The Stephanie Davis Waste Reduction and Pollution Prevention Award and Scholarship is an enduring tribute to Davis, who worked with Health Care Without Harm at its inception in 1996. Davis was a tireless champion of the movement toward sustainable health care by reducing waste and eliminating the use of harmful chemicals and materials in health care products and processes.
This annual award recognizes health care workers or students who are passionate about waste reduction and pollution prevention in the health care sector. Join us in celebrating this year's 10 awardees.
Vanessa D'Aquila is a nursing student at McGill University.
“As a registered nurse clinician who is passionate about human and planetary health, I am equally excited and humbled to receive this award. After spearheading a grassroots green team initiative on the pediatric intensive care unit, I continue to advocate for health care systems and workers to limit waste consumption and to review, reduce, reuse, and recycle. This stipend will allow me to gain further education on these topics.”
“My goal with the scholarship money is to attend future conferences where I can collaborate with like minded individuals, thereby improving our respective institution’s green practices and move toward a healthier future for our planet.”
Pranav Jayaraman is a master’s student in public health at UTHealth School of Public Health.
“I am grateful to be a recipient of this award, and I am honored to be recognized among others who also understand that sustainability solutions are indeed health solutions. This award and scholarship will help contribute to my graduate public health education and put me in a better position to continue building and advocating for sustainable models of care.”
Elise Kirby is a MBA and MHA student at Georgia State University and works as an occupational therapist at Shepherd Center.
“I am so honored to win this award. I plan to use the scholarship to further my education in hospital-centered waste reduction and sustainability practices and to enhance sustainability at Shepherd Center and in our community. It is imperative that we be mindful and active as health care workers to discharge our patients to an environment we are also working to heal."
Michael Matos is the green initiative liaison for Montefiore Health System.
“To be recognized for this award is an honor, a result of inestimable support and great leadership. Most importantly, recognizing the significance of waste reduction within an organization and abroad. Learning about the work of Stephanie Davis solidifies the idea that some things are bigger than ourselves. I will use the funding to conduct further research around environmental awareness.”
Preeti Mehrotra is an infectious diseases physician and hospital epidemiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.
“I’m thrilled to receive this award to advance my interests at the intersection of environmental sustainability and infection control, two disciplines that can work together to progress the health and safety of our patients and planet. I hope to continue to evaluate associated impacts of single use versus reusable equipment at my institution.”
Kali Sullivan is a student at Tufts University School of Medicine.
“I am so honored to receive this award because I am passionate about climate-smart health care, and I am motivated and inspired by the many clinician and student leaders in this space. I plan to use the funds to implement a waste reduction and education program in our student-run clinic and create a model that can be replicated at other student-run clinics. The goal is to provide another avenue for students to learn about climate and health topics and sustainable practices outside of our curricula.”
Anne Swearingen is the head of medical operations and effectiveness for ConvaTec and a doctoral student in business administration at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota.
“I want to find out how health care multinational enterprises are innovating with respect to their products in order to address climate change and improve human health. I am excited to use this award toward the development and validation of a corporate survey tool to support data collection for my dissertation topic.”
Charlotte ter Haar is a medical resident at University of Illinois Hospital and Health Science System.
“I am thrilled and humbled to be a 2021 recipient of this award. As a current OB/GYN resident physician, I am particularly interested in efforts to improve the sustainability of the operating room, and I plan to use the stipend to further my work in greening the OR.”
Stephanie Wottrich is a medical student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
“I am elated to receive this award in honor of Stephanie Davis and her legacy as a champion of waste reduction and management practices in health care. I plan to put these funds toward the development of a sustainability QI project that will center on sustainability related practices in the OR, and hopefully expand upon current understanding of barriers to recycling in the OR and optimizing waste disposal in this context."