Speakers
ICUH 2026 is proud to bring together thought leaders, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, city leaders, and community voices from around the world to Mexico City for three days of exchange, collaboration, and action on the most pressing challenges shaping urban health.
Under this year’s theme, Healthy Cities by Design: Climate, Care, and Community from Latin America to the World, the conference will spotlight the powerful ways cities and communities are developing solutions grounded in local realities, while sharing lessons with global relevance. Our program will explore six thematic areas spanning climate and urban resilience, food and mobility, healthy living across the lifecourse, mental health and belonging, urban health systems and governance, and a dedicated regional spotlight on Latin America and the Caribbean.
We are delighted to welcome an exceptional group of speakers who will bring diverse perspectives, innovative ideas, and practical experience to the global urban health conversation. Together, they will help us explore how healthier, more equitable, resilient, and inclusive cities can be designed and supported through collaboration, evidence, policy, and community action.
Additional speakers to be announced soon!
THEME 1
Climate, Environment, & Urban Resilience
-
Horacio Riojas Rodríguez, Ph.D., is a medical doctor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) 1983.
He has a Master’s degree in Sciences in Environmental Health (1994–1997) and a Ph.D. degree in Epidemiology with honors from the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) (2005) in Mexico.
He has been working in this area for the last 28 years on different issues but especially on the effects of indoor and outdoor air pollution and climate change and health.
Other projects and publications include exposure to persistent organic pollutants and metals.
His experience in air pollution includes analyses of the effect of wood smoke on women and children and the effects of ambient air pollution in cities.
More recently, he has been involved in health impact assessment studies in different cities in Mexico. The first one estimated annual avoidable deaths in Mexico City.
Director of Environmental Health Department at the Center for Population Health Research at the National Institute of Public Health Mexico. Leader of the Research line with a mission on health and the environment. Founder and Academic Coordinator of the Environmental Health Sciences Ph.D. program at the Mexican Public Health School (INSP).
-
Dr Melanie Lowe is a Co-Director of the Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities and a Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
Melanie is an urban planning and public health researcher who investigates how to plan healthy and climate resilient cities and develops evidence-based indicators and tools that are used to monitor and inform policy.
The Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities provides open-access urban indicators for cities worldwide and won a 2025 Nobel Sustainability Trust Award for Outstanding Research and Development.
From 2023-25, Melanie held a prestigious AXA Research Fund Fellowship on the Health Impacts of Climate Change, and she co-led the 2022 Lancet Global Health Series on Urban Design, Transport and Health.
Melanie works with multidisciplinary teams of researchers and policymakers to embed health and resilience considerations in urban policy and planning.
Her research has been incorporated into urban and public health policy in Australia and internationally.
-
Economist graduated from UNAM with master's and doctoral studies in Environmental Sciences from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
He is a full-time, permanent researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico where he is attached to the Institute of Geography.
He is a member of the National System of Researchers of Mexico, level 3. He currently serves as CLA of the IPCC special report on Climate Change and Cities.
-
Dr. Francisco Barnés Regueiro leads WRI Mexico, where he drives strategies that bring together economic, social, and environmental priorities in pursuit of sustainable development. He brings more than 25 years of experience in environmental policy, climate action, and sustainability leadership, and is widely recognized as one of Mexico's leading voices on these issues.
He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), a master's in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Energy and Environmental Policy from Imperial College London. This combination of technical training and policy expertise allows him to approach Mexico's environmental challenges from both strategic and technical angles.
In the public sector, Francisco has held senior positions that helped shape national environmental policy, including President of the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC), Executive Coordinator of the Environmental Commission of the Megalopolis (CAMe), and Executive Director of the Mario Molina Center.
In the private sector, he was a partner at McKinsey & Company and Bain & Company, leading energy and natural resources practices across industries such as energy, automotive, chemicals, mining, and water management, and working on urban issues including air quality and solid waste.
Under his leadership, WRI Mexico continues to advance strategies that balance economic growth with social and environmental well-being, positioning the organization as a key actor in climate action and sustainability across the region.
-
Daniel Velázquez-Cortés is a medical doctor and holds a Master’s degree in Global Health.
He is currently a PhD student at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and Pompeu Fabra University, where his doctoral research examines how changes in urban mobility and transport behaviour can improve population health while reducing environmental impacts.
He uses health impact assessment approaches to quantify the health effects of changes in physical activity and environmental exposures resulting from transport interventions.
His broader interests lie at the intersection of climate change, sustainable transport, physical activity, and public health, with a focus on generating evidence to inform healthier and more sustainable urban environments.
THEME 2
Healthy, Resilient Cities: Food, Mobility & Equity
-
Paola Abril Campos Rivera is a research professor at the School of Government and Public Transformation and the Institute for Obesity Research at Tec de Monterrey, where she co-directs the Center for Evidence-to-Action Impact on Health Equity.
She specializes in the implementation of public policy for global health, with extensive experience in low- and middle-income countries and in applied political analysis for health reform.
Most recently, she helped establish the Delivery for Impact team at the World Health Organization in Geneva, where she tracked progress toward the health-related Sustainable Development Goals, particularly universal health coverage.
She has worked at the Carlos Slim Foundation on strengthening primary health care nationwide and has also served in the Office of the President of Mexico.
Her current applied research focuses on food policy and improving food environments, with an emphasis on health equity.
Abril holds a Doctor of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Born in Mexico City, she studied at the Mahindra United World College in India, and has lived and worked in Ghana, Kazakhstan, India, Switzerland, and the United States.
-
Sharon Roerty, AICP/PP/MCRP, is a Senior Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation where she concentrates on health equity and the impact of the built and natural environment on population health including looking for global exemplars that can be adapted and adopted in the U.S.
She has developed programming initiatives relative to childhood obesity, community development, social isolation and absolute belonging, climate change, and sustainable and equitable development.
Prior to RWJF, Roerty was the CEO of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking (NCBW).
In and outside of government organizations, Sharon has comprehensive experience working on transportation, environmental justice and urban policy, and planning initiatives.
-
Dr. David Rojas-Rueda is an environmental epidemiologist and Associate Professor at Colorado State University.
