Action Center

Addressing the Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health and Health Equity

Speakers and Panelists

Samantha Ahdoot, MD, FAAP is a practicing pediatrician at Pediatric Associates of Alexandria in Virginia and an Assistant Professor of Medical Education at University of Virginia School of Medicine. She was elected to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Environmental Health Executive Committee for two terms, during which time she served as lead author on their Global Climate Change and Children’s Health Policy Statement and Technical Report, published in Pediatrics in November 2015. Dr. Ahdoot wrote the Climate Change chapter of the AAP’s book, Pediatric Environmental Health, 4th Edition, published in 2019, and she speaks widely across the country on this topic. She serves on the Board of the Virginia Chapter of the AAP and is Chair and Founder of Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action, a coalition of clinicians bringing climate and health education and advocacy opportunities to the medical community in Virginia.

Adam Aron, PhD is a Professor of Psychology at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). He has done years of research on cognitive neuroscience, and, more recently, the psychology of the climate crisis. Dr. Aron received a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge and spent 20 years doing neuroscience research. After becoming active in a fossil fuel divestment effort at UCSD and pouring into research about the climate crisis, he switched his personal and academic focus to preventing climate change and ecological breakdown. Now his teaching and research is focused on the social psychology of collective action on the climate crisis. He is currently the Co-Director of the Climate Psychology and Action Lab, a lab designed to research sociobehavioral approaches to get the policy support needed to dramatically reduce climate-changing emissions. Outside academia, Aron is also an activist and organizer striving to end fossil fuel energy and capital. In addition to raising awareness for environmental issues and supporting grassroots action, he participates in direct advocacy at UCSD including through involvement within the Green New Deal at UCSD. Contact Adam Aron

Scott Barstow, MS is a Senior Director of Congressional and Federal Relations for the American Psychological Association and has helped lead the organization’s advocacy work in addressing the drug overdose epidemic. Scott began working on federal mental health policy as a staff member for U.S. Representative Mike Kopetski (OR), spearheading the congressman’s efforts to establish the House Working Group on Mental Illness and Health Issues, and subsequently worked for the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association and the American Counseling Association. Contact Scott Barstow

Ayli Carrero Pinedo, PhD is the postdoctoral fellow in Women’s Mental Health with a Focus on Trauma and Diversity at the Sepulveda VA. She provides evidence-based individual and group clinical care to veterans with multiple intersecting identities, including age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, service era and nationality. Prior to her current position, Carrero Pinedo was a fellow in the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) and worked as a Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services fellow with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, where she was awarded the August Fellow of the Month in 2019. She completed her doctoral training in the counseling psychology program at the University of North Dakota and is a member of Div. 18 (Psychologists in Public Service). Contact Ayli Carrero Pinedo

Amanda Carrico, PhD is an interdisciplinary environmental social scientist with an interest in the behavioral dimensions of environmental conservation and adaptation to environmental change. She is currently an Associate professor of Environmental Studies at University of Colorado Boulder. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Transylvania University, and then went on to receive her master’s and PhD in Psychology from Vanderbilt University. Carrico’s research looks at the intersections between behavioral psychology and environmental studies. She currently serves as the Director of the Environment and Behavior Lab at UC Boulder. Her research examines processes of household and community adaptation to environmental stress, as well as opportunities for reducing human impacts on the environment. Key areas of interest include climate change, energy, water, and food security. Currently, her research work is situated in the United States, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Contact Amanda Carrico

Susan Clayton, PhD is a Professor of Psychology and chair of Environmental Studies at the College of Wooster. She was on the APA task force on psychology and global climate change and co-authored the APA reports on “Psychology and Global Climate Change” and “Psychological Impacts of Climate Change.” In addition, she has written a blog on sustainability. Clayton has previously served as president for both the Society for Environmental, Population & Conservation Psychology, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. She is a Fellow of Divisions 9 and 34 of the American Psychological Association, and she is on the editorial boards for the Journal of Environmental Psychology, the Journal of Social Issues, and Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy. Her current research focuses on the ways in which people's social identities and relationships reflect interactions with the natural environment, and on how to utilize these relationships to promote environmental conservation. Contact Susan Clayton

Natasha DeJarnett, PhD is an assistant professor in the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute at the University of Louisville Division of Environmental Medicine and a professorial lecturer in Environmental and Occupational Health at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. Previously, DeJarnett was interim associate director of Program and Partnership Development at the National Environmental Health Association and served as a policy analyst at the American Public Health Association (APHA), where she led the Natural Environment portfolio, including air and water exposures along with climate change. Currently, DeJarnett is a contributing member of many organizations, including EPA Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee, President-Elect of the Board of Directors of Physicians for Social Responsibility, Chair of the Governing Board of Citizens’ Climate Education, Chair-Elect for APHA’s Environment Section, member of the Advisory Board of APHA’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity, member of the Board of Trustees for the BTS Center, special advisor to the Environmental Health and Equity Collaborative, and a Steering Committee member of the International Transformational Resilience Coalition. Her work experience in epidemiology and clinical research allows her to contribute an interdisciplinary approach toward assessing environmental health challenges. Contact Natasha DeJarnett

Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD is CEO of the American Psychological Association, the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. Evans holds a doctorate in clinical/community psychology from the University of Maryland and a master's degree in experimental psychology from Florida Atlantic University, where he also completed his undergraduate work. Before joining APA in March 2017, Evans spent 12 years as commissioner of Philadelphia's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services. Evans has been honored nationally and internationally for his work. He was recognized as an “Advocate for Action” by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, recipient of the American Medical Association's top government service award in health care, the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service, the Visionary Leadership Award from the National Council of Behavioral Health, and was inducted into the Florida Atlantic University Alumni Hall of Fame.

Corbin Evans, JD serves as a Senior Director of Congressional and Federal Relations at the American Psychological Association. He previously served as the Principal Director of Strategic Programs and Policy at the National Defense Industry Association (NDIA). Prior to joining NDIA, Corbin served at the Department of Homeland Security and as the Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. He received a Juris Doctor at George Washington University Law School and holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Missouri. Corbin is a member of the District of Columbia Bar. Contact Corbin Evans

Leo Goldsmith serves as a Climate and Health Specialist for the USGCRP National Coordination Office (NCO). In this role, he coordinates the Interagency Crosscutting Group on Climate Change and Human Health (CCHHG) and is the point of contact for the human health and air quality chapter and the indicators appendix of the National Climate Assessment. Prior to joining USGCRP, Leo has worked on projects such as consulting on an environmental/climate justice mapping tool for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, provided logistical support for various stakeholders for the sustainable Upper Harbor Terminal Project in Minneapolis, and ecological restoration and community engagement projects at the New York Restoration Project. Additionally, his research focuses on the impacts of climate change on the health of marginalized populations. Leo holds a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment and a B.A in environmental studies from Oberlin College.

Eric Goplerud, PhD is a clinical psychologist and the Chairman of the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, a faith-based organization that works to develop local solutions for climate change issues. He received his PhD in clinical/community psychology from the University at Buffalo in 1980, and since then, has put in decades of work devoted to behavioral health and, more recently, the environment. From 2011 to 2018, he served as Vice President and Senior Fellow of the Public Health Department of NORC at the University of Chicago, where he oversaw research and studies to improve the nation's public health system, including mental health and substance use. His other leadership experience includes his time at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), where he led the agency’s policy and planning office, directed the agency’s managed care, quality and finance office, and served as first director of SAMHSA’s science to service program to speed transmission of evidence-based practices into everyday clinical practice. Contact Eric Goplerud

Maggie Jarry, M.Div. is the Emergency Coordinator for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within the U.S. Department of Human Services. As the Emergency Coordinator for SAMHSA, she coordinates with federal partners to support national disaster and emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. She has a strong interest in community and family wellness (multigenerational, intergenerational) and how communities, families and people adapt, change, learn, and grow despite experiences of loss. Her lived and professional experiences give her insight into diverse ways of thinking among professionals in emergency management, psychiatric services, substance use prevention and treatment, mental health promotion, suicide prevention, and a broad range of faith communities.

Christopher Kush, as CEO of Soapbox Consulting, has trained hundreds of thousands of citizens from all over the United States to effectively influence Congress, state, and local governments. He has helped design sophisticated key-contact networks, Lobby Days, and grassroots training programs for many national associations, including the American Cancer Society, Human Rights Campaign, Easter Seals, Goodwill International, United Way Worldwide, and the American Wind Energy Association. Mr. Kush is the author of three books on grassroots organizing, including Grassroots Games (ASAE, 2002) and, most recently, The One-Hour Activist (Wiley, 2004). He has appeared on National Public Radio, ABC and Fox-news affiliates, CSPAN’s “Book TV,” and in U.S. News and World Report, The Los Angeles Times, and on the Sirius Satellite Radio Network. Contact Christopher Kush

Renee Lertzman, PhD is a climate psychologist and an environmental strategist and educator. She utilizes psychological insights to advise and weigh in on change management topics for the media and business thought leaders. Her interest in environmental psychology began while working for her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of California Santa Cruz in the late 1980s. After taking an environmental studies course, she became interested in environmental issues and how we can help mobilize response, leading her to pursue a Master of Arts in environmental communications at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and receive her PhD at the Cardiff University School of Social Sciences. Her PhD research explored “public apathy,” a notion she found to be largely a myth; it also led to her topic of turning “climate anxiety into action” for her TED Talk in 2019. Through her 30 years of experience, Lertzman has worked with organizations such as Google, VMware, PBS, Transport for London, Center for Sustainable Energy, WWF and the White House. Contact Renee Lertzman

