A Calling Forged in Crisis The flickering television screen in young Colleen Groll’s living room did more than broadcast the evening news—it shaped a life’s purpose. Each night, images of wounded soldiers in Vietnam stirred something deep within her. By the time the war ended during her junior year of […]
The ANHE Team
13 posts
Roots of a Calling Robbi Hagelberg’s nursing story began with a dream deferred—her grandmother’s unfulfilled aspiration to care for others. Growing up in rural Iowa, young Robbi internalized this longing, transforming it into her own life’s purpose. Now, after 35 years in nursing, she reflects on how this career has […]
Born and raised in Santiago, Chile, Claudia Zúñiga always knew she wanted to serve others—and nursing was the perfect way to do it. Her career began in a maternity unit, where she assisted with childbirth and postpartum care before transitioning to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Rising to the […]
Interviewee: Jo Bjorgaard, DNP, RN, PHN, CSSBB Title: Senior Climate & Health Manager Organization: Climate Advocacy Lab Background and Project Overview As the Pediatric Quality Improvement Consultant and Sustainability Lead at a large Midwestern academic health system, Jo Bjorgaard recognized a critical gap in the organization’s environmental accountability: no formal […]
Name of Interviewee: Sarah E. Johnson Organization: Providence St. Patrick Hospital Initiative Overview Sarah Johnson led a comprehensive environmental stewardship and climate action initiative at Providence St. Patrick Hospital, a regional acute care facility with approximately 1,300 employees and 600 nurses. The project was a multi-faceted effort to integrate sustainability […]
(original blog post) Initiative Overview Growing up in Florida’s Dade County, Caitlin MacLaren developed an early awareness of the imbalanced relationship between humans and the environment. She spent time working for several different nonprofits, addressing social and environmental justice issues through public policy research and advocacy. MacLaren was eventually drawn […]
(original blog) Initiative Overview From the Philippines to Finland, Floro Cubelo has seen how access to health care can make all the difference. Realizing the impact of his own greenhouse gas emissions from long flights home, this international nurse became compelled to lead climate action efforts through the lens of […]
Interviewee: Stephanie Santos, BSN, RN Organization: Miriam Hospital, Rhode Island Background Stephanie Santos, a dedicated BSN, RN at Miriam Hospital in Rhode Island, has spent nearly a decade championing environmental sustainability both within her healthcare institution and across her community. Her journey began with a simple observation: the staggering amount […]
Interviewee: Ann Mead, RN Role: Clinical Nurse, Perioperative Unit; Co-founder of Nurse Sustainability Subcouncil Turning Observation into Action Ann Mead’s sustainability journey began with a simple yet profound observation she had seen replicated in various units in different hospitals where she had worked. She noticed plastic wash basins, originally intended […]
Interviewee: Charlotte Wallace, MS, RN Former Role: Sustainability Coordinator at Anne Arundel Health System From Pediatric Nurse to Sustainability Trailblazer Charlotte Wallace’s sustainability journey began unexpectedly when, as a pediatric nurse, she penned a bold letter to her hospital’s president challenging the institution’s environmental footprint. Her simple yet powerful argument—”We […]