His research quantifies the health impacts of urban environments, including air quality, transport, green space, noise, and climate, and translates that evidence into tools and policies cities can act on.
He has contributed to the design and development of health impact assessment tools and methods with WHO, PAHO, and other international organizations, supporting evidence-based decision making in cities around the world.
His recent work spans a national assessment of transportation noise and health in the United States, environmental justice screening and community engagement in Colorado, and the health co-benefits of climate action in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Western Asia.
His work bridges epidemiology, urban planning, and policy, with a focus on healthy, equitable, and climate-resilient cities.
He serves on the Colorado Environmental Justice Advisory Board and advises governments, multilateral organizations, and philanthropies worldwide.
He was named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in 2022.
-
James F. Sallis, Ph.D. is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health at University of California San Diego and Professorial Fellow at Australian Catholic University, Melbourne.
He has co-led research to understand policy and environmental influences on physical activity, nutrition, and obesity, with studies conducted across all age groups in the US. Dr. Sallis is co-founder of the International Physical Activity and Environment Network (IPEN) that conducted coordinated studies of adults and adolescents in about 20 countries.
He was Director of Active Living Research (2001-2016) that helped establish an interdisciplinary field of research to identify effective environmental and policy strategies to increase physical activity.
More recently he has integrated human and planetary health into his research and advocacy.
He was co-founder of the Global Observatory of Healthy Sustainable Cities that promotes use of evidence-based policy and spatial (GIS) indicators to guide city policies.
He has authored over 850 scientific publications and is one of the world’s most cited authors in any field, with over 270,000 citations.
He is currently focusing on getting research used to create active, healthy, and sustainable cities.
Dr. Sallis is Past-President of Society of Behavioral Medicine, elected member of the US National Academy of Medicine, and has won numerous national and international awards. www.drjimsallis.org
-
Dr. Salvo works at the intersection of physical activity and spatial epidemiology, with profound commitment to documenting, understanding, and resolving disparities in access to health-promoting and environmentally sustainable urban environments for all.
In her role as associate professor of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas at Austin, she established and leads the People, Health and Place Lab. She specializes in conducting studies assessing and leveraging the role of place (physical, social, and policy context) on physical activity and other health-related behaviors, with the goal of promoting physical activity and health equity.
Dr. Salvo has a special interest in Latino/Latin American populations, both in United States and across Latin America. She leads an active research portfolio including two current R01-level (5-year, 3-million USD+) NIH-funded collaborative projects, including the Active Middle School Communities (AMSC) project in Austin, Texas, and the Comunidades y Espacios Activos (CEA) project in Mexico.
Dr. Salvo’s work also strongly focuses on building research capacity for physical activity and public health in low- and middle-income countries.
She founded the Latin American Society of Physical Activity and Health Research (SLIAFS), co-founded and co-directed the Global Observatory of Healthy and Sustainable Cities, and serves as the President of the International Society of Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) for the 2026-2028 term.
THEME 3
Children, Youth, & Healthy Urban Living Across the Lifecourse
-
Gil Penalosa is passionate about cities for all people. Because of his unique blend of experience, pragmatism, and passion, many cities worldwide seek his leadership and valuable advice. He has worked in over 350 cities.
Gil is the Founder and Chair of the successful Canadian non-profit organization 8 80 Cities and founder of Cities for Everyone.
In 2022 Gil ran for mayor of Toronto. In 100 days, he got 100,000 votes.
Currently Gil is an academic chair at the Norman Foster Institute for Sustainable Cities, as well as Expert Advisor to the International Society for Urban Health, and to the Danish based world initiative, Cities for Better Health.
He hosts his bi-weekly webinar series with over 30 countries connected. Gil also runs his consultancy, Gil Penalosa & Associates.
Gil was elected twice as chair of World Urban Parks. He holds an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, received a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Faculty of Urban Planning at Swedish SLU.
In 2023 Gil was voted to Planetizen’s Top 100 Most Influential Contemporary Urbanists, at #13.
-
Dr Mònica Ubalde is a biologist with a PhD in Biomedicine and Public Health and a senior scientist at ISGlobal in Barcelona.
She works across different areas of urban health, including the health impacts of the urban environment and climate change, the nature–health nexus, with a particular interest in nature-based interventions, and school environments.
Her research combines environmental epidemiology, impact evaluation, implementation science, participatory methods, and knowledge translation.
A central focus of her work is understanding not only whether interventions are effective, but also how they can be implemented, adapted, and scaled in real-world settings.
She is particularly interested in translating scientific evidence into interventions, policies, and practices that support healthier, more equitable, and people-centred urban environments.
-
Daniela is a public-sector and nonprofit leader with over a decade of experience advancing more inclusive, responsive, and sustainable cities.
She is Co-founder and President of TANDEM, where she leads strategy, research, and partnerships at the intersection of urban governance, data, institutional capacity, gender equity, and citizen participation.
Throughout her career, she has designed and scaled programs, built cross-sector partnerships, led multidisciplinary teams, and managed donor-funded initiatives in collaboration with local governments, universities, civil society, and international funders.
Daniela previously served as Vice Mayor and City Councilor of Quito and was a 2026 Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Her work focuses on translating evidence, innovation, and collaboration into stronger institutions, better public policy, and measurable outcomes for cities and communities.
-
Originaria de Brasil y con una destacada trayectoria profesional que combina experiencia en políticas públicas, desarrollo urbano y vivienda, Fernanda Lonardoni ha trabajado en ámbitos como el gobierno, la academia y organizaciones internacionales, gestionando proyectos normativos y operativos tanto a nivel nacional como local. Su labor ha incluido la asesoría directa a ministros, alcaldes y tomadores de decisiones de alto nivel en más de 10 países, consolidando una visión estratégica e inclusiva frente a los desafíos urbanos actuales.
Desde que se unió a ONU-Habitat en 2013, Fernanda Lonardoni ha desempeñado múltiples roles, siendo el más reciente el de Jefa del Programa de País en Bahréin y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, donde lideró iniciativas clave en desarrollo sostenible y planificación urbana. Antes de su ingreso a ONU-Habitat, su experiencia se extendió al Instituto Federal Suizo de Tecnología, la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) y el Banco Mundial.
