Meet the team

Joanna is a public health practitioner working at the interface between population health and climate change. In her current role as Health Improvement Manger for Public Health Scotland, she co-leads a programme of work integrating health and health inequality considerations into climate policy and implementation. This work uses public health evidence, approaches and tools at a national, regional and local level to enable cross-sectoral climate plans and action to minimises health harms and maximises health and equity co-benefits. “I am passionate about ensuring that climate action goes beyond environmental outcomes—protecting and improving population health, tackling health inequity, and creating healthier, fairer places for us to live, work and play in”. Previously Joanna worked as a Public Health Intelligence Adviser supporting the development of evidence-informed policy across a wide range of public health issues including mental health and reproductive health as well as working internationally on psychosocial issues in Asia and Africa. She has worked in the NHS as a clinical psychologist and has a PhD in Cross Cultural Mental Health. “As a public sector employee working at the interface between climate change, population health and equity, SSN provides an exciting opportunity to collaborate to create places and communities that are low carbon, climate resilient, healthy and equitable.”

Emma is a PhD researcher and tutor at Edinburgh University focused on extreme climate events and climate adaptation in Scotland. Emma tutors on the Carbon Management Masters and is an ECCI Associate. She also runs workshops and presents on adaptation for the public sector and in local communities. She is co-chair of the Adaptation Community of Practice at Edinburgh University and is a Trustee at Scottish Communities Climate Action Network (SCCAN). She is chair of the Leaders Network at 2050 Climate Group. Emma was listed on the Scottish Power COP26 Green Power List for her climate action work.