implications of "greening" your practice? PSR’s My Green Doctor explains this in a three-minute blog, “I’ll Be Joining an Environmentally Friendly Practice.” Attracting the best young professionals to your practice is essential for your long term success. It is not enough anymore simply to offer a high salary and a reasonable work schedule. |
|
|
|
Texas PSR Is Back at UT Dell Medical School! |
|
Environmental Threats to Health: What Every Physician Should Know is an Enrichment Elective at UT Dell Medical School!
Back for our fifth year of hosting this elective, we were excited to kick-off this year's elective on February 20 with Robert Haley, MD presenting on global warming and climate change. This past week, Lisa Doggett, MD and Don Williams, MD presented on air and water pollution. Students in this class will engage in advocacy projects, student education, and patient education related to environmental health topics. |
|
|
|
Conference at UT School of Law: Disarming Toxic Empire |
|
March 21-22 at UT Austin School of Law Register here. FREE and open to the public
“Disarming Toxic Empire” will bring fresh, transnational, and interdisciplinary approaches to peace, nuclear disarmament, and environmental justice. Participants will consider and contest the unjust, imperial histories and geographies of nuclear testing, production, storage, and weaponry. The conference will open with a keynote address by 2017 Nobel Peace Prize winner Beatrice Fihn, former executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). |
|
|
|
Upcoming Webinar & Film: Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island |
|
The Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island film team is collaborating with Beyond Nuclear and Sierra Club to hold the 45th-year-anniversary Three Mile Island commemorative webinar event “Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island, Gender, Environmental Justice, and the Future of Nuclear Power” on the day of the 1979 meltdown: March 28 (2024) at 8:00 pm ET. The registration page will be here in the coming days.
Radioactive drops on Apple + and Prime Video, on March 12th (and will run indefinitely), just prior to the webinar. Speakers include members of the RADIOACTIVE film cast and team, including Director Heidi Hutner. Other speakers include scientist Mary Olson (Gender and Radiation Impact Project), and Navajo guests, Anna Rondon and Krystal Curley. Finally, climate science expert and engineer, Professor Mark Jacobson (Stanford University), will explain the future of nuclear power and clean climate solutions. Cindy Folkers (Beyond Nuclear), an expert on radiation and environmental health, will moderate. |
|
|
|
|
Event: The Global Nuclear Threat and Nuclear Landscapes in the United States |
|
Climate Change and Human Health Echo: Global Nuclear and Environmental Threats Critical to Climate Change and Human Health Wednesdays, March 6 - May 15 Bi-Weekly, 1PM-2PM CT
The first event, on March 6, will be lead by Robert M. Gould, MD, President, San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility. Given the decades-long global threats of nuclear weapons and power, environmental health exposures from chemical solvents and superfund sites, and resulting environmental injustice, these bi-weekly sessions will be a primer for health professionals, public health officers, first responders, and community-based educators interested in learning from nationally and internationally known experts. See below for details on each part of this series, and please note that you may register for as many as you'd like all at once at the registration link. |
|
|
|
|
Are you interested in learning more, or getting involved in local actions to prevent the growing threat that nuclear weapons pose to our health and environment? Let us know of your interest and we'll be in touch! Fill out this quick form! |
|
|
|
Give to Texas PSR |
|
We do so much with so little, imagine what we could do |
|
To mail your contribution to us, please send a check to our new mailing address: Texas PSR, 3571 Far West Blvd. #3428 Austin, TX 78731 As a registered non-profit under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code, all donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. |
|