Dentro de su trayectoria académica, Fernanda Lonardoni es doctora en Sociología Urbana por el Instituto Federal Suizo de Tecnología y cuenta con una maestría en Arquitectura y Urbanismo por la Universidad Federal de Santa Catarina, en su natal Brasil.
-
Luciana Renner is an architect and urbanist and the Executive Director of Fundación Placemaking, where she leads projects and partnerships focused on creating more inclusive, healthy, and people-centered cities.
For more than a decade, her work has explored how public space can support wellbeing, strengthen communities, and create better environments for children and families.
She has contributed to the development and implementation of more than 100 urban and architectural projects across Mexico and Latin America, working alongside communities, governments, civil society, and private-sector partners.
A significant part of Luciana’s work focuses on early childhood, Nature-based Solutions, and the relationship between public space, health, and everyday life.
She has led initiatives such as LAPIS — Lugares Amigables para la Primera Infancia — bringing together participation, play, care, and place-based design to create spaces that respond to the needs of children and their caregivers.
Across her work, Luciana promotes collaborative approaches that give communities the tools to actively shape the places they inhabit, while advancing healthier, more resilient, and more connected urban environments.
-
Sindy González Tijerina has been part of the FEMSA Foundation team since 2012 and currently serves as Early Childhood Manager.
In this role, she leads strategic initiatives aimed at strengthening early childhood education and preschool development, while empowering parents and caregivers by promoting positive parenting practices and caregiver wellbeing.
Her work also focuses on advancing public spaces designed from a child- and caregiver-centered perspective, as well as strengthening the early childhood ecosystem through the promotion of effective public and corporate policies.
Convinced that lasting change is built collectively, Sindy actively fosters cross-sector collaboration.
Her purpose is to contribute to the creation of a more humane and equitable world, where every child can thrive and reach their full potential.
THEME 4
Mental Health, Social Connection, & Belonging
-
Kat Vellos is an author and speaker who views the loneliness epidemic as both an inevitability of the past 75 years of urban and technological design, and as a surmountable challenge that can be overcome using reliable design patterns.
Her bestselling book We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships is loved around the world and Kat is a passionate advocate for connection-oriented urban design and policy. Through her bootcamp, Platonic Action Lab, Kat teaches individuals how to turn a street of strangers into a block of buddies. Through the media released in her Better Places Studio column, Kat helps neighbors, organizations, and civic leaders understand how our built environment either supports or sabotages community formation.
With a background in human-centered UX design and a knack for translating research into plain language and practical action, she shows audiences how tactical interventions and smart policy can transform places designed for isolation into ones where community thrives. Kat’s writing is read in over 100 countries, and she’s been featured by The New York Times, NPR, Strong Towns, The New Urban Order, Congress for The New Urbanism (CNU), and the official Meetup HQ podcast. Learn more at katvellos.com and weshouldgettogether.com
-
Hugo Vásquez-Vera is a physician and public-health specialist whose work examines social and urban determinants of health.
He trained in medicine at the University of Chile, completed graduate study in community and public health in Chile and Spain, and earned a doctorate in public health and social epidemiology from Pompeu Fabra University.
His research and policy work address housing, residential insecurity, gentrification, displacement, and the unequal health effects of urban change.
-
Michelle Meza Paredes is a Mexican landscape architect, professor, and sustainability specialist whose work focuses on the relationship between landscape, urban environments, ecological resilience, and human well-being.
She holds a degree in Landscape Architecture from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development from FLACAM–National University of Lanús (UNLa), Argentina.
She is a Professor of Landscape Architecture at UNAM, where she teaches and contributes to academic initiatives addressing landscape planning, sustainable design, and socioecological approaches to urban and territorial challenges.
Her academic and professional experience includes landscape planning and design projects in Mexico, with particular interest in green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, ecological restoration, and the development of healthier and more resilient urban environments.
Through teaching, research, and professional practice, she promotes interdisciplinary approaches that recognize landscape as essential to environmental quality, human well-being, and urban sustainability. She also participates in Latin American academic networks fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange on sustainable and regenerative approaches to landscape and territory.
-
Es especialista en salud mental pública, intervención comunitaria y desigualdades en salud. Desde hace 10 años trabaja con poblaciones prioritarias en el desarrollo de respuestas de cuidado, inclusión y acceso a servicios. Es psicólogo por la Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana y Maestro en Salud Pública, con concentración en Ciencias Sociales y del Comportamiento, por el Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, donde actualmente colabora como consultor en investigación en diferentes proyectos. También realiza estudios doctorales en Administración de la Salud.
Durante la emergencia por COVID-19 coordinó albergues temporales del Gobierno de la Ciudad de México. Posteriormente dirigió el área de salud mental de LLECA–Escuchando la Calle, donde diseñó estrategias de acompañamiento psicosocial, vinculación con servicios y fortalecimiento de redes de cuidado, además de formular recomendaciones dirigidas a instituciones públicas. Su trabajo se ha enfocado con juventudes, hombres, personas LGBTIQ+, en situación de calle o movilidad y trabajadoras sexuales; también cuenta con experiencia institucional en CONASAMA y en atención psicológica virtual con hombres trans en Panamá.
Es autor de una investigación sobre violencia, discriminación, autonomía y cuidados colectivos de mujeres trans en situación de calle, ganadora del Primer Concurso de Investigación sobre Discriminación del COPRED.
Es fundador y director de Diversidad Digital y de MenteTrans*, plataforma digital con herramientas en salud mental, desarrollada y evaluada con juventudes trans. Además de su actividad como autor, conferencista y comunicador público, impulsa una agenda de investigación sobre redes y ecosistemas de cuidado, conexión social y su relación en salud mental con poblaciones prioritarias.
-
Benaya Valentino Ginting is a researcher at the Rujak Center for Urban Studies in Jakarta, Indonesia.
His work focuses on urban resilience, housing and settlements, environmental sustainability, climate adaptation, and spatial analysis.
His recent research has examined how different housing and settlement typologies shape communities’ exposure and adaptation to extreme heat, as well as the social and environmental impacts of large-scale urban development.
