Associate Professor and Scientific Director of the Chair “Entrepreneurship – Territory – Innovation” (IAE Paris - Sorbonne University)

University Professor and researcher, Carlos Moreno earned international recognition thanks to his major contribution and pioneer concepts, bringing an innovative perspective on urban issues (Human Smart City, 15-Minute City, 30-Minute Territory).

In June 2022, he is leading the launch of the Global Observatory of proximities at the World Urban Forum #WUF11 with UN-Habitat, C40 Cities, UCLG and other partners.

Virtual

Head, The Centre on African Public Spaces | Head, Environmental Education and Research, City of Johannesburg Parks and Zoo Department

Ayanda Roji is a social scientist whose primary interest lies in how shared spaces can be designed, adapted and managed in ways that are meaningful to the people who use them. She is a strong advocate of innovative participatory planning practices that stimulate belonging and public ownership. Currently, much of her attention as the Head of Environmental Education and Research at the City of Johannesburg’s Parks and Zoo Department is on the implementation of the work of the Centre on African Public Spaces (CAPS). CAPS is a Pan African peer to peer learning and knowledge exchange hub focusing on public spaces. She is the convenor of CAPS, tasked with facilitating its programmes and strategic partnerships. Ayanda is a fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar Emerging Urban Leaders Programme, an initiative that brings together future urban leaders who are looking to develop their ideas about urban parks as a critical component of quality cities of the future

She serves on the boards of the World Urban Parks Climate Change Committee, the International Making Cities Liveable Council and the Community Advice Offices South Africa. Ayanda holds a Master’s degree in Local and Regional Development from the Institute of Social Studies in  The Netherlands, an Honours degree in Development Studies from Rhodes University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Fort Hare.

Founder & Chair, 880 Cities | Founder, Cities for Everyone | President, Gil Peñalosa & Assoc.

Gil (Guillermo) Peñalosa is passionate about cities for all people. Because of his unique blend of experience, pragmatism, and passion, many cities worldwide seek his leadership and valuable advice. He has worked in over 350 cities.

Gil is the Founder and Chair of the successful Canadian non-profit organization 8 80 Cities and founder of Cities for Everyone. In 2022 Gil ran for mayor of Toronto. In 100 days, he got 100,000 votes, and changed the conversation. Currently Gil is an academic chair at the Norman Foster Institute for Sustainable Cities, as well as Expert Advisor to the International Society for Urban Health..

Gil was elected twice as chair of World Urban Parks. He holds an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, received a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Faculty of Urban Planning at Swedish SLU. In 2023 Gil was selected by Identity Review in 15 Thought Leaders in Sustainable City Development and voted to Planetizen’s Top 100 Most Influential Contemporary Urbanists, at #13.

Director, Urban Design, Georgia Institute of Technology

Ellen Dunham-Jones is a professor of architecture and directs the MS in Urban Design at the Georgia Institute of Technology. An authority on suburban redevelopment, she maintains a unique database of over 2,200 suburban retrofits, hosts the REDESIGNING CITIES podcast series and was recognized in 2017 by Planetizen as one of the 100 most influential urbanists. She is co-author with June Williamson of Case Studies in Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Strategies for Urgent Challenges (Wiley, 2021 – winner of the Environmental Design Research Association’s Great Place Book of the Year Award) and Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs, (Wiley, 2009, 2011, winner of the PROSE award for best architecture and planning book of 2009.) Their documentation of successful retrofits of aging big box stores, strip mall corridors, and office parks into healthier, more sustainable places has been featured in PBS, NPR, TED, and other prominent venues. She is a Fellow of the Congress for the New Urbanism as well as the Brook Byers Institute of Sustainable Systems, lectures widely, and conducts workshops and research on the many co-benefits of retrofitting – as well as on the potential urban design impacts of autonomous vehicles.

She has BS and M.Arch degrees from Princeton University, practiced architecture for 20 years, and taught at UVA and MIT before being recruited to direct the Architecture Program at Georgia Tech in 2000.

Deputy Mayor, Strasbourg, France

Born in Aix-en-Provence (France) in 1977, he grew up in Iran, in Isfahan and Tehran. In 1990, his family immigrated to France, specifically to Strasbourg, which has been his city ever since.

After studying medicine, he joined the University Hospitals of Strasbourg as an emergency physician in 2007, and he continues to work there.

As a union, community, citizen, and political activist for over 20 years, he is committed to the right to housing, access to public services, the ecological transformation of the region, and the fight against climate change, as well as promoting a healthy territory. Currently serving as the first deputy mayor of Strasbourg and vice-president of the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg, he is responsible for finance and human resources, among other things.

Director, Department of Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity, Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization

Gerry Eijkemans is from the Netherlands. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands and holds a master's degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University in the United States.

Dr. Eijkemans is a global public health leader and Director of Department of Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity of the Pan American Health Organization, Regional Office of the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).

With more than 30 years of experience across different parts of the world, Gerry has been instrumental in leading PAHO/WHO initiatives in Mexico, Suriname, and the Bahamas. Her leadership has been instrumental in spearheading programs that prioritize promoting and protecting people’s health, ensuring that health remains a central focus on the economic and social development agenda. She has led the WHO Global Workers Health program focusing on China, India, and South Africa and served as Senior Advisor on Child Labour and Health at the International Labour Organization. Before assuming her current role as Department Director, she served in PAHO as Director for the Central American Program, and as Unit Chief of Health Promotion and Social Determinants of Health.

Gerry’s passion for social justice and fairness have been her drive for these 30 years. She has worked with governments, mayors, and community leaders, with civil society and labor unions, always seeking to improve health and ensure no one is left behind.

President, International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA)

Dr. Bruno Marques is a registered landscape architect and educator. He completed his Landscape Architecture studies at the University of Lisbon (Portugal) and Berlin Technical University (Germany), followed by his PhD studies at the University of Otago (New Zealand).

