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As digital engagement and urbanization increasingly shape daily life, spending time in nature is an important yet often overlooked way to enhance well-being and strengthen family relationships. In this presentation, Dr. Izenstark will share her research on how outdoor experiences can benefit both children and caregivers by improving attention, enhancing emotions, and fostering family cohesion. She will also discuss how early exposure to nature is associated with healthy outcomes in adulthood. Her work takes an inclusive, strengths-based approach to highlight the many ways families engage with nature and how these experiences can promote positive development.

Dr. Dina Izenstark is an associate professor of Child and Adolescent Development at San José State University. Her interdisciplinary research examines how time spent in nature influences the health and well-being of children and families. She holds a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies, and M.S. and B.S. degrees in Recreation Management from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Izenstark’s scholarship is rooted in her hands-on experience designing and delivering community-based recreation programs. She aims to promote children’s healthy development and strengthen family relationships through accessible, everyday outdoor leisure activities.