He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Geography from Universitas Gadjah Mada.
THEME 5
Urban Health Systems, Primary Care, & Governance for Impact
-
Cross-cutting Lead Urban Health, World Health Organization, Geneva
Nathalie Röbbel is the Lead for WHO’s work on Urban Health at the WHO, in the Department on Determinants, Health Promotion and Prevention. She is currently in charge of developing a comprehensive guide for decisionmakers on now to take an integrated approach to urban health. She is also leading the development of a comprehensive training course on urban heath capacities and related assessment tools.
Prior to this she was leading WHOs work on air pollution and housing in the Department for Environment, Climate Change and Health. One of her main areas of work was the development of WHO Housing and Health Guidelines and WHO’s efforts to address slum upgrading through housing policies and other social policies and interventions.
Before joining WHO HQ, she worked as a technical officer at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, in Bonn and Copenhagen, where she was responsible for environmental health performance reviews and involved in several urban health related projects. Ms Röbbel holds a Ph.D. from the Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Bonn, Germany.
-
Dr. José M. Zuniga is President/CEO of the IAPAC, the Fast-Track Cities Institute, and Fast-Track Health.
For nearly four decades, he has worked at the intersection of HIV, public health, urban health, human rights, and health policy.
He was Chair of the IAPAC-Lancet HIV Commission on the Future of Urban HIV Responses and is Editor-inChief of the Journal of Fast-Track Health.
His 4th edited Oxford University Press volume, “AIDS at a Crossroads,” will be released next month.
His work has focused on translating scientific evidence into policies and programs that improve health outcomes, reduce inequities, and strengthen community-centered health systems.
-
Representative of the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) in Mexico
Medical Doctor from the National University Federico Villarreal in Lima, Peru.
Specialized in Field Epidemiology and holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the Peruvian University Cayetano Heredia.
Doctor of Collective Health Sciences from the Metropolitan Autonomous University of Mexico.
He worked for seven years at the Ministry of Health of Peru, serving as Director of Epidemiology in the Ayacucho Health Sub-Region.
He has completed three missions with Médecins Sans Frontières: Guatemala (1990), Mozambique (1991), and Nigeria (1997).
Since 2000, he has served as a Consultant with the Pan American Health Organization in the areas of health analysis, disease surveillance, and disease control.
He has worked in PAHO/WHO country offices in Peru, Haiti, Mexico, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Argentina.
In June 2016, he was appointed PAHO/WHO Representative in Venezuela, and in 2019, PAHO/WHO Representative in Cuba.
Since September 2023, he has served as PAHO/WHO Representative in Mexico.
-
Médica cirujana y especialista en salud pública, con una Maestría en Salud Pública por la Universidad de Harvard y un Doctorado en Gestión y Políticas de Salud por la Universidad Johns Hopkins. Cuenta con más de tres décadas de experiencia en políticas públicas, cooperación internacional y fortalecimiento de sistemas de salud, con énfasis en igualdad de género, reducción de desigualdades y derecho a la salud.
Ha ocupado posiciones de liderazgo internacional como representante del Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas (UNFPA) en Guatemala, y de ONU Mujeres en Brasil, y dirigió la Campaña del Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas para eliminar la violencia contra las mujeres y las niñas en América Latina y el Caribe fortaleciendo políticas contra la violencia, la tipificación del feminicidio, el acceso digital y la participación internacional femenina.
En México, encabezó el Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres (INMUJERES), desde donde impulsó la perspectiva de género en las políticas públicas, la autonomía de las mujeres y la construcción de una agenda nacional de cuidados.
Actualmente como Secretaria de Salud de la Ciudad de México, impulsa una transformación de la salud pública basada en el fortalecimiento de la prevención, la atención primaria, la acción territorial y comunitaria, la coordinación interinstitucional y la reducción de las desigualdades en el acceso a los servicios.
Su gestión promueve un modelo de salud construida desde los territorios y a lo largo del curso de vida, acercando la atención a hogares, escuelas y comunidades y articulándola con las políticas de bienestar y cuidados.
-
Isabel Mestres is a transformative leader in global health with over 20 years of experience advancing noncommunicable disease (NCD) care, public-private partnerships, and health system innovation. As
CEO of City Cancer Challenge (C/Can), Isabel leads a bold movement that leverages cities as micro health systems, complex, real-world environments where public and private actors can co-create scalable, sustainable cancer solutions that work. Her work focuses on turning local implementation into a powerful driver of national and global change, ensuring equitable, high-quality cancer care in low- and middle-income countries.
A founding member of C/Can, Isabel has played a critical role in scaling the initiative from an ambitious concept to a globally recognised model for local implementation, now active in more than 20 cities. Under her leadership, C/Can has become a trusted catalyst for change, mobilising governments, civil society, the private sector, and multilateral institutions to co-create and implement sustainable cancer solutions that strengthen health systems from the ground up.
Before taking the helm at C/Can, Isabel held senior roles at the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) in Geneva, where she led an award-winning global partnerships and membership strategy. Her earlier career in the private sector shaped her results-driven, entrepreneurial mindset and deep expertise in scaling innovation.
In recognition of her work at the intersection of diplomacy, public health, and multisector collaboration, Isabel was selected as a Politics and Health Diplomacy Fellow by Karolinska Institutet and the Stockholm School of Economics. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the NCD Alliance (2025-2027), helping guide the global advocacy agenda for integrated action on NCDs and health equity.
Isabel is also a frequent global public speaker, having delivered keynote addresses and moderated high-level panels at over 50 international conferences, UN forums, and global health summits.
A native of Barcelona, Isabel holds an MBA from ESADE Business School and is fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Catalan. She lives in Switzerland with her husband, two children, and two dogs; and remains a passionate advocate for the power of localized agendas to drive global change.
-
Manuel Trujillo is Head of Project Delivery for Breathe Cities, a global initiative supporting cities to clean the air and enhance public health, delivered by Clean Air Fund, C40 Cities and Bloomberg Philanthropies. In this role, he helps lead the implementation of the initiative across 16 cities worldwide, working with city governments and local partners to translate ambitious clean air strategies into action and accelerate progress on air pollution, climate and public health.