Bruno has practiced in Germany, Estonia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, having an extensive portfolio of built projects. During the past ten years at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, he has developed a comprehensive research agenda to embrace the formulation of frameworks on landscape rehabilitation, cultural landscapes, place-making and Indigenous community health and wellbeing.

He is currently the Associate Dean for the Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation and the President of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA).

Unit Head, Urban Health, World Health Organization

Dr. Nathalie Röbbel is the Lead for WHO’s work on Urban Health at the WHO, in the Department on Social Determinants of Health. Prior to this she was leading WHOs work on air pollution and housing in the Department for Environment, Climate Change and Health. One of her main areas of work was the development of WHO Housing and Health Guidelines and WHO’s efforts to address slum upgrading through housing policies and other social policies and interventions.

Before joining WHO HQ, she worked as a technical officer at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, in Bonn and Copenhagen, where she was responsible for environmental health performance reviews and involved in several urban health-related projects.

Dr. Röbbel holds a Ph.D. from the Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Bonn, Germany.

Founder, Sixpitch | Founder, Aftercar

Ryan Gravel is an urban designer, author, and entrepreneur working on ideas about the future of cities. Best known for his master’s thesis and early work that launched the Atlanta Beltline, Ryan’s work centers on strategies for change that advance a broad, inclusive vision for communities.

He was the lead creator of the Atlanta City Design, which designs the city’s inevitable change so that it grows into a better version of itself. And along with other projects at Sixpitch and his book, Where We Want to Live, (St Martin’s Press, 2016), Ryan investigates the cultural side of infrastructure, describing how its intimate relationship with our way of life can illuminate a brighter path forward for cities.

Executive Director, 880 Cities

Amanda O’Rourke is the Executive Director of 880 Cities, a non-profit organization with a mission to ignite action and challenge the status quo to create healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable cities for all people. She has over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector leading strategic planning, partnership development, and managing high impact teams. She has led diverse equitable mobility and public space projects in cities and towns in North America, Europe, and Australia. Amanda is a sought-after thought leader, writer, speaker, and experienced facilitator. She enjoys working collaboratively with city governments and communities to leverage creative and fun placemaking strategies to support broader systems change. Amanda holds a Master of Science in Urban Planning from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology from Queen’s University. She is the Co-Chair of the Children Play and Nature Committee for World Urban Parks and Advisory Board Member to Healthy Places By Design. She is an eternal optimist and mother of three energetic kids.

Associate Dean of Public Health, Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis

Dr. Reis is a professor of public health and co-dean of the Brown School at the Washington University in St Louis. He has worked in several capacities, including Chair of the “Urban Design and Public Health” MPH specialization, Associate Dean for Public Health, and has led several strategic initiatives on environmental health, justice, and sustainability.

He is a founder, member and former president of the Brazilian Society for Physical Activity and Health, and a founder and current board member for the Latin American Congress of Physical Activity and Health Research.

Dr. Reis is part of the Lancet Physical Activity Series Group, developing a series of studies published in 2012, 2016 and 2021. He is a co-author of Urban Design, Transport and Public Health series published in 2016 at The Lancet and in 2022 at The Lancet Public Health. He has been involved in international projects, such as Project GUIA (Guide for Community in Latin America), IPEN Network (International Physical Activity and Environment Network), the HULAP project, among other multi-country studies.

His policy and practice experience includes working with the Brazilian Ministry of Health in the development and monitoring of the National Plan for Combating Non-Communicable Diseases in Brazil, the Pan American Health Organization, and the Ministry of Health in Brazil to implement evidence based public health and physical activity promotion courses for practitioners in Brazil, CDC physical activity courses in Latin America, the National Physical Activity Plan in United States, and the PAHO/ASPPH epidemiology courses in Latin America.

Senior Urban Designer, Perkins+Will

Bașak Alkan is a national thought-leader in the design and planning of healthy and resilient communities and health districts. A sought-after facilitator of inclusive planning processes, she works closely with neighborhood, institutional, business, and government stakeholders to identify key opportunities for health improvement and health equity through built environment interventions, policy and governance. Her portfolio includes the FITWEL healthy building rating system, master plan and zoning framework for the 1,000-acre Baton Rouge Health District, master plan and green infrastructure design for the 16-acre student health and residential district at UVA Brandon Avenue, and a resilience plan focused on health and equity for the City of Louisville. A proud working mom of twins, Bașak holds a Master of Architecture and a Master in City Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Chief, Physical Activity and Health, CDC | Director, Active People, Healthy Nation

Ken Rose, MPA, is the Chief of the Physical Activity and Health Branch in the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He is also the Director of Active People, Healthy Nation, CDC’s national physical activity initiative. Ken is a subject matter expert in active transportation strategies and the policy interplay between transportation, land use, and physical activity. He also works with a wide range of national partners to build support for an activity-friendly America. Ken joined CDC in 1997 and has been a key contributor to CDC’s Transportation and Health Recommendations and the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to promote Walking and Walkable Communities. Before joining DNPAO, he served as the Associate Director of Policy for CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.

Senior Fellow, Capita

Ankita is an independent consultant committed to building a future where all children and families thrive and flourish. She has over ten years of global experience working on her mission through partnerships with city agencies and the private, non-profit, and philanthropic sectors.

She is a Senior Fellow at Capita, a think tank with a global focus. Until recently, Ankita served as the Knowledge for Policy Director at Bernard Van Leer Foundation. She led a multi-functional team responsible for sharing tools, knowledge, and resources for advancing early childhood policy that supports the well-being of children and caregivers in cities.

Ankita found her passion for prioritizing the needs of children and caregivers in urban environments while leading the Streets for Kids Program at NACTO's Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI), where her team published the guide on Designing Streets for Kids. At GDCI, Ankita addressed street and public space challenges, and her work focused on design implementation, capacity building, and applying strategies for creating safe and healthy cities. She worked under Bloomberg's Initiative for Global Road Safety, primarily in Latin America and Asia. She was also part of the core team that developed the Global Street Design Guide, the first-ever worldwide guideline for designing city streets.

