02/19/2024

ACHNE Member Spotlight: Gina Alexander

Gina Alexander has been an ACHNE member for 13 years. She joined in 2010 after graduating from the University of Virginia in 2009 and taking on a full-time role at Texas Christian University. Colleagues and mentors at TCU were active in ACHNE and encouraged her to join. She served on the ad hoc Task Force for Policy in 2017, the nominating committee in 2018 & as the chair in 2019. In November of 2019, Gina was appointed to be the ACHNE representative to the CPHNO. She also serves on the education committee and is currently the chair of the policy committee.

Gina has always been passionate about two things: 1) the mind-body connection and integrative therapies and 2) nature and conservation. From an early age, she loved being outdoors and luckily had a family with a farm that gave her access to the wilderness and outdoor space. In looking for ways to increase opportunities for people to be outdoors, this passion has translated to advocacy for local, recreational parks and garden-based learning. Projects have included a monarch waystation, pollinator gardens, and big planting celebrations combined with environmental education.

In 2019, Gina partnered with a TCU FNP colleague to form an initiative called RxPLORE, which focused on prescriptions for spending time outdoors. They were selected for a Climate Health Organizing Fellowship in 2021, which led to even more involvement in advocacy for parks and collaborative urban planning with city leadership, neighborhood associations, parks and recreation, and public health around the common cause of equitable access to nature. Her research focuses on nature-based health promotion, food and nutrition literacy, and environmental health literacy.