At this very moment, children are facing multiple challenges that range from the impacts of climate change to a growing mental health crisis. Using Richard Louv's best-selling classic Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder as their starting point, our speakers will explore how experiencing the natural world is relevant and restorative to children, their neighborhoods, and our planet.
A Rhodes Scholar, Stephen Lockhart, M.D., Ph.D earned his master’s in economics at Oxford University and received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University. He is a board-certified anesthesiologist and retired Chief Medical Officer for Sutter Health. An avid climber and backpacker, Stephen has a long-standing passion for providing environmental science education and introducing the U.S. National Parks to an increasingly diverse population of young people. He has served on the boards of NatureBridge, REI, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, National Parks Conservation Association, and National Park Foundation, and he is the founder of Parks California, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to supporting California's state parks and public lands.
Hanaa Hamdi, Ph.D is a public health leader, systems scientist, and advocate for equity and community resilience. She began her career as a cancer epidemiologist at Mass General and Columbia University before shifting her focus to the social and environmental conditions that shape health. With over two decades of leadership, she has served as National Public Health Director at the Trust for Public Land, Director of Health and Human Services for New Jersey’s largest city, and Assistant Professor in Family Medicine, driving innovative solutions at the intersection of health, nature, and community development. Dr. Hamdi is the Board Chair of the Children & Nature Network and a Visiting Scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where she explores innovative financial models for sustainable food systems. She holds a joint PhD in Public Health and Environmental Design from Rutgers University & NJI, and she is dedicated to reimagining public health through the power of nature, equity, and community.
