Reach the Decisionmakers

The 2024-25 Reach cohort has completed. Stay tuned for news of the next application cycle in 2025!

Reach the Decisionmakers (Reach) is a year-long program that increases the capacity of participants to understand and use the best environmental health science to promote science-based health standards and policy in California. Reach emphasizes the importance of learning by doing. Participants develop the tools and skills to effectively engage key offices and staff members within California Agencies and contribute to immediate and lasting changes in environmental health policy. We encourage both individuals and pre-formed teams to apply.

Participants must live in the San Francisco Bay Area, Modesto, Merced, or Fresno regions. See additional requirements here.
Pre-formed team. This could be an existing coalition or any group of individuals who want to form a team of four to six individuals. However, teams must include a diverse mix of community-based leaders, researchers, health care professionals, and public health professionals.
Individuals. Researchers, community-based leaders, public health professionals, and health care professionals with experience in public health, environmental health, and/or medicine are encouraged to apply and will be assigned to a multidisciplinary team.

Reach's History

EaRTH's sister program, PRHE, ran the Reach program from 2010-2017, offering this opportunity at the federal level, and the program was a great success. To date, the Reach the Decisionmakers program has trained over 100 scientists, community members, public health professionals and clinicians, many of whom have pursued successful careers in medicine, academia, and public health.

Program Overview

Participants in the program should expect to commit roughly 150 hours (including in-person travel) over the course of the coming year. The program has the following components:

Initial In-Person Training and Subsequent Zoom Educational Seminars

Participants will meet in San Francisco, CA at the beginning of the program. This in-person meeting is required. Participants will then participate via Zoom throughout the duration of the program for interactive learning sessions. The trainings will address issues related to environmental health science and public policy, including how to work with the state government, understanding the role of science in public health decision-making, team building and leadership, and how communities can use science to improve community health and well-being.

Mentored Team-Learning Groups

Teams will work together, with support from a mentor and program staff to research and develop a policy project that addresses a pressing environmental or reproductive health issue that is under the jurisdiction of the California State Government.

Team Policy Project

Each team will choose their own policy project as the basis of their engagement with the California State Government at an in-person Sacramento, CA meeting or other location as appropriate on a date chosen by the team within the months of September – November 2024. Example projects.

Examples of possible team projects (but not limited to the following):

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently released a Community Air Protection Program Blueprint 2.0 that aims to reduce air pollution risks in environmental justice communities. Fellows will make recommendations to CARB that strengthen the implementation of this program and ensure stronger health protections for communities with high exposure burden.
Ethylene oxide, a potent carcinogen and petrochemical, is commonly used as a sterilizing agent in the manufacturing of medical equipment. Ethylene oxide releases to the environment often disproportionately impact low income and communities of color. Recent evidence suggests that ethylene oxide is being used by the UC System. Fellows will recommend that CARB evaluate and provide potential mitigation strategies for ethylene oxide use and potential environmental releases by the UC system. Fellows will also recommend that the California State Government to convene an expert panel to assess chemical hazards in hospitals and determine: the most prevalent chemicals, chemicals posing the greatest health and economic costs, exposure sources, patients and hospital units at greatest risk, and regulatory and policy options for CalEPA to address these risks. See: https://capitalandmain.com/california-grapples-with-regulation-of-known-carcinogen-ethylene-oxide
The California State Government ’s Worker Protection Standard (WPS) aims to protect the health and safety of workers in the agricultural sector. Fellows will meet with WPS to ensure the reproductive health and safety of workers in the agricultural sector, including advocating for statewide reporting of all pesticides applied by professional applicators in schools of all levels of education, including day care centers.
Organophosphate pesticides (OPs), a toxic class of chemicals linked to acute poisoning and neurodevelopmental harm, are widely used across the State of California. Farmworkers often experience dangerous levels of exposure to multiple OPs, and worker protections are poorly enforced. Fellows will meet with the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) and farmworker rights advocacy groups to recommend a cumulative human health risk assessment for evaluating the risk to farmworkers from exposure to multiple organophosphate pesticides.
Microplastics, or small plastic particles that are generated from the degradation of plastics in the environment, have contaminated virtually every environmental compartment, including air, water, soil, and living organisms. A recent systematic review found that exposure to microplastics is linked to reproductive and digestive health harms, including certain types of cancers. The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) recently proposed to list microplastics to their Candidate Chemicals List, which would trigger downstream regulation. Fellows would meet with DTSC to advance this proposed regulation around microplastics in the State of California.
“Circular Economy” companies are receiving permits for CO2 pipelines and storing CO2 underground. One current controversy around potential permitting for CO2 pipelines in the Sacramento Delta is around growing concerns over leaks and other environmental impacts. In 2022, the State of California passed legislation that instructed CARB to create a carbon capture program, and a decision by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on whether that program can permit carbon capture pipelines is expected to be released in 2024. Participants will work with academic and NGO scientific partners to make recommendations to CARB and PHMSA on policy strategies to reduce potentially harmful exposures from CO2 pipelines. See: https://sacramento.newsreview.com/2023/08/23/smud-sutter-county-officials-grapple-with-the-controversial-possibilities-of-carbon-capture-near-yuba-city/

