Student Engagement

“The Planetary Health Report Card: A Student-Led Institutional Advocacy Tool”

Karly Hampshire is a fourth year medical student at the University of California San Francisco applying to residency in internal medicine. She founded the Planetary Health Report Card Initiative in 2019, and served as the initiative's co-director until this summer, when she pivoted into the role of partnerships chair. Karly is also the Curriculum Chair for Medical Students for a Sustainable Future, a lead of the Climate Resources for Health Education Initiative, a current Switzer fellow, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the US Health Sector.

Jessinta Palack, medical student at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and member, Board of Directors, NH HWCA will be introducing the speaker and moderating the Q & A.

This event is co-sponsored by the NH Medical Society, NH Academy of Family Physicians, NH Public Health Association, NH Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Geisel Chapter of the Medical Students for a Sustainable Future Geisel Chapter, and Dartmouth College’s Climate Health Alliance.

Chelsea Nyamutowa, Intern

Chelsea Nyamutowa is a graduate student at the University of Maine, doing her master’s degree in international Affairs with a focus on Climate Policy. Her research focuses on how climate change impacts mental health. She received her BSc Honors degree in Sociology in Zimbabwe at Great Zimbabwe University. After graduation, she worked as a counselor and a researcher in the mental health field for five years. She specialized in Problem-solving Therapy which seeks not only to help an individual but also to empower them to deal with daily problems.

Jessinta Palack, BS, medical student, Advisory Board

Though I grew up in Virginia, I moved to Hanover, NH to begin medical school at Dartmouth this past year. I initially became interested in the effects of our changing climate and human health through my undergraduate coursework at The College of William and Mary. After graduating from W&M in 2019 with a B.S. in Biology, I joined the US Peace Corps and served as an Education Volunteer in the arid, semi-desert region of Singida, Tanzania, where I taught biology and physics to secondary school students. During my service as a Peace Corps volunteer, I felt closely connected to my environment. I caught all the water I used from the rain, relied entirely on solar energy to power my house, and ate locally grown produce and freshly killed meat every day. As our climate continues to change, severe weather events, exacerbations of cardiovascular disease, increasing habitat ranges for disease carrying vectors, and food and water insecurity are just a few challenges which will test our medical system. I’m excited to work with NH Healthcare Workers for Climate Action to better educate and prepare our communities for the health effects of a changing climate, and to share my passion for sustainable and mindful living.