Description
Whether
you are lobbying on specific legislation or just educating your decisionmakers
more generally, public health professionals play an important role in the
debate about the connection between climate change and health. This session
will provide a brief overview of various ways public health professionals can
advocate with their decisionmakers and offer their input and expertise on
climate change and public health issues.
Contributors
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Don Hoppert
Don Hoppert is the Director of Government Relations at the American Public Health Association where he leads the association's federal government relations and grassroots advocacy activities. He previously served as Director of Federal and Congressional Affairs at APHA from 1998 through 2004. Don is a long-time former member of the board of directors of the Coalition for Health Funding, the oldest and largest nonprofit alliance working to preserve and strengthen federal public health funding. He served as president of the coalition in 2015 and 2016. From 2004 through 2006, Don was a public policy and public affairs consultant in San Francisco, Calif. where he worked for both corporate and nonprofit clients on a variety of public policy issues, including prescription drug access, tobacco control and emergency health services. Don served as a congressional aide to U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown from 1994 through 1998. He advised Brown on several legislative issues including the environment, financial services, education and crime and judiciary matters. He received a BA in Environmental Policy and Analysis from Bowling Green State University.
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Juan Declet-Barreto
Juan Declet-Barreto is the Climate Vulnerability Social Scientist for the UCS Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Juan researches the impacts of climate change on human health and wellbeing, and communicates findings and equitable solutions to impacted communities, the general public, and policymakers. His research is focused on understanding disparities in climate change-related human health outcomes by recognizing that these are endpoints in complex interactions between individual biology and environmental exposures that are also shaped by the broader-scale socio-demographic, cultural, and economic contexts in which people live their lives.
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Elisabeth Coats
Elisabeth Coats has been with the National NeighborWorks Association (NNA) since November 2021, coming on as the Association’s first Director of Policy and Advocacy. The NNA is the trade association representing NeighborWorks organizations in all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The NNA provides external advocacy for funding and public policy, as well as internal support as the voice of the NeighborWorks network in advancing the issues, needs, and recommendations to NeighborWorks America.
Prior to joining the NNA, Elisabeth worked as a professional staff member to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. During her time on Appropriations, she specialized in the federal budget process, affordable housing, homeless assistance, and community development issues.
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Hannah Vogel
Hannah Vogel has worked as a policy advisor on energy, environment, and climate issues for Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts since 2017, and previously worked on climate, energy, and health care issues for Representative Lloyd Doggett (TX-35). Prior to coming to the Hill, Hannah worked on climate strategy for Climate Nexus, coordinating messaging and outreach for US climate nonprofits during the Paris Climate Agreement negotiations in 2015 and the organization of the People’s Climate March in 2014. She got her start in the climate movement as a clean air organizer in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Laura Kate Bender
Laura Kate has spent more than a decade working for protections from air pollution and climate change. She serves as National Assistant Vice President, Healthy Air at the American Lung Association, where she leads the Healthy Air Campaign, directing advocacy initiatives in Washington, DC and field work in multiple states and coordinating a broad group of national public health and medical organizations. She previously served as the Campaign’s lead representative to Congress and Virginia organizer. Laura Kate studied political science and communications at American University in Washington, DC and lives in Fairfax, Virginia with her husband and two young children.