Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention & Wellness
advancing public health adaptation and disease prevention strategies through
Research, Education, & Collaboration
Located within the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University, the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness (RGC) is dedicated to fostering healthier communities by addressing the critical intersections of chronic and infectious disease prevention, public health, and climate change with an emphasis on marginalized populations. Over the past decade, RGC has advanced this mission through policy analysis and advocacy, research, and community-driven initiatives that address health promotion and climate change mitigation.
RGC envisions a future where communities—especially those most at risk—do more than react and survive climate-related health hazards, they adapt and thrive.
A Conversation with John Green: Advocacy for Global Health Equity
We had the honor of hosting award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author and advocate John Green for a powerful National Public Health Week conversation on global health and advocacy, presented in partnership with the Milken Institute SPH, GW Redstone Global Center and GW Public Health Student Association (PHSA).
Milken Institute SPH Installs Two Endowed Chairs
Dr. Timothy Holtz was formally installed as the Sumner M. Redstone Chair and Professor in the Department of Global Health alongside Professor Alison Barkoff on the evening of May 22, 2025.
Roundtable Discussion: Changing Role of U.S. Assistance for Health in Mass Forced Migration, including Environmentally Induced Migration
On June 3, 2025, the Redstone Global Center and Milken Institute SPH at GW, in partnership with CORE Group, hosted a Chatham House-rule roundtable with humanitarian NGOs, faculty from GW and Georgetown, and experts in migration, health, and climate adaptation. Insights will inform a white paper for Congressional staff working to reform U.S. humanitarian health assistance, enhance climate adaptation, and strengthen public understanding of foreign aid’s domestic relevance.
Climate Change & Infectious Disease Threats Conference
Redstone Chair and Director, Dr. Timothy Holtz, attended the Climate Change & Infectious Disease Threats conference hosted by Keystone Symposia from June 23-26, 2025, at the Herrenhausen Palace in Hannover, Germany. The conference explored emerging research around how climate change is and will impact vector-, food-, and water-borne diseases and emerging zoonoses, from tropical to arctic regions around the globe.
Our Current Focus
Climate change is a present and growing crisis, and its effects are not felt equally around the globe. Communities with reduced access to resources and diminished control over environmental and social conditions are often disproportionately impacted by climate-related health hazards and risks. Our new strategic plan focuses on rigorous research, accessible education, and meaningful, cross-sectoral collaboration to ensure that climate adaptation strategies are equitable, grounded in evidence and shaped by those most impacted.
Our Past Focus Areas
Sustainable food systems provide food and nutrition security while also limiting negative impacts on the environment. A sustainable food system that provides access to nutritious food for all is essential to ending chronic health disparities and addressing the food system's contributions to climate change.
Healthy communities are supported through design and investments in the built environment that improves physical and mental health by decreasing car dependence, promoting physical activity, improving air quality, increasing social connection, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Explore other Redstone Features
The District of Columbia spends millions per year on food procurement, feeding tens of thousands of children, seniors, and vulnerable residents each day. Redstone's new report examines current procurement policies and practices to identify barriers to implementing better food procurement in the District.
In the Driving Change White Paper, the Redstone Center examines the direct harms of vehicle traffic on public health in the District of Columbia and how road pricing strategies can be utilized to help reduce chronic disease inequities, support a robust public transportation system, and advance the District's carbon neutrality goals.
The District of Columbia is ranked as having the #1 park system in the country. The Redstone Center's NPS Report found that park management by the National Park Service has resulted in great inequities in amenities, maintenance, and park access across the nation's capital.
The Redstone Global Center is proud to support the work of Redstone Fellow Uriyoán Colón-Ramos, Sc.D., M.P.A. and her research to help shift family drinking habits away from sugary drinks in the Washington metropolitan area.
The Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration recognizes that cities are leading the way to drive food system change through cross-cutting policy approaches. This policy brief details the many opportunities for the District to meet or exceed its ambitious climate goals.