Speakers

Continuing the conversation, our featured speaker is the Alison S. Carlson Endowed Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences and the director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, School of Medicine, at the University of California San Francisco. Dr. Woodruff's work focuses on uncovering and addressing environmental determinants of disease and health inequities and has written groundbreaking material on endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Dr. Woodruff’s research studies the harmful effects of chemicals and pollutants on health, pregnancy, and child development. She leads efforts to translate scientific information into actionable change in the clinic environment and through public policy. Previously, she has served as a senior scientist and policy advisor for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Policy.

In a recent piece in The New England Journal of Medicine, Health Effects of Fossil Fuel–Derived Endocrine Disruptors, Dr. Woodruff highlights the urgent need to address the widespread chemical pollution stemming from the petrochemical industry, underscoring the dire implications for public health. She emphatically states, “We need to recognize the very real harm that petrochemicals are having on people’s health. Many of these fossil-fuel-based chemicals are endocrine disruptors, meaning they interfere with hormonal systems, and they are part of the disturbing rise in disease.”

Petrochemical exposure through air, water, food, and land is increasing and the health problems induced by endocrine disruptors require broader understanding among health care professionals and a more robust regulatory response, with recognition of disproportionate harm to people of color communities. In raising these issues, Dr. Woodruff is sounding the alarm to decarbonize and detoxify our economy with a precautionary approach.

Dr. Touart served as a senior biologist in what was then the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Science Coordination and Policy (OSCP) in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), where he worked on endocrine-disrupting pesticide regulation and policy. After the passage of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) in 1996, he served on the Endocrine Disruptor Screening and Testing Advisory Committee (EDSTAC) subcommittee for screening and testing that developed the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP), initially established and implemented by the agency. In the international arena, Dr. Touart served on the Endocrine Disruptor Testing and Assessment working group of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). He also headed the U.S.-Japan Bilateral Program for endocrine disruptor method development. Dr. Touart brings deep scientific knowledge of endocrine-disrupting pesticides and an insider view and critique of current EPA policy and proposals. He brings his policy and scientific analysis to Beyond Pesticides, most recently evaluating EPA’s current policy proposal for modifying its approach to the implementation of EDSP—saying it “is an abrogation of [the agency’s] responsibilities” under pesticide, food safety, and safe drinking water law.

Ms. Nudelman directs program and policy activities for the Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP). BCPP is “a national organization working to eliminate toxic chemicals and other environmental exposures that lead to breast cancer.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), breast cancer is the second most common cancer and cause of cancer death among women in the U.S. For non-Hispanic Black women and Hispanic women, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. While there are varying statistics on the percentage of cancers caused by environmental factors, most agree that the vast majority of breast cancer cases are caused by toxicants, including endocrine disruptors. Ms. Nudelman is a co-founder and coordinates BCPP’s Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Under her leadership, BCPP’s advocacy efforts are playing an important role in making breast cancer prevention a priority in statehouses and the halls of Congress and have resulted in the passage of 20 local, state, and federal laws and regulations creating the nation’s first municipal precautionary principle ordinance and the first statewide biomonitoring program to measure the pollution in people; banning phthalates from kids toys, cosmetics and IV bags and tubing in California and championing a federal ban on phthalates in kids toys; and securing passage of California laws that requires ingredient disclosure. Ms. Nudelman draws on nearly 30 years of experience in the social change and women’s health arenas as a political organizer and advocate, and uses her astute political expertise to spearhead campaigns that result in significant policy and market-based change. 

Ms. Treviño-Sauceda is the executive director and co-founder of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Inc., the first national grassroots farmworker women's organization. She is the founder of the U.S. farmworker women’s movement. Born to a migrant family of ten children; she worked in agricultural fields since age eight and was a union organizer with the UFW since her teen years. In 1988, Mily co-founded “Mujeres Mexicanas” and in 1992, she co-founded Líderes Campesinas, a state-based grassroots organization for campesinas by campesinas—Executive Director for 12 years, now President Emeritus. Treviño-Sauceda has a Master’s degree in Social Sciences and sits on numerous state/national boards/advisory councils. She has earned multiple awards, including: “100 Heroines of the World,” 1998; “Sister of Fire” Award, 2003; and The Ford Foundation & NYU award “Leadership for a Changing World,” 2004. People Magazine recognized her twice, in 2006. Líderes Campesinas honored her 30+ years of distinguished leadership, in 2009 and 2018. Cesar Chavez Legacy Award, 2015 & 2018. A Laureate Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life, 2016, by the World Women Summit Foundation; Novo Foundation’s Fourth Cohort of the Movement to End Violence, 2017; the “Ingenuity Award: as Social Progress” by Smithsonian, 2018, and Best embodies the spirit and work as a Feminist of The Frederick Douglass list of 200, in 2019; Visionary Voice Award by NSVRC, 2019; and Trailblazer in Civil Rights honoree EEOC at their 60th Anniversary. As a plaintiff in a case pressing EPA to start regulating endocrine disruptors, Ms. Treviño-Sauceda, said, ”As farmworker women, the dangers posed by endocrine-disrupting chemicals in pesticides are a lived reality that threatens our health and the well-being of our families. While the EPA's commitment to implementing pesticide screenings is a vital step forward, more work is needed to ensure that harmful chemicals are removed entirely from our fields and communities.”

Amy Tamayo is the proud daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico and has been passionate about supporting her community since her early childhood years, leading her to pursue public interest law at American University Washington College of Law. As the National Policy and Advocacy Director at Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Inc., she advocates alongside farmworker women in advancing their priorities in the areas of immigration, environmental justice and pesticides, workers' rights, and ending violence against women. A key area Amy has focused in at Alianza is raising awareness and advocating for reproductive health protections from harmful endocrine disruptors. Prior to joining Alianza, Amy was a Justice Catalyst legal fellow at Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, where she focused on challenging the gender and sex discrimination women face in the workplace.

Jay is a co-founder and executive director of Beyond Pesticides, with a 40-year history of working with communities nationwide on toxics and organic policies and practices. Jay has successfully fought to remove from the market hazardous pesticides and helped draft pivotal local, state, and federal organic law, including the Agricultural Productivity Act, which established sustainable agriculture programs at USDA, and the Organic Foods Production Act, which created the USDA organic certified food label. In 2010, he was appointed by the Obama Administration to a 5-year appointment to the National Organic Standards Board, where he served as chair of the Crops Committee. He is a recipient of Rodale Institute’s Organic Pioneer Award, 2021. He has written extensively, testified before the U.S. Congress and state and local legislatures, been published in major newspapers, and appeared on national and local news networks and talk shows, while editing Beyond Pesticides’ quarterly journal Pesticides and You and Daily News.