Earlier this month, PROTECT, ECHO, & CRECE pediatrician and scientist Gredia Huerta-Montañez was elected to the National Executive Committee of the Council on Environmental Health (COEH) of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Gredia currently serves as the Vice President of the Puerto Rico Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and will continue in this role in addition to serving on the Executive Committee of the COEH. She also is a Chair on the Puerto Rico AAP chapter’s Environmental Health Committee where she is recognized as a champion for healthy early childhood and addressing climate change impacts.
The Council on Environmental Health is home to leaders of the AAP who are concerned with children’s environmental health and toxic exposures. They advise the AAP Board of directors, support legislative initiatives designed to protect children’s and environmental health, develop educational initiatives, and publish the Pediatric Environmental Health manual.
In addition to her responsibilities within the AAP, Gredia is a consultant with the Region 2 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) and has worked in the awareness and implementation of Integrated Pest Management in schools. She teaches Global Health and Medical Epidemiology courses at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine.
Most recently, she was featured in the AAP Voices landing page for her blog on “Safe Water for Families”. In this blog, Gredia recounts her experience during Hurricane Maria to help highlight issues and provide lessons learned on how the ongoing effects of climate change are effecting children’s health.
We are very proud of Gredia for this accomplishment, congratulations!