Cost of Participation

This project is made possible through a NIEHS-funded P30 Environmental Health Sciences Core Center grant. Out-of-pocket costs to participants are expected to be minimal beyond the time commitment required for participation.

Travel, housing, and meals for the in-person meeting with policy makers in Sacramento, CA will be covered by the program.
Participants will receive a $500 stipend at the completion of all program requirements to offset costs of participation.
Participants will be required to have time during the workday (paid time or time off) to participate in the program.
Some incidental costs should be expected (computer time, internet, etc.)
Travel to and from the in-person orientation in San Francisco is not covered by this program. Meals will be provided for the San Francisco orientation. Travel scholarships are available for participants located >50 miles from San Francisco Bay Area.
Webinars will be held via Zoom.

Program Eligibility

Individuals and pre-formed teams will be chosen for the Reach program based on the following criteria:

Previous experience in or knowledge of environmental health
Interest in environmental health and science policy, with emphasis on vulnerable populations (e.g. pregnant people, children, etc.)
Commitment to participant requirements (see below)
Organizational support/agreement for participation (if employed)
Match with program model, especially history of working well in collaborations

Additionally, participant selection will be made to ensure that each cohort meets the following criteria:

Balanced mix of community-based leaders, researchers, health care professionals, public health experts
Range of experience (from none to high) in public policy
Diversity of people who serve and/or represent populations impacted by California State Government decision-making in the field of environmental health
Diversity of experience (from students to seasoned professionals)
Mix of emerging vs. established community organizations

Participant Requirements

Committed to collaborating with team membrs who share similar interests, collectively developing a policy project, and actively contributing to its progress, even if it diverges from the participant's or the participant's organization’s immediate priorities.
Comfortable engaging with others through telephone and conference calls, webinars, and email.
Dedicated to distributing to the workload equitably with the team and devoting the necessary time to accomplish the selected project.
Dedicated to employing language and writing techniques that facilitate clear and impactful communication with team members, policymakers, and external stakeholders.
Prepared to navigate differences in personalities and working styles to foster successful collaboration within the team.
Maintain an active e-mail account that can be checked daily and have access to a computer with internet and video conferencing capabilities.
Committed to communicating with EaRTH if any barriers to participation arise.
Uphold professional conduct standards throughout involvement in the Reach the Decisionmakers program, including during interactions with government personnel and felllow participants.
Willing to provide feedback to EaRTH on my experiences with the Reach the Decisionmakers program through periodic evaluations during and after the program concludes.
Prepared to engage with the network of Reach the Decisionmakers participants and alumni post-program to sustain efforts in advancing science-based environmental policies.
Committed to attending at least 80% of all virtual webinars (missing no more than 2) and the team meeting in Sacramento, CA to be eligible for the stipend at the program’s conclusion.

the application window is now closed.

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Reach the Decisionmakers

Reach's History