Trained as an architect and urban designer, Ankita previously worked on residential, mixed-use, and transit-oriented urban planning projects in India, China, Malaysia, and the United States. Ankita completed her Master's in Urban Design from Columbia University and her Bachelor's in Architecture from the Sushant School of Art and Architecture.

Principal, Arup

David focuses on large-scale planning and urban design projects. He has been involved in hundreds of projects over the past thirty years, encompassing all scales of development from individual buildings to national scale projects across the globe. His work focuses on issues of broadly sustainable planning and development in urban areas and the design and metrics that facilitate their success. He further addresses the regulatory framework within which this development occurs and provides innovative strategies for appropriate design and policy implementation. David received the AIA (American Institute of Architects) Atlanta Silver Medal in 2003 and the AIA Georgia Bronze Medal in 2008. David was a member of Georgia Tech College of Architecture Faculty from 1992-2013; appointed Professor of the Practice of Architecture, where he taught studios focused on research both at the building and urban.

Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business, Black Women’s Health Imperative

Angelica Geter, DrPH, MPH is one of the naton's foremost public health experts, specializing in creating evidence-based solutions to racial and gender inequities. Geter leads national evidence-based initiatives to address the health, social, and economic impacts of racism and discrimination. Geter specializes in systems-level transformation by identifying solutions designed to change the lives of under prioritized populations. Geter uplifts the missions of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations through technological innovation, research, programs, public speaking, guest lectures, op-eds, and peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Geter serves as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business, with Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI). At the helm of Fair Work, an initiative she championed, researched, and developed, Geter is transforming workplace policies, culture, and practices through the promotion of health, fairness, and equity in major corporations. Through collaborative efforts, Geter seeks to illuminate the need for healthy work environments while promoting business and economic stability.

Prior to her work with BWHI, Geter led the Mayor of Atlanta’s public health strategies as the City’s inaugural Chief Health Officer. She built and led the COVID-19 Pandemic Coordination Team, which delivered surveillance and mitigation strategies during and after the onset of the pandemic. Moreover, in partnership with local, state, federal, and community leaders, Geter established COVID-19 resources and services for more than 6,000 city employees and nearly 500K residents, especially those with limited access to care. As a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) HIV Research Fellow, she cultivated crucial research addressing healthcare racism and discrimination, presenting at eight US and global conferences on federal research disparities, especially among Black women. As a Health Policy Leadership Fellow with Morehouse School of Medicine, Geter developed research around HIV prevention and care in the Black community. Geter also developed resources to protect victims of sex trafficking in Georgia, all while being mentored by national, political, and public health thought leaders. Her early opportunities as a data analyst in public health positioned her future leadership of national research studies whose results have shaped the U.S. thinking around healthcare equity.

Dr. Geter holds a Doctor of Public Health in Health Behavior and a minor in Biostatistics from the University of Kentucky, a Master of Public Health in Behavioral Sciences and Health Education from Emory University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Mississippi College.

Director, Center for Global Healthy Cities, University of California, Berkeley

Dr. Jason Corburn is Professor in the School of Public Health and Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the Director Berkeley’s Center for Global Healthy Cites and former Director of the Institute of Urban & Regional Development and Program in Global Metropolitan Studies. He is faculty Director of Berkeley’s joint Master in City Planning (MCP) and Master in Public Health (MPH) degree program. He is the author of five award winning books, including Cities for Life (Island Press: 2021), Slum Health (UC Press, 2016), Healthy City Planning (Routledge, 2013), Toward the Healthy City (MIT Press, 2009) & Street Science (MIT Press, 2005).

Prof. Corburn is a global leader in research and action linking urban and environmental planning, community health equity, citizen science and public safety. His work focuses on community-engaged participatory action research, formative evaluation and spatial and social epidemiology. He currently leads a project in the San Francisco Bay Area that includes residents, community groups and local government focused on healthy urban governance, climate justice and addressing toxic stress, called the Richmond Health Equity Project. Prof. Corburn also leads a multi-city evaluation of the Advance Peace gun violence reduction project, which uses street outreach workers to interrupt gun conflicts and promotes healing for traumatized youth at the center of urban gun violence. He is the principal investigator of a study exploring ways to avoid ‘green gentrification,’ or how urban improvement projects can prevent displacement and promote equity in low-income neighborhoods. Prof. Corburn’s international projects include community-driven work focused on housing and climate justice in informal settlements (Nairobi, Kenya), women’s access to safe water and sanitation in India and how urban policy can help reduce gun violence, promote healing and improve well-being for all in Medellín, Colombia.

Professor Corburn has advised the World Health Organization, World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and over thirty cities and national governments on practices and policies focused on urban health equity. He served as Co-Chair of the International Science Council, Urban Health and Well-Being Programme.

Read more at www.jasoncorburn.com

Director, Office of Priority Projects, Innovation, and Environmental Justice (CDC) | Interim Director, Office of Environmental Justice (HHS)

Director of the Office of Priority Projects, Innovation, and Environmental Justice (OPPIEJ) within the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) where she provides leadership and management of large-scale, priority environmental health initiatives, promotes innovation and “big idea” projects and prototypes, and coordinates environmental justice work. After receiving a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in chemistry, toxicology, and biochemistry, from Texas Southern University and Clark-Atlanta University, respectively, Dr. Buchanan joined the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) as an Environmental Health Scientist in the Division of Toxicology in 1990; she later joined CDC as an Epidemic Intelligence Officer assigned to the Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects (DEHHE). During her six-year tenure with DEHHE, Dr. Buchanan greatly contributed to the expansion of the National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and Healthy Homes programmatic and research agendas. In 2001, Dr. Buchanan became Chief of the Environmental Health Services Branch, and served in this capacity until becoming Director of NCEH’s Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services (DEEHS). As DEEHS director for a little over a decade (2007-2017), Dr. Buchanan provided leadership, direction and guidance to a multi-disciplinary team overseeing national and international programs related to childhood lead poisoning prevention; food and drinking water outbreak investigations; chemical demilitarization of warfare agents; cruise ship inspections; healthy community design; and overall performance improvement of core and emergency environmental public health services.

