Phoenix Zones Initiative 2022 Annual Report

Dear Friends,
What a year! This moment in time has proven how much each person
can make a difference. In 2022, our supporters, team, and partners
have given us the momentum and insight needed to steadfastly
advance our work on behalf of people, animals, and the planet.
Dr. Nik Kulkarni and I co-founded Phoenix Zones Initiative (PZI) after
working around the globe and witnessing how certain policies and
industries have driven the exploitation of vulnerable human and
nonhuman populations, as well as climate change, hunger, chronic
diseases, emerging infectious diseases, poverty, forced migration,
and conflict. These threats increasingly endanger human and
nonhuman beings.
We also witnessed the power of resilience—how people and animals
can heal in healthy environments. I wrote about this phenomenon in
Phoenix Zones: Where Strength Is Born and Resilience Lives, a book
named after places where individuals and communities can rise and
thrive—like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes.
With the help of key partners, we launched PZI in 2019 to advance the
interdependent rights, health, and wellbeing of humans, other
animals, and the planet, and to fuel the creation of more Phoenix
Zones.
With the extraordinary generosity of our donors, PZI has continued
to leverage medical and public health expertise to solve problems for
people, animals, and the planet. In 2022, from Washington, DC, to the
United Nations, PZI worked to advance social, economic, and
environmental policies to uplift the most vulnerable.
Our work focused on preventing the next pandemic; creating a
healthier and more just food system; transforming medical research
so that it protects and benefits people and animals; and inspiring
sustainable development and public health interventions that
recognize the interdependent needs of people, animals, and the
planet.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Hope Ferdowsian, MD, MPH
President
Nik Kulkarni, MD
Vice President
Kavita Rajasekhar, MD, MPH
Secretary
Sonia Silva, MPA
Treasurer
John Gluck, PhD
“Both Hope and Nik bring tremendous
scholarship, wisdom, and compassion to
PZI. . . . In exposing the root causes of
different forms of violence and oppression,
PZI identifies the systemic changes necessary
to improve the lives of humans, animals, and
the planet. And this isn’t just theory. Over the
relatively short period that PZI has been
around, it has accomplished SO
MUCH—editing special journal editions,
hosting a webinar series featuring top-notch
experts, offering trainings to groups of
students, providing testimony to the World
Health Organization, working on policy
initiatives, and so much more. And through
all of this, they have built a community of
brilliant and caring individuals who will
surely make ours a kinder, more just world.”
~Dr. Alka Chandna
We are truly grateful to everyone who has strengthened our efforts
to provide global leadership; education and outreach to
professionals, students, and advocates across six continents; and
expert guidance and advocacy in international, national, and local
forums. Your support makes local and global innovation—and
progress—a reality.
As we look ahead, we encourage you to invest in a world of Phoenix
Zones.
Thank you so much for standing with PZI, and we look forward to
partnering with you in the years to come.
With appreciation,
Hope Ferdowsian, MD, MPH
2