As policymakers and residents work to create more sustainable and equitable communities, health must be integrated at every step—from new state policymaking to local implementation in areas like General Plan updates, transportation planning, and more.
In this free webinar, AARP California Strategic Planning Director Jennifer Berdugo will share how the needs of California’s aging population can be integrated into planning at every level, and the innovative ways AARP is empowering local community members to support equitable and age-friendly policymaking. Dr. Catherine Brinkley, Professor of Human Ecology at UC Davis, and Meredith Milet and Dan Woo from the California Department of Public Health – Office of Health Equity’s Climate Change and Health Equity Branch will demonstrate new data-driven tools to help policymakers and planners create healthy, vibrant communities.
For questions about this event, email Haley Ausserer-Zelaya.
Meet the Speakers
Jennifer Berdugo
Strategic Planning Director
AARP California
Catherine Brinkley
Professor of Human Ecology
UC Davis
Meredith Milet
Manager, Climate Change and Health Surveillance Unit
California Department of Public Health, Office of Health Equity
Dan Woo
Climate Change & Health Equity Team Lead
California Department of Public Health, Office of Health Equity
This webinar series is sponsored by:
Jennifer Berdugo
Jennifer Berdugo joined AARP in 2016. She is currently the Strategic Planning Director for the California State Office where, in this role, she manages all of California’s state planning, reporting, and advises the team on various issue areas across four metro areas and statewide. She also serves as the state lead for Livable Communities. She has extensive experience in federal, state, and local advocacy, as well as community outreach and education.
Jennifer holds an MPPA from Sacramento State University, and a BA in political science from California State University, East Bay. She lives in Sacramento with her husband, 2 kids, and 2 shih tzus. She is passionate about community engagement and improving her community for all people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds and currently serves as the Board President for Jibe North Natomas and on the board for Civic Thread.
Catherine Brinkley
Dr. Catherine Brinkley is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Davis. Her research, teaching, and leadership focuses on public health and planning. With a PhD in city and regional planning, a veterinary medical degree, and a masters in virology, she uses the concept of One Health to emphasize how health is shared between humans, animals, and the environment. Her planning work is focused on conservation of wildlife habitat, supporting working lands, and fostering vibrant urban communities. She is a former Fulbright Scholar, Watson Fellow, and National Science Foundation Career Award Winner. To support civic engagement and community-driven plan updates, she has worked with colleagues and students to launch the first state-level online search engine for California General Plans: Plansearch.caes.ucdavis.edu
Meredith Milet
Meredith Milet is an Epidemiologist and the manager of the Climate Change and Health Surveillance Unit in the Climate Change and Health Equity Branch at the California Department of Public Health. She creates tools for communities to identify populations most vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change and uses public health data to track health outcomes related to climate change. Prior to working with this team, Meredith served as the epidemiologist for the state’s asthma program, California Breathing. She received her MPH in epidemiology and biostatistics from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.
Dan Woo, MPH, MS, LEED AP ND
Dan Woo (he/him) serves as the Team Lead of the California Department of Public Health – Office of Health Equity’s Climate Change and Health Equity Branch. He leads cross-sector collaborative efforts using a “Climate, Health, and Equity in All Policies” approach to advance California’s climate change planning and programs, including in support of statewide efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by no later than 2045, and to increase climate resilience for communities facing inequities. Prior to public health practice, Dan worked for nearly a decade in the areas of green buildings, urban and environmental planning, and sustainable design.