Plenary Speakers
We are finalizing an exciting lineup of daily plenaries for SETAC Louisville. Read about our confirmed speakers.
Aruni Bhatnagar
The Impact of the Natural Environment on Cardiovascular Health
In this presentation, Aruni Bhatnagar, University of Louisville, will review evidence linking natural environmental factors such as climate, circadian rhythms, and geography with cardiovascular health and disease risk. Aruni also will discuss the health effects of living in areas of high surrounding greenery and how increasing urban greenspaces may help improve public health and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Aruni Bhatnagar is Professor of Medicine and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of Louisville. He is the Director of the Christina Lee Brown Enviroment Institute and Co-Director of the American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation Center. He is a leading expert studying the effects of air pollution on heart disease. In this area his research interests span from studying how different inhaled pollutants affect the risk of heart disease to the beneficial effects of urban greenspaces. Working with investigators at the University of Louisville and collaborators across the world, he has spearheaded the development of the new field of new field of Environmental Cardiology, which links the risk of heart disease to natural, social, and personal environments. His work has shown that most of the risk of chronic diseases could be linked to environmental conditions, social structures, and lifestyle choices. In particular he has found that living in greenspaces decreases exposure to air borne chemicals and pollutants and that it decreases the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
Richard Harrison
Preserving Basin Waters for Beneficial Uses: Ensuring Public Health
The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) is an interstate water pollution control agency which was established in 1948 with the signing of the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Compact. ORSANCO utilizes a collaborative approach with its Eight (8) member States and the United States Environmental Protection Agency to fulfill its mission to abate interstate water pollution in Ohio River Valley Compact District. In addition, ORSANCO works very closely with its other federal, utility, industry, watershed and local partners to fulfill its mission to protect the beneficial uses of the interstate waters of the Ohio River Basin.
This presentation will provide an overview of why ORSANCO was created in 1948 to address historic water pollution challenges in the Ohio River and its tributaries. It will explain how ORSANCO operates across numerous state and federal jurisdictional boundaries to fulfil its Compact Mission. ORSANCO is uniquely positioned through extensive collaboration with its numerous partners to complete complex scientific program work and studies to monitor and assess the Ohio River and its tributaries and to provide a platform for its member states to collaborate to fulfill its mission in an effective and efficient manner.
In addition to providing a broad description of its scientific program work, this presentation will highlight two recent examples of ORSANCO’s program work. This will include an overview of ORSANCO’s recent PFAS Project to assess the ambient PFAS levels in the Ohio River. It will also provide a recap of ORSANCO and its partner’s recent successful response to the Norfolk Southern, East Palestine Train Derailment Spill and its impact on the Ohio River.
Richard Harrison is the Executive Director of the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). ORSANCO is the water pollution control agency for the Ohio River and its tributaries. An interstate agency, ORSANCO represents the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the federal government. Harrison was appointed to the position on April 1, 2015. Harrison was previously Vice President of Engineering, Distribution & Production at Northern Kentucky Water District. Harrison is a past President and 25 year member of the Covington Rotary Club. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Kentucky and is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Kentucky.
Natasha DeJarnett
Advancing Environmental Justice: The Justice40 Initiative and the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool
The Biden-Harris Administration is advancing our nation’s most ambitious climate, clean energy, conservation, and environmental justice agenda in history. Dr. Natasha DeJarnett, Deputy Director for Environmental Justice Data and Evaluation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, will discuss the Administration’s Justice40 Initiative and the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). During her session, she will explain how the CEJST is used by Federal agencies to identify and help disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution, as measured by various environmental, climate, health, and other indicators, along with an associated socioeconomic indicator.
Natasha DeJarnett (she/her) is the Deputy Director for Environmental Justice Data and Evaluation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Most recently, DeJarnett served as an assistant professor in the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute at the University of Louisville Division of Environmental Medicine researching the health impacts of extreme heat exposure and environmental health disparities.