Interim Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) within the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) where she 1) leads initiatives that integrate environmental justice into the HHS mission to improve health in communities across the nation; 2) advises senior leadership at OASH and HHS on environmental justice and health issues; 3) provides leadership and subject matter expertise to develop and implement an HHS-wide strategy on environmental justice; and 4) represents OASH and HHS at agency and interagency settings. Prior to being named as Interim Director, Dr. Buchanan served as Senior Advisor of HHS’ Environmental Justice Unit (EJU) for which she brought a wealth of experience.

As leader and co-lead of the Lead Subcommittee of the Presential Task Force on Environmental Health Safety Risks for Children and CDC/ATSDR’s and HHS’ representative for the past seven years, Dr. Buchanan is committed to advancing health equity, attaining environmental justice, and improving environmental public health across the country.

Founder and Chief Equity Officer, Partnership for Southern Equity

Nathaniel Smith is the founder and Chief Equity Officer of the Atlanta-based Partnership for Southern Equity. A child of Southern Freedom Movement Activists, Smith works to advance racial equity through an equity agenda, which advances just outcomes that are sensitive to the needs and circumstances of communities – erasing the barriers that stand in the way of success to create the conditions that enable just and fair inclusion into a society in which all people can participate, prosper and reach their full potential.

Under Smith’s leadership, PSE created the South’s first equity-mapping tool, the Metro Atlanta Equity Atlas (now the Metro Atlanta Racial Equity Atlas), and led a coalition of diverse stakeholders to support a $13 million transit referendum that expanded MARTA into a new county for the first time in 45 years. PSE continues to support the racial equity ecosystem through the COVID-19 pandemic through its COVID-19 Rapid Relief Fund, which distributed more than $500,000 to more than 30 organizations because of the initial investment of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and the United Way of Greater Atlanta.

Smith’s leadership was instrumental in partnering with several organizations to create the Justice40 Accelerator, designed to provide organizations with innovative front-line community climate projects the assistance to better position them to pursue and win federal funding, and to hold accountable the Biden-Harris Administration’s executive order to direct 40% of federal climate action funds to disadvantaged communities.

Smith’s accomplishments include numerous awards and distinctions, including being named to the Grist 50 by Grist Magazine in 2018 and the Atlanta 500 by Atlanta Magazine 2019-2021 and designated one of the 100 “Most Influential Georgians” by Georgia Trend magazine. His recent accomplishments include being named an inaugural recipient of Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders: Racial Equality award, and being named co-chair of the Drawdown Georgia Leadership Council, which addresses climate change in Georgia through the intersection of climate and equity. He was also honored by the Georgia House of Representatives with a special proclamation recognizing his tireless efforts toward advancing racial equity.

Clinical Professor of Global Health, New York University School of Global Public Health

Jo Ivey Boufford, MD, is Clinical Professor of Global Health at the New York University School of Global Public Health and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at New York University School of Medicine. She is President Emeritus of The New York Academy of Medicine and Immediate Past President of the International Society for Urban Health (2017-9). She served as Dean of the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University from June 1997 to November 2002. Prior to that, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from November 1993 to January 1997, and as Acting Assistant Secretary from January 1997 to May 1997. While at HHS, she was the U.S. representative on the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) from 1994–1997. She served in a variety of senior positions in and as President of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), the largest municipal system in the United States, from December 1985 until October 1989. In NYC, she currently serves on the Board of the United Hospital Fund, is Vice Chair of the NYS Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) and Chair of its Public Health Committee. Nationally, she is on the Boards of the National Hispanic Health Foundation and the Health Effects Institute. She was elected to membership in the US National Academy of Medicine (formerly IOM) in 1992, served on its Board on Global Health, and served two four-year terms as its Foreign Secretary from 2003 to 2011, She was elected to membership of the National Academy of Public Administration in 2015. She is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine. Dr. Boufford attended Wellesley College for two years and received her BA (Psychology) magna cum laude from the University of Michigan, and her MD, with distinction, from the University of Michigan Medical School. She is Board Certified in pediatrics.

Affiliate Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle

Andrew L. Dannenberg, MD, MPH, is an Affiliate Professor in environmental health and in urban planning at the University of Washington in Seattle where he teaches courses related to public health and the built environment and directs the Masters of Public Health and Masters of Urban Planning concurrent degree program. Prior to moving to Seattle in 2011, he served at Team Leader of the Healthy Community Design Initiative in the National Center for Environmental Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. For the past two decades, his research and teaching has focused on examining the health and equity aspects of community design including land use, transportation, and urban planning as they relate to the built environment. He has a particular interest in the use of a health impact assessment as a tool to inform community planners about the health consequences of their decisions. He co-edited two editions (2011, 2022) of the textbook Making Healthy Places: Designing and Building for Well-being, Equity and Sustainability (https://islandpress.org/books/making-healthy-places-second-edition). He serves on the Transportation and Public Health Committee of the National Academies Transportation Research Board and was recently appointed as a member of the Seattle Planning Commission that considers transportation, land use, and housing issues for the city.