Katherine McGuire, MS is the American Psychological Association’s first Chief Advocacy Officer. With more than 25 years of senior-level policy experience in Congress, the executive branch and the private sector, McGuire was most recently assistant secretary for congressional and intergovernmental affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor. Previously, Katherine served for five years as chief of staff to Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.), advising on science and technology issues. Before that, she spent five years as vice president for government affairs at the Business Software Alliance, a trade group comprising the world’s leading software companies, including Apple and Microsoft. She served almost 18 years in the U.S. Senate, where she held numerous senior leadership roles, including Republican staff director of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. She also previously served as staff director for two subcommittees of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and as legislative director for Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.). Katherine McGuire holds a BS and an MS from the University of Wyoming. She also received a certificate in executive leadership from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Contact Katherine McGuire

Doris Parfaite-Claude, MPP is the Director of Grassroots Engagement with APA’s Advocacy Office, where she is charged with growing and strengthening APA’s grassroots network. She joined APA in July 2021. Prior to that, she served as Federal Advocacy and Research Manager at the ANCOR, working on disability issues. Before that, she worked as a Legislative Assistant for the NALEO Educational Fund and a Polling Analyst for Lincoln Park Strategies. Doris has a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University and an undergraduate degree in Politics from Brandeis University. Contact Doris Parfaite-Claude

Kati Peditto, PhD, EDAC, WELL AP is the Architecture Research Lead at HDR, Inc. At HDR, her research takes an interdisciplinary, human-centered approach. As an environmental psychologist, she draws from her background in social science to provide evidence-based design recommendations for vulnerable populations. She’s particularly interested in the way the built environment facilitates wellbeing and belonging in institutional settings for young people. She has explored this broader research topic from several perspectives over the last eight years, including the negative impact of institutional design in veteran’s facilities and the importance of psychosocial support for young adults with cancer. To address design challenges across different disciplines, she follows a philosophy rooted in empathy and translational research. Contact Kati Peditto

Nancy A. Piotrowski, PhD is a licensed psychologist in California. She has an M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston, University Park, where she had her first environmental psychology course. As an undergraduate at Rice University getting a B.A. in psychology, she also worked in estuarian biology. She completed postdoctoral studies as a NIDA and NIAAA Fellow at UCSF and UC Berkeley. She currently works at The Wright Institute as a professor for the clinical psychology doctoral program and has her own psychological and research services consultation practice. She serves Audubon California as a board representative for the Bay Area Audubon Council, Conservation Chair for the Napa Solano Audubon Society, and as a scientist community member for her local Vallejo Citizen Air Monitoring Network. Named APA Practice Organization Advocate of the Year in 2016, while serving the Society of Addiction Psychology (Division 5), she has served Division 34, the Society for Environmental, Population, and Conservation Psychology, as a member at large from August 2013-2018 and became its APA Council Representative in January 2019. She has over 150 publications focused on psychology, public health, addiction, and environmental psychology issues. Contact Nancy Piotrowski

Kenneth Polishchuk, MA, MPP is the American Psychological Association’s Senior Director for Congressional and Federal Relations covering the education portfolio. He leads APA’s advocacy efforts on federal policies that apply principles of psychological science to PreK-12 education, provide affordable pathways to graduate school—including through student loan forgiveness programs—and support the overall mental and emotional well-being of students across the education spectrum. Prior to joining APA in September 2019, he spent five years in government affairs at the Council of Graduate Schools. He has master’s degrees in Public Policy and American Politics. Contact Kenneth Polishchuk

Jackie Qatalina Schaeffer is the Community Development Manager at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Jackie offers stakeholder facilitation and project support for a broad range of projects, including environmental health, climate and sanitation, throughout the State of Alaska. She was Lead Facilitator for the Holistic Approach to Northern Sustainable Communities project. Jackie helped coordinate efforts and co-authored the Bering Straits Regional Energy Plan, North Slope Regional Energy Plan, Northwest Arctic Regional Energy Plan, Interior Regional Energy Plan, Y K Delta Regional Energy Plan and the Chugach Regional Energy Plan with the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA), local and regional leaders. Current work includes water security and sanitation services for unserved homes in rural Alaska, Climate Adaptation, Community Engagement and bridging gaps in services through an indigenous lens. Her commitment to serving indigenous populations allows her to integrate culture and Indigenous knowledge into her work, bridging Western and Indigenous perspectives. Contact Jackie Qatalina Schaeffer

