Eight Honored at Climate Commitment Awards
Understanding that operating rooms are one of the most resource-intensive area of health care, Funk has integrated waste reduction, energy conservation and climate-related health impacts into her nurse anesthesia teaching and scholarly work.
Jill Brennan-Cook, associate clinical professor in the Duke School of Nursing. Brenan-Cook has played a key role in integrating climate and sustainability content into the required nursing curriculum. The curriculum connects climate change to social and structural determinants of health, ethics, advocacy and health equity.
AnnMarie Walton, associate professor, Duke School of Nursing. Walton has amplified Duke’s Climate Commitment far beyond campus by integrating the university’s 4-Cs framework — Context, Causes, Consequences, and Change Catalyst — into national nursing education and professional development. As a leader within the Oncology Nurses Society, Walton has helped guide strategic priorities for more than 35,000 members, embedding climate and health into professional competencies.
Elizabeth (Betsy) Albright, associate professor of the practice, Nicholas School of the Environment. Albright is honored for her research that directly aids and informs communities, institutions and government leaders responding to climate-related disasters. Her work focuses on post-disaster recovery and resilience and often offers a roadmap for communities looking to rebuild effectively and more intelligently.
Coraline Goron, Duke Kunshan University climate sustainability initiative director; and Yi Yu, climate sustainability initiative program coordinator. Goron and Yu have led DKU’s climate and sustainability efforts, including education, research, operations and engagement. They led the creation of the Sustainability Committee and its four sub-committees and helped create a Sustainability Academy that involved nine faculty members who work on sustainability projects.
Liz DeMattia, research scientist and director of the Community Science Initiative with the Nicholas School of the Environment. Under DeMattia’s leadership, the Community Science Initiative has built strong ties with communities. Following Hurricane Helene, it expanded the reach of its “Ready, Set, Resilience” model from its home at the North Carolina coast to support educators in western North Carolina. The program connected Carteret County middle school teachers already versed in resilience education with their counterparts in the North Carolina mountains.
Tyler Ratcliffe, Duke undergraduate studying economics. As a student leader, He has launched house courses, organized Duke’s first Climate & Sustainability Make-A-Thon, co-created an Energy and Climate Career Fair, and served as the university’s first undergraduate co-chair of Energy Week. Now a senior, he is co-president of the Energy and Climate Club, where he’s focused on empowering his peers and making sure student climate initiatives are long-lasting.
Lizzy Glazer, Duke undergraduate studying marine science and conservation and neuroscience. As a student leader, Glazer designed and led two university-wide Sustainable Ocean Summits for undergrad, graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni and external experts. She secured notable keynote speakers for both: Sylvia Earle, an internationally known oceanographer, and Jill Tiefenthaler, CEO of the National Geographic Society.
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