Cheryl Holder

Dr. Cheryl L. Holder is a physician, professor, and public health advocate with a career focused on improving health outcomes for underserved communities. Holder is a graduate of Princeton University and George Washington University School of Medicine, a National Health Service Corps Scholar, internist, and HIV specialist. She served as medical director of one of Miami's largest community health centers and participated on National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health advisory and programmatic review panels. During her tenure as medical director for Jackson Health System's North Dade Health Center, Holder developed an HIV care and treatment program funded through the Ryan White Care Act. She also directed the first school-based health center in Miami-Dade County and founded the Florida Coalition for School-based Health Care Services.

Holder joined Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine as faculty, where she taught about social determinants of health, diversity, and the health impact of climate change, and later served as associate dean of diversity, equity, inclusivity, and community initiatives. At FIU, she directed the Green Family Foundation NeighborhoodHELP Education and Pipeline Program, which encourages diversity in medicine by preparing students from underrepresented backgrounds for careers in healthcare. Holder is recognized for her work at the intersection of climate change and public health, particularly regarding its effects on low-income and minority communities.

Holder expanded healthcare providers' knowledge of climate change impacts as founding co-chair of Florida Clinicians for Climate Action, an affiliate of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health. Her leadership roles include serving as president of the Florida State Medical Association, founder and co-chair of Florida Clinicians for Climate Action, and co-chair of the Miami-Dade Heat Health Task Force. Holder advocates for comprehensive medical prevention and care strategies to address health inequities, emphasizing the importance of integrating economic and social justice into healthcare to prepare patients for climate-related health challenges.

Holder's TEDMED Talk, "The Link Between Climate Change, Health and Poverty," has reached a wide audience. In the talk, she discusses ways clinicians can protect patients from climate-related health challenges and calls for a care system that incorporates economic and social justice. Holder is recognized for her work in HIV care and research on how climate change affects vulnerable populations. Her honors include the FIU Medallion Cal Kovens Distinguished Community Service Award, the Faculty Convocation Award in Service, and the Tow Humanism in Medicine Award. She has also been recognized with a Miami-Dade County proclamation declaring Dr. Cheryl Holder Day and the Cleo Institute's F. Lynn Leverett, MD Circle of Change Award. Through clinical work, academic leadership, and public advocacy, Holder addresses the connection between climate change, poverty, and human health.