Dr. Lisa Labita Woodson advances community-led climate and health research in the Peruvian Amazon

Public health researcher Dr. Lisa Labita Woodson conducts participatory action research in the Peruvian Amazon to understand how Indigenous communities experience and respond to environmental shifts linked to climate change, ecological degradation, and extractive industries.

Lisa Labita Woodson, PhD, a Global Health Emerging Scholars (GHES) Postdoctoral Fellow, is completing her fellowship year in Peru, where she is leading community-driven research on the health, social, and cultural impacts of environmental change in the Peruvian Amazon. An alumna of the Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, Dr. Woodson’s work is conducted in collaboration with the Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana (UNAP), the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), and the University of Arizona, under the mentorship of Magaly Blas (UPCH) and Purnima Madhivanan (University of Arizona).

Dr. Woodson’s research examines how Indigenous communities along the Marañón River experience and respond to environmental shifts linked to climate change, ecological degradation, and extractive industries. Using an intersectional lens, her work centers local perspectives , particularly those of youth and community health workers, to better understand how environmental change shapes health, livelihoods, and cultural identity.

In January 2026, Dr. Woodson and her team completed intensive fieldwork during the rainy season in the Peruvian Amazon, collecting qualitative data across multiple riverine communities. This phase of research focused on documenting lived experiences of environmental change and identifying community-led strategies for adaptation.

A defining feature of Dr. Woodson’s project is her use of participatory action research, including photovoice, an approach that empowers participants to document their lived experiences through photography. Youth and community health workers will capture images that examine how environmental changes are affecting their health, livelihoods, identity, and daily routines. Through facilitated group discussions and interviews, participants will interpret the images and identify the unifying themes and meanings. Together, they use these reflections to shape research questions, define community priorities, and co-develop messages to share with local leaders, health systems, and other stakeholders.

“This work would not be possible without the collaboration and trust of the communities involved,” Woodson shared. “I am deeply grateful for their openness and partnership, and I’m excited to continue learning alongside them.”

The project will continue during the dry season, when Dr. Woodson will return to partner communities to conduct follow-up interviews and photovoice sessions. Plans are also underway to develop community-based exhibitions that will share findings locally and regionally, ensuring that insights are returned to the communities who helped create them and shared with participant-identified stakeholders to help drive climate action.

Dr. Woodson’s postdoctoral fellowship builds on a longstanding commitment to global health research. She previously participated in this fellowship program as a predoctoral fellow and also received support through a Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowship, reflecting a career grounded in equity, ethics, and long-term partnership.

As her fellowship year continues, Dr. Woodson’s work highlights the power of community-centered research to illuminate the complex connections between environmental change, health, and culture and to translate community knowledge into actionable priorities and meaningful change.

About the Global Health Emerging Scholars (GHES) Program 

Established in 2012, the Global Health Emerging Scholars (GHES) Fellowship Program is a four-institution U.S. consortium led by Yale University in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley; Stanford University; and the University of Arizona.

GHES supports U.S. and Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows conducting applied research aligned with local health priorities. Fellows receive close mentorship from both U.S.- and LMIC-based investigators while working alongside global research and training partners.

Funded through the Launching Future Leaders in Global Health (LAUNCH) initiative and supported by the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health, GHES prepares the next generation of global health leaders to address complex challenges through multidisciplinary, equity-centered approaches.

Globel Health Emerging Scholars (GHES) by the Numbers

• Founded: 2012
• Consortium Institutions: Yale University, UC Berkeley, Stanford University, University of Arizona
• Global Reach: Network of research and training sites across low- and middle-income countries
• Focus Areas: Environmental health, infectious and noncommunicable diseases, maternal and child health, mental health, injury and trauma
• Mission: Train researchers and professionals equipped to advance equitable, locally driven global health solutions

“The Global Health Emerging Scholars Program invests in long-term partnerships and people—supporting rigorous, community-centered research that addresses global health challenges where they matter most.”