In Conversation with Sean Decatur: Healthier Futures in a Changing Climate

Climate action rooted in science empowers us to create a resilient future, where cultural strategies and policy change transform challenges into opportunities for a healthier and more equitable world.

Join us this Climate Week for a conversation that will explore innovative perspectives and approaches that help us live as part of natural ecosystems and address the pressing global challenge of climate change on health. Museum President Sean Decatur will moderate this conversation, investigating the pivotal roles of scientific research, policy initiatives, and cultural strategies in creating actionable solutions that aim to create a more sustainable and healthier future for all.

Panelists

Priya Basil is an author, essayist, and activist known for her insightful exploration of themes like identity, migration, and belonging. Her acclaimed works include the novels Ishq and Mushq and The Obscure Logic of the Heart, as well as her nonfiction book Be My Guest: Reflections on Food, Community, and the Meaning of Generosity. Basil is also a co-founder of Authors for Peace, an initiative advocating for global disarmament and social justice.
 
Jainey Bavishi is the assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator. In this role, Bavishi is responsible for providing agency-wide direction regarding climate resilience, fisheries, and coastal and ocean programs. Previously, Bavishi directed the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate Resiliency, overseeing climate strategies for the nation’s largest city, and she served as associate director for climate preparedness at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. 

Dave Chokshi is an expert in public health, policy, and health equity. He is most known for his leadership in New York City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and creating a robust team with NYC Health and Hospitals as the inaugural Chief Population Health Officer. Chokshi’s research in the past has focused on creating overdose prevention centers for NYC and the positive impacts of these centers on the local community, centering a reflective lens. Additionally, his research promotes an understanding of the return on investment of city-wide decisions such as the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and contributes to discourse on the relevance of investing in public health.

Tolullah Oni is an urban epidemiologist at the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge. Her work involves transdisciplinary urban health research aimed at generating evidence to support the development and implementation of healthy public policies in rapidly growing cities. She examines meso- and macro-level determinants of diet and physical activity in the contexts of urbanization and climate change worldwide. 

In Conversation with Sean Decatur: Healthier Futures in a Changing Climate is part of Canopy, Wellcome’s citizen art and science festival, bringing health to the heart of Climate Week NYC.