Bridging art, science, and nature to create healthier communities with Semra Aytur

Dr. Aytur will discuss the importance of bridging art, science, and nature to create healthier communities using a ‘planetary health’ lens. She will share her experiences as an epidemiologist and an artist, providing examples of ways to integrate art and science to advance public health and environmental justice. Artistic methods can be blended with nature-based therapeutic interventions to improve physical and mental health. Emerging research suggests that exposure to nature may provide numerous health benefits, including changing brain network connectivity. Collectively, this work underscores the importance of engaging researchers, citizen scientists, Indigenous Peoples, and transdisciplinary stakeholders in the stewardship of health-promoting natural resources.

Semra Aytur, PhD, MPH is a Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Aytur is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on community resilience and the relationships between the built, natural, and social environment in keeping people well. She has published over 70 scientific journal articles and two books on health policy analysis. She uses methods such as Photovoice to connect the humanities with science to improve community health. She is also a visual artist who enjoys using painting to express relationships between health and the environment.

Dr. Aytur earned a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in cardiovascular epidemiology. She also has a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from Boston University.

Dr. Aytur serves as the Climate Justice Co-Chair for New Hampshire Healthcare Workers for Climate Action (NH HWCA) and exhibits her artwork in shows that support community health. She is deeply committed to collaborative learning that bridges the arts and science to create healthier communities.

This event is supported by a National Endowment of the Humanities’ Spotlight on the Humanities grant for Plymouth State University’s Sustainability Studies program.

This is a hybrid event. To receive a Zoom link, please register HERE.