Bruce Bekkar

Activist, Educator/Teacher, Environmentalist, Idea generator, Musician, Performer, Writer/Editor

Bruce Bekkar, M.D., a women’s health physician, speaker, and author, has been engaged with the climate crisis since 2007. He currently serves as the Climate for Health Fellow at ecoAmerica, on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Climate Change and Health, and as Chair Emeritus of the Public Health Advisory Council in Southern California. He also co-hosts Green Docs, a podcast on women’s health, pregnancy, and environmental threats. In 2020, Dr. Bekkar led the first comprehensive review of climate impacts on births in the United States, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association— which has been viewed more than 100,000 times. In addition, this landmark study has been cited 400 times in peer-reviewed research and is currently referenced in policy documents from the World Bank and the World Health Organization. An internationally sought-after keynote speaker, Bruce has delivered over 100 talks on the perils and possibilities of climate change to diverse audiences including Genentech, the American Meteorological Society, England’s Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the United States House of Representatives Democratic Caucus. His recent TEDx talk, “The climate crisis isn’t your fault— but it is your problem,” with 50,000+ views, is a call to action for healthcare professionals and anyone who wants to help assure a vibrant, healthy and prosperous future for all.

Creating a world we can enjoy and be proud to pass on to the next generation

Check out my TEDx talk on YouTube: “The Climate Crisis isn’t your fault- but it is your problem”

I attended the first Vancouver TED event in 2013 and was amazed at who I met. I introduced myself to Al Gore and told him he was "the Paul Revere of our time." I stand by that assessment, and I have since been on stage with him 3 times. I've given more than 100 talks on climate change and health impacts, but I'm most proud of the TEDx talk I gave in September about the power of doctors taking climate action, which has been seen more than 50,000 times.

Singing (don't ask me to prove it)