In the News
The Intersection of Health, Nature, and Wellness Houston Methodist Town Hall, October 2024
Dr. Sadeer Al-Kindi, Medical Director of the Center for Health & Nature joined Dr. Marc Boom and Dr. Elenoora Avenatti for a Houston Methodist Town Hall. They explored nature’s impact on the healing process, as well as its role in cardiovascular wellness and disease prevention.
Doctors Prescribe ‘Nature’ for Better Health FOX 13 Seattle, September 2024
While there are medications and therapies to treat a variety of mental and physical ailments, health experts say more doctors are adapting their approach. Center Director Dr. Jay Maddock appeared on FOX 13 Seattle news to share research findings that are leading doctors to prescribe nature as a way to enhance health.
Research Update from the Center for Health and Nature Texas Children in Nature, August 2024
Jay Maddock, PhD, FAAHB presented Center research updates on a live webinar for the Texas Children in Nature.
Boosted Motivation, Lower Perceived Exertion—All the Advantages You Gain from Riding Outside AOL, July 2024
Bicycling Magazine cited Center research conducted by Jay Maddock, PhD, FAAHB, and Howard Frumkin, MD, DrPH, showing that spending time in nature can greatly enhance workout motivation and help you achieve your fitness goals.
Getting Your Exercise in Nature May Bring Added Benefits U.S. Health News, June 2024
Jay Maddock, PhD, FAAHB and Howard Frumkin, MD, DrPH share their latest study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine and highlight the benefits of outdoor physical activity.
Can a Hike a Day Keep the Doctor Away? Texan by Nature, June 2024
Our Texan by Nature partner shares more on the health benefits of spending time in nature. Eight out of ten Americans report feeling stress at least once every two weeks. Chronic stress can contribute to serious health issues. Spending time in nature may be a simple, effective way to reduce stress and improve health and we are building the science to prove it.
Prescribing Nature to Improve Your Patients’ Health Grand Rounds, Houston Methodist, May 2024
Jay Maddock, PhD, FAAHB presenting “Prescribing Nature to Improve Your Patients’ Health” at the inaugural Center for Health and Nature Grand Rounds Lecture Series. This talk explores the impact of nature on our physical and mental health, sharing research findings and innovative approaches that are reshaping the landscape of healthcare.
From Trails to Tales: Embracing Nature, Health, and the Improv Life with Dr. Jay Maddock Improvly Speaking Podcast, March 2024
Jay Maddock, PhD, FAAHB, met with Dayna Gowan of the Improvly Speaking podcast for an episode titled “From Trails to Tales: Embracing Nature, Health, and the Improv Life.” In this episode, they discuss “nearby nature” and “big nature” and the profound effects that nature can have on our mood, attention, and well-being.
Are You Getting Your Daily Dose of Nature? WebMD, Your Health On Tech, February 2023
Dr. Whyte interviews Clemson professor Matthew Browning, PhD, about tech that tracks time spent outdoors, which can have a positive impact on both physical and mental health.
Improving Health Through Nature Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, November 2022
Jay Maddock, PhD, FAAHB presenting “Improving Health Through Nature” to the Micheal & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living Webinar Series. This talk examines the growing body of evidence examining the relationship between improved health and wellbeing and time spent in nature.
Green Health Katy Prairie Conservancy, September 2021
There are so many reasons why we love spending time outside, but did you know nature also has a profound effect on our health and well-being? The list of health benefits from nature is vast.
Can Nature Help Make Chemo Easier to Endure? Houstonia, April 2020
BRAD WHITE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE IV COLON CANCER last September, but it wasn’t until November that the fear really swept over him. That’s when the 55-year-old native Houstonian got off the elevator on the 21st floor of the Houston Methodist Outpatient Building for the first time ever, his wife and mother at his side, for chemo. “It was so creepy,” he says now. “You have no idea what’s about to take place. You’re naïve to everything.”
Chemo Room: Make a Difference? Ivanhoe Newswire, March 2020
When cancer patients are administered chemotherapy, it can mean long hours sitting in a chair in a room with nothing more than medical equipment. But now, researchers want to know how nature might calm these patients and help the healing process in a chemo room. Cancer patients spend long hours alone in a room. “I need to get chemo and it takes usually seven or eight hours,” Rick Shojaei said.
Bringing the Outside In Methodology, Fall 2019
Which came first, the rooftop garden or the directional sign to the rooftop garden? In the case of a blossoming project to measure the impact of both a real garden and a virtual environment on Houston Methodist Cancer Center oncology patients, the sign came first. While pointing to a nonexistent garden, it planted the seed for a new clinical study and potentially an innovative patient therapy.