Manuel has more than 15 years of experience in international cooperation, public policy, strategic partnerships and global programme management across government, international organisations and philanthropy. Before joining Breathe Cities, he served as Director of International Relations for the City of Barranquilla and held senior advisory roles at Colombia’s national government agency for international cooperation. He has also worked with mayors and city leaders on migration policy at the Mayors Migration Council.
Manuel holds a Master of Public Administration from the London School of Economics and a degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania.
THEME 6
Regional Spotlight: Latin America & Caribbean — Regional evidence, city practice, and capacity for action
-
Waleska Teixeira Caiaffa, Director Observatory for Urban Health (OSUBH-UFMG) and Visiting Professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais Brazil (UFMG) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
After training as a pediatrician, Caiaffa specialized in public health at Bloomberg Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (master and post-doctoral) and at the UFMG (doctoral degree).
She served as a full professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, UFMG, where currently, she is a visiting professor.
Caiaffa founded the OSUBH-UFMG in 2002 and is the director.
Throughout her career, she has maintained links to national and international groups on urban health involving research and training initiatives and collaborated with global urban health expert groups, such as serving on the board of the International Society for Urban Health (ISUH) from 2007-14 and as president from 2011-14
-
Eugen Resendiz Research Professor at the School of Architecture, Art, and Design and a Fellow at the Center for the Future of Cities at Tecnologico de Monterrey.
She earned her bachelor's degree in architecture and master's degree in public policy from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and her doctorate in public health sciences from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
Dr. Resendiz is passionate about promoting multidisciplinary work between public health and urban design to reduce health disparities.
Her research focuses on the spatial and temporal factors that influence physical activity and other health-related behaviors.
She is also interested in studying the relationships between the built environment and health, focusing on Latin American populations.
Dr. Resendiz serves on the Executive Committee of the Global Observatory for Healthy and Sustainable Cities and is Head of Membership & Regional Coordinator Network.
In December 2025, the founding executive committee of the GOHSC received the Nobel Sustainability Trust Award for “Outstanding Research and Development for Intelligent and Sustainable Urban Solutions.”
Her research interests include urban health, physical activity and its relationship to the built environment, urban policy for health, health policy research, health disparities, and chronic disease prevention, with a special focus on Latin American megacities.
-
Eduardo Santana Castellón. Professor Emeritus and Founding Director of the Museum of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guadalajara (UdeG).
He holds a PhD in Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he serves as an adjunct professor. He was a member of the team that established the Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve, the Intermunicipal Agency for the Integrated Management of the Ayuquila River Basin, and the La Primavera Forest Public Decentralized Agency.
He is the founder and co-coordinator of the José Emilio Pacheco City and Nature Literature Prize and the Socio-environmental Film Prize.
He has served on the boards of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (permanent emeritus member), the Society for Conservation Biology, the Association for Tropical Biology, the Aldo Leopold Foundation, and FONNOR (a Mexican conservation fund).
He coordinated the metropolitan sustainability assessment of Guadalajara for UN-Habitat, as well as projects supporting the defense of territory and natural resources for the Wixárika and Nahua communities in western Mexico.
He has been a guest speaker at three World Urban Forums and two Biodiversity COPs.
He has supervised and served on the juries for over 55 graduate and undergraduate theses covering ecology, environmental education, and urban sustainability.
His professional impact is underscored by more than 190 technical and outreach publications, along with over 40 individual and institutional awards and distinctions.
-
Olga L. Sarmiento is a Full Professor of Public Health and Research Director at the School of Medicine at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá.
Her transdisciplinary research examines the relationship between the built environment, public policies, and health, with a particular focus on inclusive and sustainable community-based programs in Latin America.
She has led health evaluations of public policies in Bogotá, including cycling infrastructure, Ciclovías, the TransMilenio Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, and the city’s cable car system.
Dr. Sarmiento is currently Co-Principal Investigator of the SALURBAL-Climate project (Urban Health in Latin America), funded by the Wellcome Trust, and of the Air Quality, Health and Equity Study in Bogotá, supported by Breathe Cities, Clean Air Fund, and C40.
She has also served as Co-Principal Investigator of the ESCALA project (Study of Climate Change in Informal Settlements) and the CIVICA project (Connected and Intelligent Living City), and has contributed to initiatives such as On the way to school and GAC-PAQ (Global Adolescent and Children Physical Activity Questionnaire).
She is a member of international research networks including IPEN, the Urban Health Network for Latin America and the Caribbean, and CRA.
With more than 20 years of academic experience, she has taught and mentored undergraduate and graduate students in Colombia and across Latin America.
-
Nélida Escobedo Ruiz is an architect from Tecnológico de Monterrey and holds a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan.
Her work focuses on public space, affordable housing, and the relationship between urban environments and early childhood development.
She serves as Academic Director of the Urban95 Academy Latin America Program, a collaboration among LSE Cities, the Van Leer Foundation, Fundación FEMSA, and Tecnológico de Monterrey.
Nélida is currently a Fellow at the Center for the Future of Cities and an Associate Professor in the School of Architecture, Art and Design at Tecnológico de Monterrey.
Throughout her career, she has participated in international cooperation initiatives, including projects with the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) through the C40 Cities Finance Facility program.
She also worked as a Research Associate at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Her work bridges research, teaching, and practice to advance more inclusive, healthy, and child-friendly urban environments, with a particular focus on supporting caregivers, strengthening communities, and improving quality of life across generations.
Children, Parenting, & Care Roundtable
-
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Morehouse School of Medicine, Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Director, Break the Cycle Program, Pediatric Environmental Specialty Unit (PEHSU), Emory University, Medical Director, The Rubin Center for Autism and Developmental Pediatrics, President and Founder, Break the Cycle of Health Disparities, Inc.
Dr. Rubin is originally from South Africa, where he trained in pediatrics, then went to Case Western Reserve in Cleveland Ohio, then Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts, and now at Morehouse School of Medicine and Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Rubin is a Developmental Pediatrician who provides pediatric and interdisciplinary coordinated care for children with developmental disabilities and their families and is the primary editor of 3 editions of a textbook addressing health care for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
In 2004, he founded the non-profit Break the Cycle of Health Disparities, Inc. and started the annual Break the Cycle of Children’s Environmental Health Disparities program in partnership with the Southeast PEHSU to raise awareness among university students of children’s environmental health disparities and to cultivate future leaders to address these challenges.
