Richard Jackson predicts that climate change will be the biggest health issue in his great-grandchildrens' lifetime. As host of the television series "Designing Healthy Communities," Jackson has done extensive work surrounding the impact of the environment on health, particularly relating to children. Over the past decade much of his work has focused on how the built environment affects health. DHC aims to offer best practice models in order to improve our nation’s public health by re-designing and restoring our built environment.

Jackson served 15 years at the CDC where he established the National Asthma Epidemiology and Control Program. He has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Public Health Law Association, and the New Partners for Smart Growth.