Chelsea Williams Cleary is a PhD candidate in Global Health at York University, where her research focuses on child health and climate change. She holds a BSc in Nursing from Western University and an MPH from the University of Waterloo.

Her professional background includes work as a Registered Nurse, public health supervisor, and, since 2023, she has served as the Program Manager of the Planetary Child Health working group at the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (Germany), a role she continues to hold remotely. In this capacity, she investigates the intersections of perinatal, child, and adolescent health with climate impacts. She is passionate about participatory approaches in research and strives to ensure children’s voices and perspectives are central in climate and health policy. Her research also includes studying community health workers in Kenya and their experiences with heat stress, as well as contributing to health policy analysis of National Adaptation Plans. These projects reflect her broader interest in how health systems can respond to the complex challenges of climate change and how health policy can be leveraged to reduce inequities and protect vulnerable populations.

In addition, Chelsea volunteers with the human rights organization Just Access e.V., where she serves as Head of Administration and contributes to health research on active legal cases. She also volunteers with Kids Help Phone, providing crisis support to youth.