LSU School of Kinesiology Launches Louisiana Nature & Health Alliance with Inaugural Summit
May 06, 2026
BATON ROUGE, LA – LSU School of Kinesiology (SOK) launched the Louisiana Nature & Health Alliance on March 20 with the inaugural Louisiana
Nature & Health Summit where the national Nature & Health Alliance presented $20K
to the newly founded collaborative to support research initiatives and strengthen
partnerships across Louisiana. 
Organized by Jessica Stroope, PhD, and Colin Wierts, PhD, assistant professors in SOK, this summit brought together a network of professionals interested in understanding how access to and interaction with natural environments can improve physical, mental and community well-being. The attendees participated in seminars, asset mapping, a nature walk and networking.
"I’m excited to see people from across the state with a wide variety of backgrounds come together to better understand and promote the health benefits of nature,” Stroope said. “It’s energizing to be around others who are engaging in these issues with different questions and experiences. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes out of this group.”
“The inaugural summit connected health practitioners and programmers, as well as researchers focusing on epidemiology, physiology, psychology and physical activity,” Wierts said. “Our goal is to connect practitioners and researchers from diverse disciplines to support advancements in the area of nature and health.”
“Drs. Stroope and Wierts show their leadership by bringing to LSU the resources of the national Nature & Health Alliance, so our state can benefit from the scholarly and applied work focused on improving physical, mental and community well-being promoted by the collaborative,” LSU School of Kinesiology Director Arend Van Gemmert, PhD, said. “This focus of the Alliance is very well aligned with the School’s mission to optimize the quality of life of all people.”
About the LSU School of Kinesiology
The LSU School of Kinesiology (SOK) advances the understanding of physical activity,
sport, and health to optimize the quality of life for diverse populations through
excellence in teaching, learning, discovery, and engagement. SOK offers a BS, MS,
Online MS, PhD, and two certificate options. Graduates go on to successful careers
in the health and fitness industry, corporate wellness, sport agencies and businesses,
athletic administration, and K-12 educational settings. SOK is part of the College
of Human Sciences & Education.