Director, Urban Health Collaborative, Drexel University

Ana V. Diez Roux, MD, PHD, MPH, is Director of the Urban Health Collaborative and Distinguished University Professor of Epidemiology at the Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University. From 2014 to 2023 she was the Dana and Dornsife Dean of the Dornsife School of Public Health. Originally trained as a pediatrician in her native Buenos Aires, she completed public health training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. Before joining Drexel University, she served on the faculties of Columbia University and the University of Michigan, where she was Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Director of the Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health. Dr. Diez Roux is internationally known for her research on the social determinants of population health and the study of how neighborhood physical and social environments affect health Her research areas include social epidemiology and health disparities, environmental health effects, urban health, psychosocial factors, cardiovascular disease epidemiology, social environment-gene interactions, and the use of multilevel methods and complex systems approaches in population health.  She has led large NIH and foundation funded research and training programs in the United States and in collaboration with various institutions in Latin America and is currently Principal Investigator of the Wellcome Trust funded SALURBAL (Salud Urbana en América Latina/Urban Health in Latin America Study) study. Dr. Diez Roux has served on numerous editorial boards, review panels and advisory committees including the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) of the Environmental Protection Agency (as Chair), the Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC) of the National Center for Health Statistics, the Committee on Health and Wellbeing in the Changing Urban Environment of the International Council for Science (ISCUS), and CDCs Community Preventive Services Taskforce. She is currently Co-Chair of the Population Health Roundtable of NAS. She has received the Wade Hampton Frost Award for her contributions to public health from the American Public Health Association, the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Epidemiology from the American College of Epidemiology, and the Rothman Career Award from the Society for Epidemiologic Research. She is an elected member of the American Epidemiological Society, the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research and the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Diez Roux has been an active mentor of doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty from diverse backgrounds.

CEO, FrameWorks Institute

Nat Kendall-Taylor serves as Chief Executive Officer at the FrameWorks Institute. Nat oversees the organization’s pioneering, research-based approach to strategic communications, which uses methods from the social and behavioral sciences to measure how people understand complex socio-political issues and tests ways to reframe them to drive social change. As CEO, he leads a multi-disciplinary team of social scientists and communications practitioners who investigate ways to apply innovative framing research methods to social issues and train nonprofit organizations to put the findings into practice.

An expert in psychological anthropology and communications science, Nat publishes widely in the popular and professional press and lectures frequently in the United States and abroad. His work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as Science Communication, Human Organization, Applied Communications Research, Child Abuse and Neglect, and the Annals of Anthropological Practice. He has presented at numerous conferences and organizations in the United States and around the world, ranging from Harvard University and the National Academy of Sciences to the Parenting Research Centre in Australia, the Science and Society Symposium in Canada, and Amnesty International in the United Kingdom. He is a senior fellow at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, a visiting professor at the Child Study Center at Yale School of Medicine, and a fellow at the British-American Project.

Nat joined FrameWorks in 2008; since then, he has led work across the FrameWorks portfolio, with a special focus on issues related to early childhood development and mental health, criminal justice, and aging. He has also led the expansion of FrameWorks’ work outside the United States, working in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Kenya, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Prior to joining FrameWorks, Nat’s research focused on understanding the social and cultural factors that create health disparities and affect decision-making. He has conducted fieldwork on the Swahili coast of Kenya, where he studied pediatric epilepsy, traditional healing, and the impacts of chronic illness on family well-being, and in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, where he studied child marriage and higher education. He has also conducted ethnographic research on theories of motivation in “extreme” athletes. Nat holds a BA from Emory University and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Public Health Physician and Urban Epidemiologist, Principal, Oni et al. | Founder, UrbanBetter | Clinical Professor, University of Cambridge

Tolullah Oni is Clinical Professor of Global Public Health and Sustainable Urban Development at the University of Cambridge.

She is also an Extraordinary Professor & Chair at Innovation Africa@UP, University of Pretoria, South Africa where she leads the UrbanBetter lab, and an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town.

Born in Lagos, she completed her medical training at University College London, a Masters degree in Public Health at the University of Cape Town and a doctorate in Epidemiology from Imperial College London, UK.

Profiled in the Lancet journal, Science magazine, and the British Medical Journal, she is a 2019 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, a Fellow of the International Science Council and the African Academy of Sciences, past co-chair of the Global Young Academy and the South African Young Academy of Science, 2015 Next Einstein Forum Fellow and a 2020 Next Generation Foresight Practitioner Fellow.

Her global practice is grounded in a science-informed, Africa-led, participatory approach to generating new knowledge that supports partnership between science, policy and societal role players. She is passionate about identifying creative strategies to address complex urban population and planetary health challenges in rapidly growing cities globally.

Co-Executive Director, Project for Public Spaces

Nate Storring is a Co-Executive Director of Project for Public Spaces, a nonprofit dedicated to creating community-powered public spaces around the world. As a nonprofit professional, researcher, and writer, he has spent his career investigating participatory approaches to placemaking. He has authored and edited a wide variety of publicatitnate ons from practical guides on inclusive placemaking, transportation on main street, and innovation districts to a career-spanning collection of Jane Jacobs' short writings. His latest edited book, Hyperlocal: Place Governance in a Fragmented World, explores the past, present, and future of how American cities manage their public realm.

President, HEALing Community Center | Director, Urban Health Initiative, Emory University School of Medicine

Dr. Charles Moore received a BS from Union College and his MD from Harvard Medical School. He subsequently completed residency training in Otolaryngology and fellowship training in Craniomaxillofacial–Cranial Base, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Michigan. Dr. Moore is the Chief of Otolaryngology at Grady Health System and a professor at Emory University. His research investigates factors involved in health equity with a particular focus on head and neck cancer incidence in medically underserved communities.

Dr. Moore is the Founder/President of the HEALing Community Center. This federally qualified healthcare center strives to educate the community on health issues, assess its needs and in the process build leaders from within the community to address those issues. In this position, he has created multidisciplinary centers that provide healthcare in underserved areas in Atlanta in an integrated fashion. Dr. Moore is the recipient of numerous local, regional, national and international awards including the AMA Foundation Pride in Profession, Excellence in Medicine Award, the Gold Foundation Award for Humanism in Medicine awarded from National Academy of Otolaryngology, NMF Excellence In Medical Education Award and the AMA Benjamin Rush Community Service Award.

