Team Research Forum: Innovations in Climate and Health

The Office of Research, Venture Catalyst and ACE are partnering to offer a research forum series covering various topics related to the ACE initiative. The Aggie Climate action for Equity (ACE): Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Climate Change Solutions is an initiative to spur UC Davis-based translational research, pilots, and commercialization aligned with California’s Climate Action Priorities.

To kick off the series, we welcome you to join us at 10:30am on March 8, 2024, to learn about innovations that meet at the intersection of climate and health. Panelists will share innovations they’ve developed and/or implemented to equitably address health disparities exacerbated by the effects of climate change in vulnerable communities. They’ll also highlight efforts they’ve made to improve healthcare practices with environmentally sustainable interventions that reduce the healthcare industry’s carbon footprint.

This research forum series aims to increase literacy of climate-related events, trends that impact California and how that disproportionately impacts Californians in vulnerable communities. It also seeks to expand the innovation and entrepreneurship pipeline related to California climate action solutions by showcasing emerging and implemented innovations that address root causes of climate change, adaptation, and resilience.

About the Speakers

Andrew Hernandez

Department of Radiology, UC Davis Health

Assistant Professor of Radiology

Division of Medical Physics

Director of Radiology Sustainability

Andrew M. Hernandez is an Assistant Professor of Radiology within the Physics division, the Director of Radiology Sustainability, and Chair of the Radiology Sustainability Subcommittee. His primary research efforts now focus on Sustainability, particularly in the assessment of energy consumption of MRI and CT imaging systems at UC Davis. The energy data so far collected is currently being used to inform the EPA Energy Star’s development of a specification for MRI scanners and to identify potential areas for improvements in energy efficiency at UC Davis through analytical methods and frameworks being developed by his group. In his capacity as the Director of Radiology Sustainability he helps advocate for, support, and provide resources for sustainability initiatives within Radiology including waste reduction initiatives, sustainability-focused collaborations with medical imaging equipment vendors, and the development of energy-efficient imaging protocols.

Keisuke Nakagawa

Director of Innovation, UC Davis Health

Executive Director, Cloud Innovation Center

Keisuke Nakagawa is Vice Chair of the HIMSS Social Determinants of Health Committee and Director of Innovation of Digital CoLab, the digital health innovation hub at UC Davis Health. Keisuke is responsible for creating an omni-channel digital front door for all UC Davis Health patients, with a focus on digital health equity and access. He supports faculty and researchers to accelerate digital health innovations and work with industry on co-development, co-validation, and co-transformation. With over 7 years of work experience in digital health, he is passionate about advancing health equity and access through innovative solutions that leverage social and digital determinants of health.

ace-grants@ucdavis.edu