Program Co-Directors
Samantha Green MD CCFP
Dr. Samantha Green is a family physician at St. Michael’s Hospital and at Inner City Health Associates in Toronto. She is President-elect of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, and former Faculty Lead in Climate Change & Health at the University of Toronto’s Department of Family & Community Medicine. She advocates for climate action with the aim of improving the health of her patients and community.
I’ve met so many health professionals who are worried about the climate and ecological crises, and understand the multiple intersections with health, but are overwhelmed when they think about taking action. I am so excited this program will support teams of healthcare workers to take real action on planetary health.
Leslie Solomonian ND MPH
Leslie Solomonian is a naturopathic doctor, and professor at the Canadian college of naturopathic medicine. She is a long-time advocate for environmental and social justice. She co-founded Naturopathic Doctors for Environmental and Social Trust in order to support the naturopathic profession in taking action for these critically important determinants of health. She holds a Masters degree in Public Health in family and community medicine with a specialization in community organizing. Leslie is committed to spend the second half of her career elevating the capacity of healthcare providers to agitate for Planetary Health. Leslie is the author of the textbook Naturopathic and Integrative Pediatrics; promoting the health of the planet is critical for promoting the health of the next generation.
This program will nudge clinicians to expand beyond patient-centered clinical practice to consider the reciprocal relationships between the health of individuals, community, and the planetary ecosystem. More critically, it will equip healthcare workers to promote health at this pivotal time in the history of human existence on Earth.
Additional Session Facilitators
Eileen Nicolle MD CCFP
Dr. Eileen Nicolle is a family physician who completed an Enhanced Skills year in Global Health and Vulnerable Populations and works with an inner-city population in Toronto. She is completing a Masters in Public Health with a focus on Planetary Health and hopes to continue learning and taking action on issues related to Planetary Health to improve the health of people and the planet.
Scientific Planning Committee
- Stephanie Elizabeth Atkinson
- Jacqueline Avanthay-Strus
- Fiona Hanley
- Elizabeth Houlding-Braunberger
- Carolyn Houlding
- Leasa Knechtel
- Margaret Komar
- Natasha Lotoski
- Nazanin Meshkat
- Eileen Nicolle
- Kaveh Shojania
- Colin Sue-Chue-Lam
Faculty Disclosure
It is the policy of University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Continuing Professional Development to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all its individually accredited or jointly accredited educational programs. Speakers and/or planning committee members, participating in University of Toronto accredited programs, are expected to disclose to the program audience any real or apparent conflict(s) of interest that may have a direct bearing on the subject matter of the continuing education program. This pertains to relationships within the last FIVE (5) years with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or other corporations whose products or services are related to the subject matter of the presentation topic. The intent of this policy is not to prevent a speaker with a potential conflict of interest from making a presentation. It is merely intended that any potential conflict should be identified openly so that the listeners may form their own judgments about the presentation with the full disclosure of facts. It remains for the audience to determine whether the speaker’s outside interests may reflect a possible bias in either the exposition or the conclusions presented.