President & CEO, Children & Nature Network

Sarah Milligan-Toffler brings her passion for the healing power of nature to the Children & Nature Network. She works with the Board and staff to establish a vision and plan for improving equitable access to the benefits of nature across the U.S. Sarah leverages the power of relationships and networks, and works across private, public and corporate sectors to fulfill C&NN’s mission. Prior to her work with C&NN, Sarah served as the Associate Executive Director at Wilderness Inquiry for 23 years. Sarah is the recipient of the 2017 George B. Hartzog, Jr. Environmental Awards Program, Fran P. Mainella Award for sustained and innovative achievement by a woman in the management of North America’s natural, historic and cultural heritage. She earned a Bachelor of Philosophy with a minor in Women’s Studies from Miami University. Sarah lives outside of Atlanta, GA; she loves running outdoors every day, no matter the weather, and enjoys exploring the natural beauty that exists in every community.

Urban Lead, UNICEF

Mr. Thomas George has more than 35 years of experience in International Development. He is currently the Global Lead for urban programme in UNICEF. Before taking up this role in UNICEF HQ, he has worked in several country offices and field offices of UNICEF developing and implementing programmes for children in different settings. Prior to joining the UN in 1993, he was with the Indian Civil Services. He has a Masters in Sociology.

Director of Healthy Community Design | Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Clint Grant is a passionate public health professional with over a decade experience working at the local, state and national level on chronic disease prevention, substance use, and built environment policy, system and environmental change initiatives. Serving as a chief health strategist, Clint advocates for health and equity to be included in all planning and policy efforts so that a person’s zip code does not dictate their health.

In his current role, Clint provides capacity building and technical assistance support to state and territorial health officials and designees around built environment, nutrition security, physical activity and social determinants of health programs, projects and policies.

In his spare time, Clint loves to explore the outdoors with his family, cheer on his favorite sports teams, and count down the days to his next vacation to the beach.

Senior Strategic Policy Advisor, AARP International

Stephanie K. Firestone is a global thought leader in the area of livable communities for all people of all ages and abilities. She is a Senior Strategic Policy Advisor with AARP International, where she leads Equity by Design, engaging built environment professionals from around the world to incorporate aging and equity considerations in their work, as well as other global initiatives to advance the planning, design and development of enabling & equitable housing and multigenerational communities. Stephanie collaborates with international partners such as the World Health Organization, and leads AARP’s engagement around the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030). As a 2015-2016 Health & Aging Policy Fellow, Stephanie worked with the American Planning Association and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, helping local leaders think regionally about how to create more inclusive communities and expand affordable housing opportunities for vulnerable residents in particular. Previously, Stephanie led social and environmental justice efforts in Israel, founding the country’s first Jewish-Arab environmental nonprofit organization, as well as coordinating Israel’s sustainability agenda and representing the country’s efforts toward the World Summit on Sustainable Development at the United Nations General Assembly. Stephanie holds a Master of Urban & Environmental Planning degree from the University of Virginia.

Principal, SharedCitySharedSpace

Tim Tompkins works to understand and improve cities through SharedCitySharedSpace, which explores how the interaction of ideas, institutions, individuals and culture can contribute to prosperous and vibrant cities.  He is an NYU Marron Fellow, teaches at NYU’s Wagner School, and led the Times Square Alliance from 2002-2020, transforming Times Square’s public spaces and founding Times Square Arts.  He chaired the International Downtown Association and founded Partnerships for Parks, which catalyzed the revitalization of the Bronx River.  Prior to that he worked for NYC’s Economic Development Corporation and served briefly as the Nationals Editor of the Mexico City News.  He has given keynote speeches about urban transformation in many cities, including Stockholm, London, Bilbao, Halifax, Mexico City, Sao Paolo, New Delhi, Barcelona, Tokyo and Toronto. He has degrees from Yale and Wharton and has lived in New York, Paris and Mexico City.

Chief Equity Officer, City of Atlanta

Candace M. Stanciel serves as the Chief Equity Officer for the City of Atlanta. As lead for the Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (MOEDI), Candace works to identify and develop systems and behavioral change solutions that ensure equitable outcomes aligned to the vision of our 61st Mayor. We are committed to Moving Atlanta Forward. We support the diverse communities of the City of Atlanta and work to provide services, support and resources that make Atlanta “A City of Opportunity for All” and “A City Built for the Future.” The MOEDI works cross-functionally to develop data-driven goals and priorities that overtime will show measurable progress on EDI across the city.

Candace earned a B.A. in African-American Studies from the University of Georgia in 2002 and a master’s degree in higher education from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2006. And in addition to her professional endeavors, she is active in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., serves as the National Board Chair for New Leaders Council (NLC) and is a member of the Black Alumni Leadership Council for the University of Georgia.

President, ISUH | Former Coordinator WHO Public Health and Environment Department, Geneva

Dr. Carlos Dora has a distinguished career in global public health and environment. Until recently, he coordinated the WHO’s global work on health impacts of sector policies (energy, transport, housing, extractive industry) and on articulating a global response to air pollution. He led the development of a new Urban Health Initiative to strengthen health systems capacity in cities to support health, climate and air quality benefits from urban policies, which is under pilot implementation in Africa and Asia. He also led the development of a framework for how public health can contribute to Habitat III objectives and the New Urban Agenda. He previously led knowledge synthesis about the health co-benefits of climate change mitigation policies, in a “Health in a Green Economy” series and contributed to the development of health indicators for post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. He has worked to include health into strategic environment assessments and into Development Banks Safeguards. He contributed to establishment of an inter-ministerial process for transport health and environment in Europe (THE PEP), led a health task force in the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, and earlier engaged in health risk assessments in the ex-Soviet Union. He has worked in academia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and as a visiting professor at Columbia University School of Public Health. He worked at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, with the World Bank, and in the organization and innovation of primary care systems in Brazil, where he also practiced clinical medicine. He has served in many science/policy committees at national and international levels and is engaged in many global partnerships. He currently advises governments, civil society and philanthropy about health as it relates to non-heath sector policies and the urban environment. His research and publications include health impact assessment as well as perceptions and communication of science and health risks by scientists, media and politicians. He is a medical doctor and an epidemiologist with an MSc and a PhD from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Head, Obesity Health Equity | Director, Cities Changing Diabetes

