The Center for Health & Nature has identified academic leaders, conservation leaders, and physician-scientists from around the country and world who are engaged in research related to symposium topics. The symposium will consist of four keynote speakers, followed by two to four research concept pitches related to the symposium themes:

  1. Nature in Practice – Clinical Solutions
  2. Communities in Nature – the Daily Dose
  3. InCorporating Nature – Industry’s Role

Research may also include the following foci, but are not limited to:

  1. Population health – relating to a particular subset of the population such as seniors or school-age children
  2. Access to nature – inequities in the extent to which nature is available as part of daily life
  3. Quality and safety – the effect nature can have on either quality of treatment or safety implications
  4. Patient experience – the impact of exposure to nature on patient experience
  5. Workforce wellness – the impact of nature on overall wellness of any given workforce group
10:00 a.m. Welcome (& Online Format Overview)

Collaborating for a Healthier Future

Jay Maddock, PhD, FAAHB – Co-Director, Center for Health & Nature
10:10 a.m. Nature in Practice – Clinical Solutions

[Nature can be prescribed for positive results in prevention, treatment, and recovery. The latest research explores the use of nature in the clinical setting to achieve optimal mental and physical health outcomes.]

Moderator: Khurram Nasir, MD, MPH – Co-Director, Center for Outcomes Research

Panel Keynote: John Henderson – Executive Director, Park Rx America

Panel Presentations:

  • Virtual Reality Gardening and Stress Prevention for Oncology Patients; Bring Nature Indoors
    • Renee Stubbins, PhD – Senior Oncology Dietitian, Houston Methodist
  • Influences of Virtual Window on Hospital Patients’ and Caregivers’ Health & Well-Being
    • Zhipeng Lu, PhD – Associate Director, Center for Health Systems & Design and Senior Lecturer, Department of Architecture, Texas A&M University

Q&A/Discussion
11:00 a.m. Break
11:05 a.m. Communities in Nature – the Daily Dose

[Nature where we live, and play is a critical component to long term health. Research encompassing access, quality, and amount of nature exposure will benefit our communities in need as well as our growing population and the way we develop both our urban and rural areas.]

Moderator: Jay Maddock, PhD, FAAHB – Co-Director, Center for Health & Nature

Panel Keynotes:

  • Diana B. Allen – Chief, Healthy Parks Healthy People, National Park Service
  • Myron Floyd, PhD – Dean, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State

Panel Presentations:

  • Bayou Greenways Retrospective Study (Houston Parks Board)
    • Alan Pan, MS – Data Scientist, Houston Methodist
  • Rivers of Recovery
    • Keith Tidball, PhD – Senior Extension Associate and Assistant Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension

Q&A/Discussion
12:10 p.m. Lunch
12:25 p.m. InCorporating Nature – Industry’s Role

[The average American spends 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime. Industry leaders are looking to nature to reduce stress and increase productivity and health among their workforce, both at work and where they live.]

Moderator: Robert Jackson, MD, MACP – Clinical Professor of Medicine, Houston Methodist

Panel Keynote: Gregory Bratman, PhD – Assistant Professor of Nature, Health and Recreations, University of Washington

Panel Presentations:

  • Designing Systems to Prevent Physician and Nurse Burnout
    • Terri Menser, PhD, MBA – Scientist, Center for Outcomes Research, Houston Methodist
    • Zhaoyue Shi, PhD – Instructor of Translational Imaging in Radiology, Houston Methodist
  • The Human Handprint – Build Environment Design for Nature and Human Health
    • Rick Archer, FAIA, LEED AP – Senior Principal, Overland Partners

Q&A/Discussion
1:15 p.m. Break
1:20 p.m. Selected Research Proposal Lightning Talks

[Center for Health & Nature research proposal presentations.]

Moderator: Cynthia Pickett-Stevenson, JD – Vice Chair, Texan by Nature, Co-Chair, DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center Advisory Council, Houston Methodist

Panel Lightning Talks

  • Developing Healthy Behavior Change Scales for Health & Nature
    • Jay Maddock, PhD, FAAHB – Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University
  • Nature-Based Climatic Responsive Community Planning and Design: Promoting Thermal Health Under Future Climate Predictions
    • Dongying Li, MLA, PhD- Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University
  • Grow It Yourself: The Effect of Hydroponic Vegetable Gardening on Improving Quality of Life in Cancer Patients and Their Caregivers
    • Taehyun Roh, PhD- Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University
1:40 p.m. Break
1:45 p.m. Vision Panel and Closing Remarks

Moderator: Bita Kash, PhD, MBA, FACHE, Co-Director, Center for Health & Nature

Panelists include:

  • Gregory Bratman, PhD – Assistant Professor of Nature, Health and Recreations, University of Washington
  • Diana B. Allen – Chief, Healthy Parks Healthy People, National Park Service
  • Myron Floyd, PhD – Dean, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State
  • John Henderson – Executive Director, Park Rx America
  • Aruni Bhatnagar, PhD, FAHA – Professor, University of Louisville
  • Shawn Gibbs, PhD, MBA, CIH – Dean, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University
2:30 p.m. Symposium Concludes