Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Contact Info
Research Interests
Environment, sustainable agriculture, food security, ecology
Additional Links
Experiences & Accomplishments
Polly Walker is a Senior Fellow and former Associate Director at Center for a Livable Future and a Research Associate in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. Dr. Walker graduated from Radcliffe College and Harvard Medical School. She also earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
In 1996, Dr. Walker joined the Center of a Livable Future shortly after its creation. As part of a two-person team, she worked with Founding Director Robert Lawrence to launch the Center by initiating the interdisciplinary collaboration, research, education and community outreach that continue to be a hallmark of the Center today. The Center is focused on the inextricable links among diet, food production, the environment and human health in a world of finite resources. Dr. Walker served as Associate Director of the Center until 2010. hat focuses attention on equity, health, and the Earth's resources. As Senior Fellow, she serves as course faculty for the popular online course at JHSPH: Food Systems and Public Health. The Center's webpage is www.jhsph.edu/clf/
Before coming to Johns Hopkins, Dr. Walker was a volunteer environmental advocate leading several successful land preservation campaigns in Baltimore County, working to improve nature and science education, initiating and organizing the first Hazardous Household Waste days in both Baltimore City and County, among other environmental advocacy efforts.
In 2000 Dr. Walker initiated and organized the Ad Hoc Committee for the Greening of Johns Hopkins, a university-wide committee for increasing environmentally sustainable practices. This was later replaced by an official Johns Hopkins office.
From 1998 – 2005 Dr. Walker initiated and ran a program for student, staff and faculty volunteers at the Rose Street Community Center in East Baltimore from 1998 to 2005. This included a tutoring program for children. In 2004, Dr. Walker was awarded the Johns Hopkins Martin Luther King Award for her contributions to the community and work toward healing racial intolerance.
Inspiration: "… the health of soil, plant, animal and man is one and indivisible." Sir Albert Howard, the father of organic agriculture
Honors & Awards
The Polly Walker Fund for Ecology (established at JHSPH in 2008); The Johns Hopkins Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Community Service, 2004: Delta Omega Honor Society in Public Health, 2001; Maryland Governor’s Citation, 1990; Maryland Environmental Trust Award, 1990; Garden Club of America Award, 1990 Irvine Natural Science Center Conservationist Award, 1989
Select Publications
Amir Sapkota, Amy R. Sapkota, Margaret Kucharski, Janelle Burke, Shawn McKenzie, Polly Walker and Robert Lawrence. Aquaculture practices and potential human health risks: Current knowledge and future priorities. Environment International, 34 (8): 1215-1226, (Nov 2008)
Lisa Y. Lefferts, Margaret Kucharski, Shawn McKenzie, and Polly Walker. Feed for Food-Producing Animals--A Resource on Ingredients, the Industry, and Regulations. CLF Report, 2007. Download PDF
Amy R. Sapkota, Lisa Y. Lefferts, Shawn McKenzie, and Polly Walker. What Do We Feed to Food Production Animals? A Review of Animal Feed Ingredients and Their Potential Impacts on Public Health. Environmental Health Perspectives, 115 (5): May 2007.
Polly Walker, Pamela Rhubart-Berg, Shawn McKenzie, Kristin Kelling, Robert S. Lawrence. "Public Health Implications of Meat Production and Consumption," Public Health Nutrition 8(4), 348-356, June 2005.
Polly Walker and Robert Lawrence. "Challenges of Greening a Decentralized Campus: Making the Connection to Health". Chapter in: Barlett P and Chase G (Ed).Sustainability on Campus Stories and Strategies for Change. MIT Press, 2004.