Derrick Sebree, Jr., LP, PsyD is an American Descendant of Slavery (ADOS) core faculty member & program director of the M.A. program at the Michigan School of Psychology. Before joining the faculty team at MSP, Dr. Sebree has conducted clinical work in the Ann Arbor area, working with a variety of populations, focusing on young college students and adults within the University of Michigan system. Dr. Sebree specializes in multicultural identity theory and counseling, alongside ecopsychology/ecotherapy and climate psychology. He has worked extensively with various social justice organizations in Detroit around food security and other environmental justice issues. Dr. Sebree’s community-oriented social justice praxis is emphasized in his teaching, mentorship, and membership. Dr. Sebree serves as a member-at-large and communications chair for APA Division 34, the Society for Environmental, Population & Conservation Psychology. He also serves as a board member for the 501c3 non-profit, The Humanitarian Alliance, which works to promote psychological, social, and ecological justice. In addition, Dr. Sebree is an active member of the Society for Humanistic Psychology, APA Division 32, and serves as a member-at-large, membership chair, and co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Contact Derrick Sebree, Jr

Angela Sharpe, MG is a Senior Director, Congressional and Federal Relations in Scientific Affairs Advocacy, where she advocates for psychological and behavioral science before Congress and federal agencies on behalf of the American Psychological Association (APA). Prior to joining the APA in 2018, Angela spent more than two decades at the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA), including serving as its Deputy Director. She co-chaired two COSSA-led coalitions (Coalition to Promote Research and the Friends of Behavior and Social Sciences Research), led the Collaborative for Enhancing Diversity in Science, and served on the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research’s steering committee. She spent seven years on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant to former Rep. Carrie P. Meek (D-FL) and the late Rep. R. Lawrence Coughlin (R-PA). Before working on Capitol Hill, Angela worked for the Library of Congress’ National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS/BPH). She earned her master’s in government from The Johns Hopkins University. Her BS in industrial relations and BS in psychology are from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Contact Angela Sharpe

Dennis P. Stolle, JD, PhD is the Senior Director of Applied Psychology at the American Psychological Association. He works as a lawyer, legal psychologist, author, and speaker. Stolle was a partner in the Litigation Department of Barnes & Thornburg LLP in Indianapolis, IN. The firm’s practice areas included health care, environmental justice, labor and employment, intellectual property, immigration, taxes, real estate, and antitrust law. He is also a founder and current President Emeritus of ThemeVision, LLC. He served as ThemeVision’s president from the firm’s inception until December 2021, where he provided trial strategy and jury consulting services in high-stakes litigation. Stolle is a prolific publisher and speaker on topics of legal psychology and jury decision-making. In addition to his consulting work as a trial strategist, Dennis has tried cases, led settlement negotiations, and worked with clients to develop communication strategies to implement with regulators, media and key stakeholders. Contact Dennis Stolle

Karen Studwell, JD is the Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer for Strategy and Operations at the American Psychological Association. She designs and leads designated advocacy campaigns to increase the impact of APA’s advocacy to advance the discipline and practice of psychology and increase the application of psychological science across both the public and private sector. She leads APA’s advocacy efforts to expand federal funding for graduate psychology education and training programs and inform elementary, secondary, and higher education policy. Karen previously worked in the APA Science Directorate Government Relations Office advocating for psychological research funding at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Mental Health and the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. Karen received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ohio University and her law degree from Seattle University. Contact Karen Studwell

Sarah Sutton, MA is CEO of Environment and Culture Partners (ECP), a non-profit accelerating cultural institutions’ leadership in climate action based in Tacoma, WA. She is a long-time museum professional and climate advocate and has worked across the U.S., supporting institutions and associations in developing climate-smart thinking. Sutton is also the Principal of Sustainable Museums, a consultancy for cultural organizations pursuing climate action, and is the Cultural Sector Lead for America is All In, the largest coalition of supporters of the Paris Climate Agreement anywhere in the world. She teaches in the Harvard University Extension School Museum Studies program and serves on the Climate Task Force for the American Psychological Association. Sutton is a co-author of two editions of The Green Museum (as Sarah Brophy) and author of Environmental Sustainability at Historic Sites & Museums. She has been committed for over 25 years to accelerating environmental leadership of the cultural sector nationally and globally. Contact Sarah Sutton

Frank C. Worrell, PhD is the 2022 President of the American Psychological Association. He is also a professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, where he serves as faculty director of the school psychology program, the Academic Talent Development Program, and the California College Preparatory Academy. He is a certified school psychologist as well as a licensed psychologist. In addition to his position at UC Berkeley, Worrell is an affiliate professor in the social and personality area in the department of psychology. His areas of expertise include at-risk youth, cultural identities, scale development and validation, talent development/gifted education, teacher effectiveness, time perspective, and the translation of psychological research findings into school-based practice.

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