Rachel Usher completed her fellowship at the Vermont Department of Health during the summer preceding her second year as a Master’s in Public Health candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at the Emory Rollins School of Public Health. In collaboration with the Vermont Department of Health Climate Health Program, Rachel completed the Integrated Transport and Health Impact Modeling Tool (ITHIM) to quantify the health, economic and environmental co-benefits of a variety of transportation futures in Vermont. She modeled the vehicle emission reductions, lives saved, and reduced healthcare and productivity costs associated with Vermont's transportation goals for 2025 and 2050. Following her fellowship, Rachel continued as a graduate assistant with the Georgia Climate Project. This academic coalition is a multi-year effort to improve understanding of climate impacts and solutions in Georgia. Previously, Rachel received her Bachelor of Science in Ecology from the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia in 2016. A life-long Southerner who calls Savannah, GA home, she is proud to be a part of climate change research and action across the United States.
