Health Professionals for Clean Air Stories

Tze-Ming (Benson) Chen, M.D., Clean air equals healthy air. Climate health is of critical importance to our own personal well-being and that of our children and future generations.

Therese Smith, RN, BSN, MS, MPA, CCM, Clean air is essential to all of us. I fight for clean air and climate action because I lost my mom to lung cancer in 1986.

Sunil K. Saini, M.D., Clean air is the right of every individual. As a specialist in treating childhood asthma, I see first-hand the effects that pollution has on the health of our most vulnerable population - children.

Sumita B. Khatri, M.D., M.S., Climate change affects everyone. There are many reasons why I work to fight and increase awareness around climate change. The most important reason is simple: Humanity.

Sonal R. Patel, M.D., I owe it to my children to fight for climate health. With asthma, you wheeze, your chest tightens, you cough and are short of breath.

Sharon Chinthrajah, M.D., All communities deserve a healthy climate. Air pollution has detrimental effects on fetal development, sends people to the hospital for respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, and worsens asthma and COPD.

Robert M. Gould, M.D., We must act urgently to halt global warming. We need to act urgently to halt the worsening course of global warming.

Robert Byron, M.D., MPH, FACP, Air pollution endangers our patients’ health. Air pollution endangers our patients' health and contributes to approximately 107,000 premature deaths every year in the United States alone.

Praveen Buddiga, M.D., Cleaner fuels will help my patients breathe easier. We have no control over the air we breathe, but we do have a say in what pollutes it.

Penny Borenstein, M.D., MPH, As a health officer with the San Luis Obispo Public Health Department, I view climate change as an urgent health issue

Peggy Ann Berry, PhD, MSN, RN, COHN-S, PLNC, Make the change toward a healthier environment. The reality is that breathing is becoming more difficult for many older adults and children with asthma because of climate change.

Michael Ong, M.D., PhD, Healthy solutions will help California achieve smog and soot goals.

Mary Anne Tablizo, M.D., Strong clean air leadership will help my patients breathe easier. As a pediatric pulmonary specialist, I support policies that will help improve air quality.

Marc Futernick, M.D., Climate action is the best medicine. As an emergency physician, I see the profound effect climate change will have on our lives.

Lucy Kalanithi, M.D., F.A.C.P, As a physician and mother, the climate crisis is never far from my mind. As a physician and mother, the climate crisis is never far from my mind.