Carol Ziegler FNP-C, APHN-BC, APRN, DNP

Carol Ziegler is a Professor of Nursing at Vanderbilt University and a certified Family Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Practice Holistic Nurse and Functional Medicine Nurse Practitioner with 20 years of experience providing primary care in underserved communities. She is co-founder of the Climate, Health and Energy Equity Lab (CHEEL) and currently serves on the Metro Nashville Board of Health, the Lancet Commission Countdown on Climate and Health and the Respiratory Measurement Advisory Panel (RMAP) at the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA).

In the past, she served as co-chair of the Climate Change Committee at the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) and was the Inaugural Chair of the American Nurse Association’s Planetary and Global Health Innovation Committee. She developed and taught one of the first courses offered on Planetary Health and has worked in her institution to successfully integrate Planetary Health across the core nursing curriculum. In 2024, she launched the Planetary Health Policy Innovation lab, working with students and community partners to research, innovate and deliver transformative policy solutions that advance planetary and human health. Apart from her involvement in nursing education, practice, and entrepreneurship, she collaborates with community-based agencies and businesses to advocate for and implement policies and practices promoting planetary health and climate justice and works to channel funds to front line community-based organizations.