To date there have been 21 annual programs with over 200 students from over 50 different academic departments in over 20 states in the USA as well as from 6 countries in Latin American and 2 Countries in Africa. In 2024 he started a Break the Cycle Africa program now in its 4th year.
To date, there have been more than 200 papers published in international journals as well as 20 books in a Public Health Series with Nova Publishers.
The program received The Children’s Environmental Health Excellence Award from the US EPA in 2016.
Dr. Rubin’s personal mission is to collaborate with others to improve the health and well-being of children and adults with developmental disabilities and reducing children’s health disparities and promoting health equity for all children, locally, nationally, and globally in the context of environmental and social justice and in the face climate change.
-
Luciana Renner is an architect and urbanist and the Executive Director of Fundación Placemaking, where she leads projects and partnerships focused on creating more inclusive, healthy, and people-centered cities.
For more than a decade, her work has explored how public space can support wellbeing, strengthen communities, and create better environments for children and families.
She has contributed to the development and implementation of more than 100 urban and architectural projects across Mexico and Latin America, working alongside communities, governments, civil society, and private-sector partners.
A significant part of Luciana’s work focuses on early childhood, Nature-based Solutions, and the relationship between public space, health, and everyday life.
She has led initiatives such as LAPIS — Lugares Amigables para la Primera Infancia — bringing together participation, play, care, and place-based design to create spaces that respond to the needs of children and their caregivers.
Across her work, Luciana promotes collaborative approaches that give communities the tools to actively shape the places they inhabit, while advancing healthier, more resilient, and more connected urban environments.
-
Karina is a psychopedagogue, educator, and social-impact professional working at the intersection of education, care, community development, and urban justice. Her work focuses on creating conditions in which children, adolescents, caregivers, and communities can thrive through more equitable, safe, and meaningful learning and public environments.
She has experience in instructional design, teacher development, educational evaluation, coaching, project management, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) processes across Latin America. She currently contributes to initiatives that transform public spaces through an early-childhood lens, bringing together community voices, implementation partners, institutions, and private-sector stakeholders.
Karina approaches care as a collective and systemic responsibility: one that links everyday caregiving practices with the design of cities, educational communities, and public decisions. Her perspective combines methodological rigor with a strong commitment to participation, inclusion, and social transformation. She is particularly interested in how children’s experiences, caregivers’ knowledge, and community networks can inform healthier cities and more responsive systems of care.
-
Carl Mahaney is an architect and advocate for livable cities.
He formerly directed Streetopia Upper West Side for Open Plans and recently founded Childhood City, a New York City-based nonprofit dedicated to ensuring the unique needs of childhood are prioritized in decisions about the built environment.
-
Gil Penalosa is passionate about cities for all people. Because of his unique blend of experience, pragmatism, and passion, many cities worldwide seek his leadership and valuable advice. He has worked in over 350 cities.
Gil is the Founder and Chair of the successful Canadian non-profit organization 8 80 Cities and founder of Cities for Everyone.
In 2022 Gil ran for mayor of Toronto. In 100 days, he got 100,000 votes.
Currently Gil is an academic chair at the Norman Foster Institute for Sustainable Cities, as well as Expert Advisor to the International Society for Urban Health, and to the Danish based world initiative, Cities for Better Health.
He hosts his bi-weekly webinar series with over 30 countries connected. Gil also runs his consultancy, Gil Penalosa & Associates.
Gil was elected twice as chair of World Urban Parks. He holds an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, received a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Faculty of Urban Planning at Swedish SLU.
In 2023 Gil was voted to Planetizen’s Top 100 Most Influential Contemporary Urbanists, at #13.
-
Dr. Quirós-Alcalá is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a leader in exposure science and environmental epidemiology.
Her research focuses on the health impacts of endocrine disruptors and other environmental exposures, with a particular emphasis on environmental justice and on communities historically underrepresented and disproportionately burdened by environmental risk, including workers, pregnant women, women of reproductive age, and children.
Her scholarship advances evidence-based science that informs public health policy, prevention strategies, and interventions to reduce environmental health disparities.
She has been recognized with the International Society of Exposure Science Joan Daisy Young Exposure Scientist Award and holds leadership roles with the International Society for Children’s Health and Environment (ISCHE president), the Health Effects Institute (Advisory Board), the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities (Councilor), Children’s Environmental Health Network (Advisory Board), and the NIOSH Board of Scientific Counselors.
Together with Dr. Leslie Rubin of Morehouse School of Medicine, she helped launch the 2026 Break the Cycle/ISCHE Scholars Program in Latin America.
-
Daniela is a public-sector and nonprofit leader with over a decade of experience advancing more inclusive, responsive, and sustainable cities.
She is Co-founder and President of TANDEM, where she leads strategy, research, and partnerships at the intersection of urban governance, data, institutional capacity, gender equity, and citizen participation.
Throughout her career, she has designed and scaled programs, built cross-sector partnerships, led multidisciplinary teams, and managed donor-funded initiatives in collaboration with local governments, universities, civil society, and international funders.
Daniela previously served as Vice Mayor and City Councilor of Quito and was a 2026 Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Her work focuses on translating evidence, innovation, and collaboration into stronger institutions, better public policy, and measurable outcomes for cities and communities.
-
Bosmat Sfadia-Wolf, MA, B.Arch, is an architect, urban planner, and CEO of Urban95 Israel, leading urban systems change at scale.
She heads a national network of nearly 40 municipalities, placing young children and caregivers at the heart of urban policy, planning, and public services.
Her work connects urban governance, public health, climate adaptation, and parental wellbeing.
Over the past eight years, Bosmat has led Urban95’s development from pioneering work within Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality to a national initiative.
In Tel Aviv-Yafo, she led a cross-department strategy implemented across 400 public spaces and playgrounds.
