Annual Climate Action Day
About the Event
Recognizing the public health and humanitarian crisis being caused by climate change, the Duke Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology convened the First Annual Climate Action Day on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. The inaugural event, which coincided with internationally commemorated Earth Day, was organized by the steering committee of the Duke Climate Action Collaborative to Promote Reproductive Health (CACRH).
Based administratively in the department, CACRH aims to elevate the impact of climate change on the reproductive health trajectory and create solutions that improve the lives of the women, families and communities cared for by Duke Health.
2026 Climate Action Day
Save the Date! Duke Ob/Gyn's Second Annual Climate Action Day takes place on Earth Day, April 22, 2026 from 7:30 a.m.-10 a.m. in the Duke South Amphitheater and virtually by Zoom. The event's theme is Environmental Resilience in Human Communities.
Keynote Speaker — Ashley Ward, PhD
Ashley Ward’s work focuses on strengthening community resilience and protecting human health in the face of environmental challenges. She directs the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. In this role, she brings together scientists and communities to develop and deploy innovative policy solutions that reduce the impacts of extreme heat on human health and well-being.
Dr. Ward’s career has focused on engaging communities to identify and address issues related to resilience challenges, and helping communities develop long-term, sustainable strategies relevant to their needs.
Her previous work with NOAA’s Carolinas Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) team connected rural and urban communities and policy-decision makers with relevant climate and health data, particularly related to risks and impacts.
She has continued to bridge the gap between science, data, policy, and community at Duke’s Nicholas Institute. In this setting, Ward works with communities, public agencies and policymakers to create and inform effective policy solutions to difficult environmental challenges.
Prior to launching the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, Ward has worked on the Internet of Water (IoW) Coalition at the Nicholas Institute, helping public agencies modernize their water data infrastructure to better manage water resources. On the IoW team, she has led stakeholder and policy engagement, pilot programs, and the development of the Technology Adoption Program (TAP) designed to guide public agencies through the organizational and behavioral changes needed to modernize their water data infrastructure.
Before her work with Duke and RISA, Ward completed her PhD in geography and worked with communities throughout NC on a host of issues such as local food availability and asset-based economic development strategies. Her passion is building coalitions to advance scientific understanding and communicate information in a way that is relevant for use by decision-makers. Having worked in a broad range of communities with varying levels of capacity, Ward is particularly thoughtful about meeting communities where they are and working from there to achieve community goals.
Credit: Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability
Panelists
Secretary for the North Carolina
Department of Health and Human Services
Dr. Devdutta “Dev” Sangvai was sworn in as the secretary for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. Gov. Josh Stein selected Dr. Sangvai to lead the department as the state’s 19th Secretary for Health and Human Services.
Secretary Sangvai is a family medicine physician and a professor at Duke University. He is also a member of the North Carolina Medical Board. Prior to his role with NCDHHS, he served as president of Duke Regional Hospital and president of the North Carolina Medical Society. His work has focused on improving access, developing the health care workforce, and making care more efficient. Dr. Sangvai is the first Indian American cabinet member to serve under a North Carolina governor.
Breastfeeding Family Friendly
Communities/Breastfeed Durham
Love Anderson is the co-founder of Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities (BFFC), which now supports 21 community-led projects across the United States, including Breastfeed Durham, the North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition (NCBC) and the SAFE Team (Support and Advocacy for Feeding Emergencies). In her leadership roles, Love advances policy development, digital strategy, and collaborative advocacy to build family-friendly communities that center perinatal and infant health equity.
Her lived experiences as a parent of two spirited boys and as a Black-Cherokee woman raised in the rural South inform her holistic approach to community health advocacy. Professionally, Love has a diverse background in system analytics and education. Her work in lactation began when she breastfed her two children with special needs, inspiring her to volunteer in lactation support, universal access, and emergency preparedness for infant and young child feeding (IYCF-E).
In 2024, following Hurricane Helene, Breastfeeding Communities in Western North Carolina grew into the SAFE Team, which is now shaping national policy on infant and young child feeding in emergencies. Believing that breastfeeding-friendly communities can help reduce inequities, Love continues to promote support systems for human milk feeding families and advocate for policies that protect family rights—ensuring every family can meet their personal feeding goals.
Panel Moderator: Eugene Washington, MD
Chancellor Emeritus at Duke University
Previous Presenters & Event Highlights
2025
Featured Speaker:
Panelists:
This lecture is voluntary and open to all. The purpose of this lecture series is to educate our campus community and share new and different perspectives. The views and opinions expressed by the speakers are solely those of the speakers.