Jo Jewell is Head of Obesity Health Equity and Director of the Cities Changing Diabetes programme. Jo’s experience includes time at UNICEF where he was recruited to develop the first organisational strategy to address unhealthy diets and prevent childhood overweight and obesity. He led three global partnerships on UNICEF’s side for the childhood overweight and obesity prevention agenda. Before joining UNICEF, Jo worked as a technical officer at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, also with a focus on nutrition, physical activity and obesity. Prior to that he worked for the World Cancer Research Fund International. He has a MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Chief, Planning, Finance and Economy Section, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN- Habitat)

Laura Petrella is the Chief of the Planning, Finance and Economy Section at UN-Habitat and has been leading UN-Habitat work on Urban Planning and Design since 2012, with particular emphasis on improving planning systems, promoting sustainable urban patterns and the equitable access to public space for all. Since 2018 she is also the focal point for Professionals and for the Habitat Professionals Forum. She is an architect and urban planner trained in Italy and

She was in charge of UN-Habitat’s Safer Cities Programme from 2002 to 2010. Earlier she worked on slum upgrading, land security and environmental planning and management

She has direct experience in project management, capacity development for local authorities and in the management of local planning processes and local consultations. During her career she has advised and collaborated with local and national governments, civil society and academia in all regions.

Founder, Urban3

Joe Minicozzi is an urban planner imagining new ways to think about and visualize land use, urban design and economics. Joe founded Urban3 to explain and visualize market dynamics created by tax and land use policies. Urban3's work establishes new conversations across multiple professional sectors, policy makers, and the public to creatively address the challenges of urbanization. Urban3’s extensive studies range geographically over 30 states, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Joe holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Miami and Master of Architecture and Urban Design from Harvard University. In 2017, Joe was recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Urbanists of all time.

Executive Director, International Society for Urban Health

Giselle Sebag (MPH, LEED AP) is the Executive Director of the International Society for Urban Health. She is a globally recognized urban health leader with over 15 years of experience advising governments, multilaterals, NGOs, and private sector companies and practitioners to develop sustainable, inclusive, and resilient cities that promote and enhance resident health and wellbeing.

Prior to leading the International Society for Urban Health, Giselle was a public sector cities consultant at Bloomberg Associates, where she advised mayors developing evidence-based urban health solutions with the aim of improving the lives of the greatest number of citizens. Previously, Giselle was the Vice President of Programs at the Center for Active Design (CfAD), where she oversaw the development, planning and implementation of innovative CfAD programs such as Fitwel, which was developed in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement design and environmental changes that support healthier workplaces, homes, and communities. Prior to that, Giselle was Head of the Built Environment portfolio at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) where she advised Fortune 500 companies, governments, multilaterals, philanthropic foundations and NGOs in strategic planning, partnership building and evaluation of their healthy cities ‘Commitments to Action.’

Giselle holds a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, joint M.Sc. degrees in international cooperation and urban development from the Technische Universität Darmstadt and international cooperation in sustainable emergency architecture from the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, and bachelor's degrees in architecture and government from the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Architecture (UTSOA) and College of Liberal Arts.

Former Chairman and CEO at Rabin Martin, USA | Chair of the Board, International Society of Urban Health (ISUH)

Jeffrey L. Sturchio is past Chairman and CEO at Rabin Martin, a global health strategy consulting firm, and former President and CEO of the Global Health Council. Before joining the Council in 2009, Dr. Sturchio was vice president of Corporate Responsibility at Merck & Co. Inc., and president of The Merck Company Foundation

He is currently also chairman of the U.S. Corporate Council on Africa, chairman of Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, TB and Malaria, chairman of the BroadReach Institute for Training and Education, and a member of the boards of ACHAP and the Science History Institute. Dr. Sturchio is also a visiting scholar at the Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health and the Study of Business Enterprise at The Johns Hopkins University; Senior Associate at the Global Health Policy Center of the Center for Strategic and International Studies; a principal of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network; Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Arthur W. Page Society; and an advisor to amfAR, the Center for Health and Well-Being at Princeton University, he Partnership for Quality Medical Donations, the Rutgers Global Health Institute, and the TB Alliance. He received an AB in history from Princeton University and a PhD in the history and sociology of science from the University of Pennsylvania. His publications include The Road to Universal Health Coverage: Innovation, Equity and the New Health Economy (edited with I. Kickbusch and L. Galambos‎, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019).

Partner and Team Director, Gehl

Julia is a Partner and Team Director at Gehl. She develops projects that highlight public space as a platform to impact equitable outcomes and communities. Julia's prior experience in voter organizing and mobility advocacy informs her focus on engaging audiences that have traditionally felt disconnected from governing bodies and on impacting policy and design change centered on people and experience.

Head, American Public Health Association

Georges C. Benjamin, MD, is a well-known health policy leader, practitioner, and administrator. He currently serves as the executive director of the American Public Health Association, the nation's oldest and largest organization of public health professionals. He is also a former secretary of health for the state of Maryland.

Dr. Benjamin is a graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine.

He is board-certified in internal medicine, a master of the American College of Physicians, a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a fellow emeritus of the American College of Emergency Physicians, an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health and a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He serves on several nonprofit boards such as Research!America, the Truth Foundation, the Reagan-Udall Foundation and Ceres. He is also a former member of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, a council that advises the President on how best to assure the security of the nation’s critical infrastructure.

GLA Group Director of Public Health and Deputy Statutory Adviser, Greater London Authority

Vicky joined the GLA in 2018 leading work on health in all policies, resilience (including COVID response) and the London health inequalities strategy. In 2022 she was appointed GLA Group’s first Director of Public Health, serving the Mayor, Assembly, and GLA Group (transport, police and violence reduction, fire, and OPDC).

This follows fourteen years in local public health service in North and East London. As borough Director of Public Health she led the local transition of public health from the NHS to Local Government, and establishment of integrated neighbourhood services. Her earlier career includes eight years in a tropical small-island health system, and various teaching and research roles.

