Over the past decade, there has been mounting evidence for the effect of nature on health and wellbeing. Time spent in greenspaces have significant positive effects on mental health and stress reduction. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people rediscovered nature as a way to cope with the stress of the lockdowns. However, most Americans still spend very little time in nature. In this session, we will explore the research evidence connecting health and nature. Several studies conducted by the Center for Health & Nature will be examined including the effects of healing gardens, nature through virtual reality, nature exposure among remote workers and theoretical measurement development. The session will conclude by examining programs to increase exposure to nature including ParkRX, Walk with a Doc and Campus Nature RX.By the end of the session participants will be able to 1. Describe the health benefits of nature; 2. Evaluate potential programs to increase time spent in nature; 3. Discuss the importance of nature as a place where health happens

Dr. Jay Maddock is Director of the Center for Health & Nature, a joint initiative of Texas A&M University, the Houston Methodist Research Institute and Texan by Nature. He also serves as a Regents Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Texas A&M. He is the Chair of the Nature and Health Alliance and previously served as Chair of the Hawaii Board of Health and Dean of the Texas A&M School of Public Health. His research has been featured in several national and international media outlets including The Today Show, the BBC, Le Monde, Eating Well, Prevention and Good Housekeeping and he has authored over 150 scientific articles and has served as principal investigator on over $20 million in extramural funding.