Today, she brings together government, philanthropy, academia, civil society, and communities to embed and scale change across diverse municipalities, with particular experience working with Arab communities.
Her architectural background shapes her approach: designing urban spaces and public systems around the everyday experiences of children and caregivers.
She leads the development of a parental wellbeing dashboard and a Healthy Neighborhood framework, translating evidence into municipal action to improve family wellbeing and reduce disparities.
The Tel Aviv-Yafo initiative she led was documented by Princeton University and serves as a teaching case at the London School of Economics.
She is a guest lecturer in LSE’s Urban95 Academy and speaks to international audiences.
Bosmat holds an MA in Housing and Urbanism from the Architectural Association in London and a B.Arch from Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem.
Air Quality & Climate Change Roundtable
-
Manuel Trujillo is Head of Project Delivery for Breathe Cities, a global initiative supporting cities to clean the air and enhance public health, delivered by Clean Air Fund, C40 Cities and Bloomberg Philanthropies. In this role, he helps lead the implementation of the initiative across 16 cities worldwide, working with city governments and local partners to translate ambitious clean air strategies into action and accelerate progress on air pollution, climate and public health.
Manuel has more than 15 years of experience in international cooperation, public policy, strategic partnerships and global programme management across government, international organisations and philanthropy. Before joining Breathe Cities, he served as Director of International Relations for the City of Barranquilla and held senior advisory roles at Colombia’s national government agency for international cooperation. He has also worked with mayors and city leaders on migration policy at the Mayors Migration Council.
Manuel holds a Master of Public Administration from the London School of Economics and a degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania.
-
Mike Davies is Professor of Building Physics and Environment at University College London (UCL).
His research interests lie in the provision of healthy and comfortable built environments in the context of a changing climate.
He was the founding Director of UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering and has been the Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on over 60 research projects.
The outputs of this body of work have impacted on a range of key national and international policy formulations.
For over 15 years he has led an extensive programme of research aimed at informing the scientific understanding of the systemic nature of a sustainable built environment.
This work is founded on intimate collaboration with researchers from health and other disciplines, and has sought to understand the complex relationship between the built environment and health.
Through such transdisciplinary research, a highly productive, multi-skilled team has been developed which has sought innovation in responding to the world’s urban health challenges.
They have helped articulate the multiple underpinning connections and opportunities for healthy sustainable development.
-
Daniel Velázquez-Cortés is a medical doctor and holds a Master’s degree in Global Health.
He is currently a PhD student at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and Pompeu Fabra University, where his doctoral research examines how changes in urban mobility and transport behaviour can improve population health while reducing environmental impacts.
He uses health impact assessment approaches to quantify the health effects of changes in physical activity and environmental exposures resulting from transport interventions.
His broader interests lie at the intersection of climate change, sustainable transport, physical activity, and public health, with a focus on generating evidence to inform healthier and more sustainable urban environments.
-
Economist graduated from UNAM with master's and doctoral studies in Environmental Sciences from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
He is a full-time, permanent researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico where he is attached to the Institute of Geography.
He is a member of the National System of Researchers of Mexico, level 3. He currently serves as CLA of the IPCC special report on Climate Change and Cities.
-
Dr. David Rojas-Rueda is an environmental epidemiologist and Associate Professor at Colorado State University.
His research quantifies the health impacts of urban environments, including air quality, transport, green space, noise, and climate, and translates that evidence into tools and policies cities can act on.
He has contributed to the design and development of health impact assessment tools and methods with WHO, PAHO, and other international organizations, supporting evidence-based decision making in cities around the world.
His recent work spans a national assessment of transportation noise and health in the United States, environmental justice screening and community engagement in Colorado, and the health co-benefits of climate action in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Western Asia.
His work bridges epidemiology, urban planning, and policy, with a focus on healthy, equitable, and climate-resilient cities.
He serves on the Colorado Environmental Justice Advisory Board and advises governments, multilateral organizations, and philanthropies worldwide.
He was named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in 2022
Government roundtable
supreme court justice panel
BREAK THE CYCLE OF CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DISPARITIES - LATIN AMERICA SYMPOSIUM
-
Montserrat Mendoza is a scientist and environmental activist committed to environmental health.
She is pursuing a PhD in Environmental Sciences at UASLP/PAHO Collaborating Center, researching plastic pollution and environmental civic engagement to protect Indigenous and vulnerable communities.
She holds degrees in Environmental Sciences and Public Health.
She coordinates volunteer groups focused on environmental education, citizen participation, and climate justice.
-
Dr. Quirós-Alcalá is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a leader in exposure science and environmental epidemiology.
Her research focuses on the health impacts of endocrine disruptors and other environmental exposures, with a particular emphasis on environmental justice and on communities historically underrepresented and disproportionately burdened by environmental risk, including workers, pregnant women, women of reproductive age, and children.
Her scholarship advances evidence-based science that informs public health policy, prevention strategies, and interventions to reduce environmental health disparities.
She has been recognized with the International Society of Exposure Science Joan Daisy Young Exposure Scientist Award and holds leadership roles with the International Society for Children’s Health and Environment (ISCHE president), the Health Effects Institute (Advisory Board), the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities (Councilor), Children’s Environmental Health Network (Advisory Board), and the NIOSH Board of Scientific Counselors.
Together with Dr. Leslie Rubin of Morehouse School of Medicine, she helped launch the 2026 Break the Cycle/ISCHE Scholars Program in Latin America.
-
Bosmat Sfadia-Wolf, MA, B.Arch, is an architect, urban planner, and CEO of Urban95 Israel, leading urban systems change at scale.
She heads a national network of nearly 40 municipalities, placing young children and caregivers at the heart of urban policy, planning, and public services.
Her work connects urban governance, public health, climate adaptation, and parental wellbeing.
Over the past eight years, Bosmat has led Urban95’s development from pioneering work within Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality to a national initiative.
In Tel Aviv-Yafo, she led a cross-department strategy implemented across 400 public spaces and playgrounds.
Today, she brings together government, philanthropy, academia, civil society, and communities to embed and scale change across diverse municipalities, with particular experience working with Arab communities.
Her architectural background shapes her approach: designing urban spaces and public systems around the everyday experiences of children and caregivers.