Vicky chaired the London Association of Directors of Public Health from 2015-2018 and led the population health work stream for outer East London. She was chair of governors for a north London primary school, and as a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health supports public health training as an examiner, educational supervisor and mentor.

Founder, Majora Carter Group

Majora Carter is a real estate developer, urban revitalization strategy consultant, MacArthur Fellow and Peabody Award winning broadcaster. She's responsible for the creation of numerous economic development, technology inclusion & green-infrastructure projects, policies and job training & placement systems. She is also a lecturer at Princeton University's Keller Center.

Majora is quoted on the walls of the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture in DC: "Nobody should have to move out of their neighborhood to live in a better one” - which is also the subtitle of her 2022 book, Reclaiming Your Community.

Carter applies corporate talent-retention consulting practice to reduce Brain Drain in American low-status communities. She has firsthand experience pioneering sustainable economic development in one of America's most storied low-status communities: the South Bronx, as well as cities across North America and abroad.

She and her teams develop vision, strategies and the type of development that transforms low-status communities into thriving mixed-use local economies. Her approach harnesses capital flows resulting from American re-urbanization to help increase wealth building opportunities across demographics left out of all historic financial tide changes. Majora's work produces long term fiscal benefits for governments, residents, and private real estate developments throughout North America.

In 2017, she launched the Boogie Down Grind, a Hip Hop themed speciality coffee & craft beer spot, and the first commercial “3rd Space” in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx since the mid-1980s. This venture also provides a rare opportunity for local families to invest through SEC approved online investment platforms.

Her ability to shepherd projects through seemingly conflicted socio-economic currents has garnered her 8 honorary PhD's and awards such as: 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs, Silicon Alley 100 by Business Insider, Liberty Medal for Lifetime Achievement by News Corp, and other honors from the National Building Museum, International Interior Design Association, Center for American Progress, as well as her TEDtalk (one of six to launch that site in 2006).

She currently serves on the board of directors for STREB and Solar One, and has served on the boards of the US Green Building Council, Ceres, The Wilderness Society, and the Andrew Goodman Foundation.

Majora was born, raised and continues to live in the South Bronx. She is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science (1984), Wesleyan University (1988 BA, Distinguished Alum) and New York University (MFA). After establishing Sustainable South Bronx (2001) and Green For All (2007), among other organizations, she opened this private consulting firm (2008) - which was named Best for the World by B-Corp in 2014.

While at Sustainable South Bronx, Carter deployed MIT’s first ever Mobile Fab-Lab (digital fabrication laboratory) to the South Bronx - where it served as an early iteration of the “Maker-Spaces” found elsewhere today. The project drew residents and visitors together for guided and creative collaborations.

In addition, Majora Carter launched StartUp Box, a ground-breaking tech social enterprise that provided entry-level tech jobs in the South Bronx, operating it from 2014-2018. Majora Carter has helped connect tech industry pioneers such as Etsy, Gust, FreshDirect, Google, and Cisco to diverse communities at all levels.

Senior Program Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Sharon Roerty, AICP/PP/MCRP, is a Senior Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation where she concentrates on the impact of the built and natural environment on population health including looking for global exemplars that can be adapted and adopted in the U.S. She has developed programming initiatives relative to childhood obesity, community development, social isolation, climate change, and sustainable and equitable development. Prior to RWJF, Roerty was the CEO of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking (NCBW). In and outside of government organizations, Sharon has comprehensive experience working on transportation, environmental and urban policy and planning initiatives.

Director, Placemaking Europe

Ramon Marrades is an economist and urbanist with a passion for port cities, public spaces, culture, and innovation. He is currently Director at Placemaking Europe, founder at Vigla, and strategy advisor to a number of cities and large-scale development projects. Before, he has served as the Chief Strategy and Finance Officer at La Marina de València, Valencia’s waterfront redevelopment agency, and a board member of the Worldwide Network of Port Cities (AIVP). He has been a researcher at the University of Valencia (Spain), Western Sydney University (Australia) and FLACSO (Ecuador). He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Valencia, an MSc in Economics and Geography from Utrecht University, and an Executive MSc in Cities from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He received the Spanish Social Entrepreneur Award in 2012 and co-authored four books and published more than a hundred columns on urban issues in some of the main Spanish newspapers. Ramon is co-editor of the book “Our City? Countering Exclusion in Public Space” (2019) and the host and co-curator of Placemaking Week Europe 2019, 2022 and 2023.

Executive Committee Member, Salurbal Project, Latin America Countries (LAC) Network

After training as a pediatrician, Dr. Waleska Caiaffa obtained training in public health at Bloomberg Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (master and post-doctoral) and at the Federal University of Minas Gerais – UFMG (doctoral degree). She served as a full professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine - UFMG, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where currently, she is a visiting professor. Dr. Caiaffa founded the Observatory for Urban Health (OSUBH-UFMG) in 2002 and is the director. Throughout her career, she has maintained links to national and international groups on urban health involving research and training initiatives and collaborated with global urban health expert groups, including Report to the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health from the Knowledge Network on Urban Settings – KNUS; Roundtable on Urban Living Environment Research (RULER) support by Rockefeller Foundation; WHO Urban Health Initiative Expert Group; and WHO Kobe Centre consultation group for guidance for urban health observatories. For four years, Dr. Caiaffa served as a Member of the Board of the United Nations University - International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is also on the editorial board of the Journal of Urban Health and the Cities and Health Journal and has served on the board of the International Society for Urban Health/New York Academy of Medicine (ISUH/NYAM) from 2007-14; as president (from 2011-14), she chaired the 10th International Conference for Urban Health (ICUH), in Brazil.

Funded as a Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) research fellow for 25+ years, she has served as a mentor for masters, doctoral and post-doctoral students and other capacity buildings initiative.

Currently, Dr. Caiaffa is on the board of Executive Committee of the Salurbal Project and the Latin America Countries (LAC) Network, where she has been one of the partners since their creation.