It All Adds Up: Toxic Chemicals and the Future of Women’s Health

How does our makeup and skincare affect our health? What are the cumulative effects of toxic chemicals in our air, water, soil, food, and the products we use every day? How many of the women in our lives are fighting preventable diseases, infertility, or chronic health conditions? CEH’s virtual town hall will bring together experts to illuminate these questions. We will learn about the health effects of cosmetics on women of color; the toxic chemicals lurking in our athletic clothing, purses, and yoga mats; how pollution impacts our bodies and communities; and the policy issues we must push forward for systemic change. If young women are our future climate heroes, how can we work together for a safer, healthier world? Join us March 27 at 12pm PT/3pm ET. Learn more.

Meet Our Speakers

Janette Robinson Flint

Executive Director, Black Women for Wellness

Janette Robinson Flint is the Executive Director and a founding member of Black Women for Wellness. She works closely with various community organizations across Southern California to improve women’s health through program design and consultation. She is involved with multiple initiatives including the Women’s Health Collaborative, the Women’s Health Leadership network, and the South Los Angeles Health Project-REI-WIC. Janette also serves on the National Advisory Board for Merger Watch, the California Pan Ethnic Health Network, and the African American Task Force for Breast and Cervical Cancer. As a key member of the Reproductive Justice Coalition of Los Angeles and a Southern California contact for the California Women’s Agenda, Janette is committed to advancing policies that ensure equitable healthcare and reproductive justice. She is also part of the Women’s Lens Agenda, a conference empowering women in global policy, and contributes to “Some of Us Are Brave” radio programming on Pacifica Radio. Living in Los Angeles, Janette is passionate about Black women’s health, travel, reading, and women’s empowerment. Learn more.

Ami Zota, ScD

Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University

Ami Zota is a population health scientist with expertise in environmental health, environmental justice, and maternal and reproductive health. Her research focuses on understanding social and structural determinants of environmental exposures and their consequent impacts to women’s health outcomes across the life course. Her long-term goal is to help secure environmental justice and health equity among systematically marginalized populations by advancing scientific inquiry, training next generation leaders, increasing public engagement with science, and supporting community-led solutions for structural change. Dr. Zota was among the first to frame the disproportionate burden of toxic chemical exposures from beauty and personal care products among women of color as an environmental justice concern. Learn more.

Shakoora Azimi-Gaylon

Senior Director, Toxic Exposures and Pollution Prevention

Shakoora has over 20 years of experience in directing environmental and public health programs in California. She is committed to environmental health by advancing policies and programs to reduce community exposures to environmental hazards. An environmental scientist, Azimi-Gaylon’s career began with water quality protection roles in regulatory programs at the California EPA- State Water Resources Control Board. Much of her work focused on improving water quality in California, contributing to a healthier environment. She has identified gaps for creating effective solutions and promoting a healthier environment to make positive changes in communities. Shakoora has directed the development of primary prevention strategies to guide public health decisions in California. She has provided leadership to reduce exposure to lead and other toxic pollutants to children. Azimi-Gaylon holds a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and a Master of Science in environmental science.

Kizzy Charles-Guzman

Chief Executive Officer, CEH

Kizzy Charles-Guzman is the Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Environmental Health. Kizzy has dedicated over 18 years of her career to deliver policy work at the intersection of environmental sustainability, public health, and racial equity on behalf of New Yorkers. She led the development of the country’s first strategy to address the public health impacts of rising temperatures and heat waves. She also spearheaded several initiatives aimed at ensuring that NYC residents are ready to withstand and emerge stronger from the effects of climate change, making the city more resilient. Kizzy has advised three New York City Mayors in her career; successfully securing over $4 billion dollars in investments to uplift historically underserved and marginalized neighborhoods. She is a graduate of Carleton College and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.