Healthy People, Healthy Planet: Experimental Evidence for Policy and Behavior Transformation

Dr. Teresa Horton

Northwestern University Associate Professor of Research in the Department of Anthropology

March 18, 2026 at 6:30pm central

How does Nature impact Human Health? Why is this important to maintaining a healthy planet? Humans, nature, and the planet exist in a dependent and reciprocal relationship. In this presentation, we will explore the role that basic research on the health benefits of nature to humans can play in evoking individual behavior and social-political change needed to enhance humans’ commitment to maintaining the health of our planet.

Dr. Horton received her Bachelor’s of Science in Zoology from the University of Washington and her PhD in Biology from the University of Utah. She is currently an Associate Professor of Research in the Department of Anthropology, subfield Biological Anthropology, at Northwestern University. As a human biologist, she combines the principles of biological anthropology, ecology, evolution, and physiology to investigate the mechanisms by which environmental conditions alter physiology and mental health. More generally, she applies her work to help generate public understanding of the reciprocal relationship between human and planetary health with the goal of affecting public policy and programs.