Congratulations to our 2025 Awardees!

Debbie Adam is a third-year medical student at UCSF.  Her research interests center community outreach, advocacy and global health. Debbie continually seeks to expand her understanding of how environmental exposures disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities. As a scholar in the EaRTH Center's Environmental Scholars Program, Debbie worked with the Reach the Decisionmakers team Underground Rising and the Richmond Shoreline Alliance (an SF Bay PSR partner).

Rio Barrere-Cain is an MD-PhD student at UCSF studying the immune system in the skin with applications for preventing and treating chronic inflammation, particularly conditions like eczema and psoriasis. She is passionate about creating and implementing curriculum that centers the inter- connections between climate change and health disparities. As a Climate Ambassador for the UC Center for Climate, Health and Equity, she initiated and designed key climate health topics for the medical curriculum.

Tara Benesch, MD is an Emergency Physician in Oakland, California, working at the intersection of medicine, climate change, and advocacy. A graduate of the UCSF-UC Berkeley Joint Medical Program, she completed the University of Colorado Climate and Health Science Policy Fellowship, where she now serves as affiliate faculty. Her work spans climate resilience, education, and advocacy with partners including the CDC, Pan American Health Organization, and the Global Climate and Health Alliance.

Camila De Pierola Casalino is a third-year medical student at the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program and an unwavering advocate for immigrant rights and health equity. She earned her MPH at UC Berkeley, where her studies examined the historical roots of racism, ableism, and ethics in the U.S. healthcare system. Her advocacy includes engaging with Congressional leaders, creating a national support program for immigrant young adults, and leading workshops to educate healthcare professionals on immigrant rights in medical settings.

Mateo Frumholtz is a third year PhD student at the University of Minnesota studying public health. He is passionate about using data to advance community-driven policy changes. Broadly, his work focuses on urban planning and health with a special interest in housing and urban environmental justice movements. Since 2022, Mateo has been a rising leader in the Peace Caucus of APHA, and his efforts have made a significant contribution to transitioning the Peace Caucus leadership from its founding members to student and early and mid-career public health professionals.

Jonah Henry is passionate about the opportunities that the renewable energy transition and public transit present to simultaneously stop the climate crisis and develop a more equitable economy. As a student at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), he co-founded and led Sunrise Santa Cruz. After graduating from UCSC in June 2025 with a combined degree in Environmental Studies and Economics, he now volunteers as a grassroots community organizer with Sunrise Movement Los Angeles and as a climate policy researcher with Climate Action California.