White House Recognizes PHI’s Linda Rudolph as Public Health and Climate ‘Champion of Change’

Oakland, CA – The White House honored Linda Rudolph, MD, MPH, today as one of 11 “Champions of Change” working on the front lines to protect public health in a changing climate. Rudolph leads the Public Health Institute’s (PHI) Center for Public Health and Climate Change.

A nationally recognized public health physician and expert on climate change and public health, Rudolph works with people across a broad spectrum of public health activities to incorporate health considerations into climate change action, and climate change considerations  into work to promote healthy communities and health equity.

“Dr. Rudolph has played a critical role in advancing work on climate change and health,” said PHI president and CEO Mary Pittman, DrPH. “She has been instrumental in helping California lead the nation in addressing climate change. Dr. Rudolph has also spent countless hours of her own time, as a private citizen, testifying about the threat that climate change poses to health and advocating for strong measures to protect health and equity and mitigate climate change.”

The White House recognizes the 11 Champions for raising awareness about the health consequences of climate change and helping their communities prepare for climate-related health impacts. From doctors and educators helping communities cope with poor air quality worsened by carbon pollution, to a patient who has suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease advocating for clean air protections, each Champion is leading the way on climate and health.

In her former role as deputy director for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the California Department of Public Health, Rudolph was the first chair of the Health in All Policies Task Force, a multi-agency cross-sector collaboration to find win-win solutions that simultaneously address health, equity and sustainability. She also chaired the California Climate Action Team Public Health Work Group.

The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature groups of Americans – individuals, businesses and organizations – who are doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire their communities.

To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program and nominate a Champion, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions.

Climate and Health Champions of Change:

Dr. Linda Rudolph

Center for Climate Change and Health at the Public Health Institute

Oakland, CA

Dr. Laura Anderko

Robert and Kathleen Scanlon Endowed Chair in Values Based Health Care at Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies

Annandale, VA

Dr. Yadira Caraveo

Pediatrician

Thornton, CO

Kizzy Charles-Guzman

Director of the Climate and Health Program at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Brooklyn, NY

Gary Cohen

Co-Founder and President of Health Care Without Harm

Jamaica Plain, MA

Dan Dolan-Laughlin

Retired railroad executive and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease sufferer

Wheaton, IL

Dr. Georgia Milan

Former clinician; member, Physicians for Social Responsibility

Missoula, MT

Dr. Susan Pacheco

Associate Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center

Houston, TX

Dr. William Rom

Chair, American Thoracic Society’s Environmental Health Policy Committee

New York, NY

Therese Smith

Registered nurse

Westland, MI

Dr. Jeff Thompson

Chief Executive Officer of Gundersen Health System

La Crosse, WI