In 2018, the three respective presidents of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NACEM) held a public meeting about the then-new Environmental Health Matters Initiative (EHMI). Now, Marcia McNutt, Ph.D., head of the National Academy of Sciences, appears in a new video from EHMI that highlights the program’s aims.
EHMI brings together leaders from academia, industry, government, and nonprofits to share their knowledge and insights on how to solve a wide array of environmental health challenges. “As humans, we are intrinsically part of the environment,” notes McNutt at the start of the video.
Marcia McNutt on the Environmental Health Matters Initiative
Last year, we reported on the initiative’s first workshop, held in September 2019. That event concentrated on the widespread public health issue of water contamination by PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
NIEHS Senior Advisor for Public Health John Balbus, M.D., is the institute’s liaison to EHMI. “This [PFAS] workshop was a great kick off for the EHMI, showing how these voices and disciplines all need to be heard from in order to recognize the best path forward,” Balbus said at the time. “We will work with the committee, liaisons, and staff to make sure we translate the discussion into ideas for effective action.”
A second workshop, Quality Water from Every Tap, drew experts from a variety of disciplines to focus on U.S. water systems that do not meet drinking water standards.
