WHO WE ARE
NMHPCA’s vision is a healthy, equitable, sustainable future for all New Mexicans.
NMHPCA’s mission is to mobilize New Mexico healthcare and public health professionals to advocate for climate solutions that protect health and promote equity.
Why NMHPCA?
View this presentation to learn more about who we are and why you should join and support NMHPCA.
Executive Committee
Paul Charlton, MD, MA
Chair
I am an Emergency Medicine Physician with the Indian Health Service, proudly living and working in Gallup, NM with my wife (Internal Medicine Physician) and two young kids. I currently participate in the University of Colorado Diploma in Climate Medicine, inspired by what other health professionals around the world are doing on climate issues and what we can accomplish in New Mexico as well.
My motivations on this topic are both professional and personal. As an avid climber I’ve watched the glaciated mountain environments I love in the Cascades and Karakoram Mountains change rapidly, accompanied by the disturbing effects of growing wildfires throughout the western US. The 2022 final straw for me was my wheezy, pitiful-looking 2 year old son requiring admission to the hospital for respiratory distress with continuous nebulizer treatments and a nasal cannula providing oxygen taped to his face. The prospect of my children growing up in a world with not only the physical geography irrevocably changed—barren after wildfires, parched of water, vanished glaciers—but with their personal health markedly decreased due to poor air quality, extreme weather events, conflicts over resources and massive population migrations, is what motivates me to help organize New Mexican health professionals around this topic.
Claudia Pratesi, PhD, MCRP
Chair-Elect
Dr. Claudia B. Pratesi is an Assistant Professor at the College of Population Health, UNM, with a focus on Environmental and Planetary Health issues. Her academic credentials include a Doctoral degree in Health Sciences, from Brazil, a Master’s in water resources, a master’s of Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico, and a Bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Eckerd College. Both masters programs focused on Environmental and Community Health issues. Dr. Pratesi's goal in life was to get a Master’s degree in Conservation Biology and to save animals in danger of extinction – more specifically, to save the sharks! However, she quickly realized humans were the animals in trouble and at risk of extinction.
During her doctoral program, she participated in several research topics and publications such as: Celiac Disease, Kawasaki Disease, the Presence of Microplastic in Drinking Water, the Presence of Microplastic in Sugar, Phenolic Lipid Extract, and the Assessment of BDNF in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Melissa E. Riley, Ph.D.
Secretary
Dr. Melissa E. Riley, Ph.D. (Mescalero Apache), Director of the Native American Social Work Studies Institute at New Mexico Highlands University, Facundo Valdez School of Social Work. In addition to being a successful small business owner specializing in grant writing, program evaluation, and environmental and education-based services for government and non-government agencies, Dr. Riley has an extensive background in managing federal projects within the Department of Justice and the Office for Victims of Crime.
Dr. Riley has an outstanding reputation as a nationally recognized expert in victim services, focusing on assessing tribal program needs, evaluating training and technical assistance, and recording and analyzing performance measures for project sustainability. She has also developed curricula for various organizations, including the New Mexico Department of Health, Gallup Indian Health Services, and the University of Texas at Arlington, providing valuable expertise in teen dating violence, chronic health conditions, child welfare, and public health.
Her contributions to developing sexual assault protocols, behavioral health, social service policies and procedures, and other tribal multidisciplinary policies and procedures have been instrumental in enhancing victim service response and increasing prosecution. She has also designed and executed wrap-around services for tribal programs that serve community members impacted by alcohol, substance abuse, crime, and other social issues.
Carrie Shaver, DHA, IHC
Treasurer
Dr. Carrie Shaver is an Assistant Professor of Health Management, Administration, and Policy at New Mexico State University. Prior to her career in academia, Dr. Shaver worked in the social service sector, administering disease prevention, treatment, and health and wellness programs. Her research is systems-thinking based and focuses on international rural healthcare and equity, especially in frontier communities along the United States-Mexico border.
Board of Directors
Kenneth Reid, MBA, MHA, Doctoral Candidate
Tribal Affiliation: Isleta/Laguna Pueblo
Tribal Member: Pueblo of Isleta
I was born and raised on an Indian reservation, Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico. I am the oldest of 5 children, all of which pursued a professional health and educational career. I am married and still continue to live on my reservation, with my wife and 6 grand-children that we have been raising for the past 4-5 years. I grew up with my grandparents who were farmers back in the days, growing their own crops such as corn, melon, chili, green beans, peanuts, squash, etc…I learned how to become a farmer and the value of growing our own crops back in the days. We had plenty of water for our crops, the soil was rich and full of nutrients and humus (organic matter) which are a necessity for plants and crops, but times have changed since then, and now we are all facing the ill effects of climate change.
I am working for Santa Clara Pueblo Tribe, and serving as their Director, Self Governance Department, which supports the Agriculture Department, Tribal Forestry Department, Environmental Department, Realty Department, Social Services, Tribal Courts, Law Enforcement, and a few additional projects. I am also the Chair of the Tribal Health Committee as well. I had worked for the Indian Health Service in the Bemidji (Minnesota) Area Office, as well as in their IHS Headquarters located in Rockville, Maryland. I’m a fellow with the National Rural Health Care Association, a Fellow with Eco-America, and also with the National Network of Public Health Institutes, ILPH. I'm also a new Board Member of NM Alliance of Health Councils. I have a Master’s degree in Business Administration- Health Care Management (MBA); Master’s degree in Health Administration (MHA); a Graduate Certificate in Non-Profit Organizational Management; and have been working on my PhD dissertation for my PhD in Health Care Administration.
Nathaniel Matthews-Trigg
Kristin Graziano
Staff
Shelley Mann-Lev, MPH
Executive Director
I grew up in Los Angeles with smog-filled skies and beautiful beaches. After earning an MPH, I moved to Santa Fe 30 years ago and worked with DOH followed by 20 years as the Santa Fe Public Schools Prevention Coordinator and Director of the Santa Fe Prevention Alliance. I was President of NM Public Health Association and currently serve as a Prevention Consultant and public health advocate. Policy change, community and youth education, and access to healthcare and other services to improve the lives of all New Mexicans are my passions. I love
to sing, hike and be with family and friends, including my 90+ year old parents.
While I was an early environmentalist, my devotion to climate change started with the realization that the lives of my daughter and all children depended on ending our disastrous use of fossil fuels and other dangerous chemicals. Climate change was a looming and now immediate threat to public health and required action from people like me who cared about improving health.
Charles Goodmacher, Policy Advisor
Work Groups
Work Group Leads:
Healthcare Decarbonization Work Group: Ryan Edgington
Policy and Advocacy Work Group: Kristin Graziano and Paul Charlton
Please email nmhpca@gmail.com if you are interested in joining one of these groups.
The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health (MSCCH) is hosted by George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication in collaboration with Sean N. Parker Center, Stanford School of Medicine.
Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time and has major health and healthcare implications. As some of the most respected professionals in America, doctors and nurses have a crucial part to play in raising awareness of the public about these issues. To facilitate the medical community’s awareness-raising efforts, the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health (Consortium) brings together associations representing over 700,000 clinical practitioners to carry three simple messages:
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Climate change is harming Americans today and these harms will increase unless we act;
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The way to slow or stop these harms is to decrease the use of fossil fuels and increase energy efficiency and use of clean energy sources; and
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These changes in energy choices will improve the quality of our air and water and bring immediate health benefits.
This is especially important to vulnerable Americans and communities who are experiencing a disproportionate impact today from climate change. View the summary of MSCCH here.
Visit the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health below.