A garden in the sky lifts patients’ spirits at Houston Methodist TMC News, November 6th, 2019
A burst of color 21 stories above the Texas Medical Center, Horizon’s Hope garden offers Houston Methodist patients and staff the healing benefits of nature. Plans for the rooftop garden began to bloom last fall when Renee Stubbins, Ph.D., senior research oncology dietitian, and Ashley Verzwyvelt, an oncology infusion nurse liaison, submitted a proposal for a natural oasis on the roof to the Center for Health and Nature.
The cities designing playgrounds for the elderly BBC, October 29th, 2019
In 2014 Jay Maddock, a professor of public health at Texas A&M University in the US, was on a research trip to China when one aspect of local culture caught his attention. “I took a walk to a park near my hotel in the city of Nanchang and noticed hundreds of elderly people exercising together,” he says.
Can exposure to nature alleviate pain, distress during chemotherapy? Houston Chronicle, October 29, 2019
Houston Methodist Cancer Center and Texas A&M University are exploring whether exposure to nature — via virtual reality or a live garden — can alleviate pain and distress for patients undergoing chemotherapy. If it works, this could reduce the need for prescription narcotics.
Laura Bush developed her love for conservation by growing up in oil country Dallas News, May 26, 2019
Midland may not seem the likely birthplace of a conservationist. But that is where an abiding appreciation of nature was awakened in Laura Bush. Thanks to the influence of her mother, the scientists at work in the oil fields, and the vast expanse of sky and land surrounding her as a young girl, she became devoted to the natural world.
The Sky is the Limit: Laura Bush on Conservation The Catalyst, Spring 2019
From admiring the Texas sky as a child to passionately advocating for conservation both during and after her time in the White House, Mrs. Laura Bush has been a longtime admirer — and protector — of nature.
Texas A&M: Investigating Hospital Readmission Reduction Efforts ASPPH, April 18, 2019
Reducing avoidable readmission — patients returning to the hospital within 30 days following discharge — has become a growing concern for hospitals. In a new study in the American Journal of Medical Quality, researchers led by Dr. Bita Kash, reviewed 4,886 published studies between Jan. 2006 and Jan. 2017 of hospital readmission reduction interventions.
Former First Lady Laura Bush continues legacy of promoting nature at inaugural symposium TMC News, February 19, 2019
The Center for Health & Nature hosted their annual Health & Nature Symposium on February 13th to connect scientists and leaders in exploring research priorities and future collaborations. Its goal is to research nature’s impact on patient and clinician care and integrate the results into clinical practice. Former First Lady Laura Bush honored the memory of her in-laws – President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush – and love of nature during The Center for Health & Nature Symposium.
Seeking nature in the hospital TMC, NEWS, March 4, 2019
The Center for Health & Nature held its annual symposium on February 13th at the Houston Methodist Research Institute. The symposium featured research proposals to advance knowledge of the intersection of health and nature. Renee Stubbins, PhD presented her teams proposal which will examine if virtual reality gardening can affect health outcomes in cancer patients. The proposed research will provide a novel and alternative treatment addressing two important conditions in oncology patients: pain and distress.
Texas A&M Partners with Houston Methodist and Texan by Nature to Form the Center for Health & Nature ASPPH, May 10, 2018
Houston Methodist Hospital, the Texas A&M University System and Texan by Nature are partnering to form the Center for Health and Nature. They will work together to advance health and nature research and education. The Center for Health and Nature will publish research outcomes and provide actionable guidance to clinicians, conservationists and policymakers with the vision to implement evidence-based health and nature programs to complement the full continuum of health and health care – prevention, treatment and recovery.
New health center set up at TMC by Houston Methodist, Texas A&M and Laura Bush’s Texan by Nature Houston Business Journal, May 4, 2018
Announced May 2, the Center for Health & Nature is a collaboration between Houston Methodist Hospital, Texas A&M University System and Austin-based Texan by Nature, a nonprofit founded by former First Lady Laura Bush. The center will advance health and nature research and establish a healing garden at Houston Methodist.
Center for Health & Nature to launch at Methodist TMC News, May 3, 2018
A new Center for Health & Nature to be housed at Houston Methodist is anchored by the belief that nature is essential to healing and well-being. Former first lady Laura Bush discussed the need for the center by saying, “there’s a gap in research regarding what nature factors lead to increased health, what exposure to nature means and how much exposure is needed.”