Abstract
Essential Actions for Protecting Children Today and Generations to Come
Nsedu Witherspoon, MPH
Children's Environmental Health Network, Waldorf, MD
APHA 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo
Abstract
Opportunities for Effective Stakeholder Engagement to Enhance Children's Environmental Health
Marilyn Howarth, MD, FACOEM
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
APHA 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo
The Philadelphia Regional Center for Childrenâs Environmental Health aims to improve childrenâs environmental health through the implementation of programs, conduct of research and engagement with community members. Several successful programs will be discussed with a focus on implementation and evaluation. The Community Asthma Prevention Program, successful in Philadelphia, has been replicated in Chester, a small city with limited health care resources. We learned that a community health worker based asthma program can be effectively implemented in communities lacking robust access to healthcare. Attributes of the program including barriers to implementation and strategies to overcome them will be discussed. The Hazard Assessment for Asbestos in Schools program was designed to address the deteriorated under-resourced educational infrastructure in Philadelphia. Parents were calling for school closures over concerns regarding damaged asbestos containing materials in schools. We found that knowledge of asbestos risks in schools by parents and teachers varies widely. We will describe our process of evaluating publicly available AHERA asbestos school reports, identifying risks and re-packaging the information into a report that is more user friendly for staff, parents and teachers. The Prescriptions for Prevention Program grew out of the need to enhance environmental health literacy in clinicians and the public. The Prescriptions provide both environmental health information on a variety of topics and community resources that help patients improve home environments beyond what they are able to implement on their own. The presentation will focus on methods of program implementation and outcome measures providing enough detail for program replication in other areas.
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs Chronic disease management and prevention Environmental health sciences
Abstract
Education and Engagement and Opportunities for Environmental Health in Schools
Kirsten Koehler
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
APHA 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo
This presentation will discuss the BREATHE Centerâs work to improve childrenâs respiratory health via engaging multiple stakeholders, including youth, through partnerships with Baltimore City Public Schools and the Baltimore City Health Department. We will share successes and lessons learned from school and youth based engagement programs in Baltimore City. The presentation will describe research on the impact of school environment on asthma health among youth in Baltimore City and how school renovation can improve classroom environmental quality.
Environmental health sciences Public health or related education
Abstract
Plastics and Human Health: Lessons Learned From the NIEHS CEHRT Collaborative Network
Leonardo Trasande
New York, NY
APHA 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo
Exposure to chemicals in plastics have been linked to harmful health impacts across the entire human life-span, with findings corroborated by major scientific institutions including the World Health Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, American Academy of Pediatrics and more. Only through a serious and concerted effort to turn off the plastic tap will we apply the lessons learned from plastic use and avoid the invisible chemicals used in plastic materials from becoming visible in the form of a larger global pandemic of chronic disease. This presentation will describe estimates of chronic disease across the lifespan but especially in children due to plastic exposure, and identify US and global policy steps and opportunities.
Environmental health sciences Epidemiology
Abstract
Rooted Together: A Model for Co-Creating Healthy, Resilient Communities
Rose Hayes, MA, RN, BSN
Emory University, Atlanta, GA
APHA 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo
The NIH-funded Center for Children's Health, Research Translation, and Environmental Risks (CHARTER) at Emory University works in deep partnership with the Center for Black Womenâs Wellness (CBWW) to share environmental health knowledge with communities. This presentation will highlight replicable strategies from the Emory-CBWW partnership that other institutions may use to deliver fun, memorable, and locally meaningful translation science projects. For instance, we have co-developed a model for joint publication that supports shared authorship across academic and community lines. Together, we have published research-informed materials for a wide variety of peer-reviewed and public-facing outlets. These publications are shaped by CBWWâs local insight and CHARTERâs research translation expertise.
Our collaboration includes an innovative approach to grantmaking in which academic and community partners co-write proposals, share decision-making power, and align funding with community-defined priorities. The grant funding we pursue together is intentionally structured to support CBWWâs organizational capacityâproviding resources, technical support, and leadership development that enhance environmental health initiatives.
In addition, in collaboration with the University of Georgia's CACHE Lab, we have co-designed technology-based tools for environmental health education. These include virtual reality experiences and a child-directed, interactive world within the Roblox gaming platform. Our tools reflect community input at every stageâfrom concept to implementationâand are designed to engage young people and families with core messages about environmental risk and resilience.
Attendees will learn transferable approaches in three key areas: collaborative publishing, equitable grantmaking, and interactive educational technology development. Each of our strategies reflect sustained partnership rooted in trust, flexibility, and mutual growth. Our approaches are not only relationship-centeredâthey are impact-driven. We will share concrete ways to measure success in community-engaged translation projects. Attendees will explore strategies for moving environmental science out of institutions and into local settings where it can be used to inform healthy choices at the individual and community level.
Communication and informatics Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice Diversity and culture Environmental health sciences Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Abstract
Environmental Health in Child Care: Local Lessons of a National Program
Elisabeth Repp, MHS
Children's Environmental Health Network (CEHN), Washington, DC
APHA 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo
Elisabeth (Ellie) Repp works extensively on the Childrenâs Environmental Health Networkâs Eco-Healthy Child Care® team, developing resources, conducting training, and offering technical assistance directly to child care providers. Through this project, she has worked to coordinate the collective efforts of EHCC, a national program, the local environmental justice partners, and the data evaluator from the University of Maryland to implement this multi-location initiative. The insights offered in this presentation will be reflective of the importance of providing child care facilities with the resources and knowledge to make safer, healthier learning environments for children.
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs Program planning Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control