Avriel Diaz

Background

About Avriel Diaz

I am a Planetary Health Scientist and the Executive Director at the Global Council for Science and the Environment (GCSE) whose mission is to support the use of evidence-based science in public and private decision-making about health and the environment. Before joining GCSE I co-founded and served as Executive Director of Walking Palms Global Health, an organization focused on building community resilience amidst climate and environmental disasters. I have dedicated years to forming international transdisciplinary partnerships aimed at enhancing community resilience in the face of climate change and variation across Latin America and the Caribbean. I am actively pursuing my doctorate at Columbia University in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science focusing on improving climate services for the health sector. I also lead working group two (climate adaptation) for the Lancet Countdown Latin America. My expertise spans a spectrum of domains, including climate services development and implementation, climate-resilient health systems, disease ecology, monitoring & evaluation, communications and education, and social mobilization. I use a dynamic and collaborative approach in all my projects, working closely with government entities, researchers, and communities to co-produce and co-deliver climate, environment and health initiatives, ensuring their usability by decision-makers for impactful public outcomes. I hold a Bachelors of Science from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and two Masters from Columbia University in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology and Environmental Earth Sciences.