She leads the development of a parental wellbeing dashboard and a Healthy Neighborhood framework, translating evidence into municipal action to improve family wellbeing and reduce disparities.
The Tel Aviv-Yafo initiative she led was documented by Princeton University and serves as a teaching case at the London School of Economics.
She is a guest lecturer in LSE’s Urban95 Academy and speaks to international audiences.
Bosmat holds an MA in Housing and Urbanism from the Architectural Association in London and a B.Arch from Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem.
-
Pablo León Alazraki Salas holds a Bachelor’s degree in Data Science from ITAM and is currently pursuing a specialization in Artificial Intelligence and a Master’s degree in Applied Computational Sciences, also at ITAM.
He has published two research articles and is particularly interested in projects that leverage technology and data to create meaningful social impact.
-
Martha María (Mara) Téllez-Rojo is a Senior Research Scientist at the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico, with expertise in environmental epidemiology and biostatistics.
Her research focuses on the exposome, integrating environmental exposures (e.g., metals, endocrine disruptors, air pollution), social stressors, and lifestyle factors to understand their impact on maternal and child health.
She co-leads the ELEMENT and PROGRESS birth cohorts, with a focus on early-life exposures and long-term health outcomes, including neurodevelopment and cardiometabolic risk.
Her work also includes population biomonitoring and the translation of scientific evidence into public health policy, particularly in lead exposure prevention.
-
Paulina is a medical doctor with a masters in Environmental Health and a doctorate in Epidemiology who is passionate about environmental health research and translating scientific findings into meaningful public health interventions.
She has been conducting epidemiological studies and risk analyses for over 25 years as a full-time research associate and faculty member at the Environmental Health Department of the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico.
Most of her studies have been carried out in vulnerable, rural populations in several states in Mexico and in South Africa. These studies include priority exposure-health outcomes: lead, arsenic, fluoride, persistent organic pollutants, benzene, and aflatoxins, and their corresponding effects in fertility and birth outcomes, neuro and nephrotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and cancer.
Paulina is a founding member of the collaborative Mundo Químico (Living in a Chemical World), which aims at regulating and reducing chemical exposures in Mexico.
-
Lizette Rodríguez Pacheco is a PhD student in Health Sciences at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán in Mexico.
Her research focuses on environmental health, pediatric populations, and the potential health effects of environmental metal exposure.
Her current research examines the relationship between metal exposure, demographic vulnerabilities, and early kidney injury among children in Mexico.
-
Nataly Damasceno de Figueiredo, MSc, PhD is a Professor at the School of Medicine of Souza Marques University Center, she is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Environmental Health/Epidemiology at the Institute of Collective Health Studies, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IESC/UFRJ, since 2022).
She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York (2023–2024).
Currently serving as a fellow at the International Society of Children's Health and the Environment - Researchers to Action program (ISCHE - R2A).
Additionally, she serves as Executive Coordinator of the Childhood and Environmental Pollution Birth Cohort (PIPA Project)
-
Carlos A. Faerron Guzmán is a Costa Rican physician, educator, and scholar whose work connects global health, planetary health, equity, governance, and transformative education.
His work pays particular attention to the values that shape collective decisions in the face of the Anthropocene.
He has worked in primary health care in Indigenous territories in southern Costa Rica and has led initiatives with communities, universities, public institutions, and international networks.
He is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, the Director of the InterAmerican Center for Global Health, and Senior Advisor at the Planetary Health Alliance at Johns Hopkins University.
He holds adjunct positions at Northwestern University, Harvard University, and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.
He is a fellow of the Central American Healthcare Initiative and a visiting scholar at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.
-
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Morehouse School of Medicine, Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Director, Break the Cycle Program, Pediatric Environmental Specialty Unit (PEHSU), Emory University, Medical Director, The Rubin Center for Autism and Developmental Pediatrics, President and Founder, Break the Cycle of Health Disparities, Inc.
Dr. Rubin is originally from South Africa, where he trained in pediatrics, then went to Case Western Reserve in Cleveland Ohio, then Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts, and now at Morehouse School of Medicine and Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Rubin is a Developmental Pediatrician who provides pediatric and interdisciplinary coordinated care for children with developmental disabilities and their families and is the primary editor of 3 editions of a textbook addressing health care for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
In 2004, he founded the non-profit Break the Cycle of Health Disparities, Inc. and started the annual Break the Cycle of Children’s Environmental Health Disparities program in partnership with the Southeast PEHSU to raise awareness among university students of children’s environmental health disparities and to cultivate future leaders to address these challenges.
To date there have been 21 annual programs with over 200 students from over 50 different academic departments in over 20 states in the USA as well as from 6 countries in Latin American and 2 Countries in Africa. In 2024 he started a Break the Cycle Africa program now in its 4th year.
To date, there have been more than 200 papers published in international journals as well as 20 books in a Public Health Series with Nova Publishers.
The program received The Children’s Environmental Health Excellence Award from the US EPA in 2016.
Dr. Rubin’s personal mission is to collaborate with others to improve the health and well-being of children and adults with developmental disabilities and reducing children’s health disparities and promoting health equity for all children, locally, nationally, and globally in the context of environmental and social justice and in the face climate change.
City of Mexico Official Welcome
ICUH 2026 WELCOME CEREMONY
-
Architect, urban planner and researcher.
He currently heads the headquarters of the Center for the Future of Cities at the Tecnológico de Monterrey, in Mexico City.
His work explores the intersection between migration, climate resilience and urbanization, with an emphasis on land holding systems, ecological processes and urban transformations.
He has promoted projects on access to water and displacement in Colombia, and urban development strategies in Mexico City.
He was a researcher at the Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (MIT), collaborating with international agencies and local governments.
He has exhibited at the Venice Biennale, the ETSAM in Madrid and other institutions.
He has received the Julian Beinart Research Award, the MITdesignX Grant, the Harold Horowitz Research Grant and the Félix Candela Prize.
Alberto is an architect from the Tecnológico de Monterrey and a master in Urbanism from MIT.
PAHO Panel – Gentrification and Urban Health Inequities: Intersectoral Responses from Cities in the Americas
