Rocky Mountain Wildfire Smoke Symposium

Day 1 — Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026

Welcome and Opening Remarks

• Kristen Good, MEM, PhD, CIH
  Branch Deputy Chief, Wildfire Smoke Preparedness and Indoor Air Quality Programs, CDPHE

• Luke Montrose, PhD
  Associate Professor, Colorado State University

• Mark Smith
  Deputy Regional Administrator, EPA Region 8

• Gen. Scott Sherman
  Director, Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, CDPHE

 

Keynote: Tackling Wildfire Smoke at the Regional and National Level With the U.S. EPA

• Tommy Caggiano and Kayla McCauley
  Office of Clean Air Programs

• Alison Savage and Beth Landis
  Office of Radiation and Indoor Air

• Elyna Grapstein and Virva Aryan
  Region 8 Air and Radiation Division

 

Session 1: Understanding the Wildfire Smoke Problem

Exposure Assessment and Health Impacts

• Sumira Phatak, PhD — University of New Mexico School of Medicine
  Biological Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Health and Aging: Dietary Impacts

• Arielle Milkman, PhD — Postdoctoral Fellow, Montrose Lab, Colorado State University
  Wildfire Smoke Exposure Mitigation Strategies: Insights From the Wildland Firefighter Science Needs Assessment

• Olivia Sablan, PhD — Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Washington Bothell
  Characterizing Long-Term Trends (2008–2025) in O₃ and Assessing the Corresponding U.S. Health Burden

• Brandon McGuire — PhD Candidate, Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University
  Wildfire Smoke Along Colorado’s Front Range in 2020: An Evaluation of PM₂.₅ Monitor Spacing and Smoke Forecasts

• Sheryl Magzamen, PhD, MPH — Professor, University of Montreal
  Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke in New Mexico: Impact of Exposure Assessment Methods on Estimates

• Luke Montrose, PhD — Associate Professor, Colorado State University
  Wildfire Smoke Toxicology Beyond the Lungs

 

Session 2: Understanding the Wildfire Smoke Problem

How Smoke and Fire Impact Communities and How We Manage Them

• Amber Ortega, PhD — Rocky Mountain Smoke Program Manager, U.S. Forest Service
  Our Smoke System: Bridging Land, Air, and Public Health for Collective Action

• Katie Dickinson, PhD, and Jackie Laundon — Colorado School of Public Health
  Managing Smoke Impacts From Prescribed Burning

• Nancy Daher, PhD — Associate Professor, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah
  Wildfire Smoke Impacts on Indoor Air Quality in Schools: Influencing Factors and Control Strategies

• Tony Ward, PhD, and Maysa Walters, MPH, MPA — University of Montana
  School-Based Monitoring and Wildfire Smoke Education in Montana

 

Session 3: Understanding the Wildfire Smoke Problem

Challenges and Solutions Indoors

• Colleen Reid, PhD — Professor, University of Colorado Boulder
  Informing School Decision-Making During Wildfire Events: A Study of Indoor PM₂.₅ in Schools and Homes in Colorado

• Ethan Walker, PhD — Associate Professor, University of Montana
  AIRWISE: A New Approach for Improving Indoor Air Quality

• Tami Bond, PhD, and Danny Rodriguez — Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University
  What Does a Smoke-Ready Home Feel Like? Filling in the Gaps With SAPPHIRES

• Michael Breen, PhD — Physical Scientist, Office of Air and Radiation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  Assessing Wildfire Smoke Impacts on PM₂.₅ Indoor Air Quality Using Low-Cost Sensors Across Region 8

 

Day 1 Facilitated Discussion

• Facilitator: Channing Bice, PhD
  Communication and Outreach Specialist, Wildfire Smoke Preparedness Program, CDPHE

 

Evening Social: Brains & Brews

• Relaxed open-mic evening of short stories and idea sharing.

• Host: Sumira Phatak, PhD
  Toxicologist and educator, University of New Mexico

 

Day 2 — Friday, Oct. 16, 2026

Session 4: Community-Centered Wildfire Smoke Communication and Action

• Channing Bice, PhD — Communication and Outreach Specialist, Wildfire Smoke Preparedness Program, CDPHE
  Smoke, Heat and the Audiences in Between: A Compound Risk Communication Agenda

• Milena Guajardo, MPH — Project and Outreach Coordinator, Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University
  Community-Driven Resources for Real Air Quality Challenges

• Lucy Chalgren — PhD Candidate, Department of Journalism and Media Communication, Colorado State University
  Development to Distribution: A Co-Creation Approach to Wildfire Smoke Communications

• Laura Garcia-Pacheco — Healthy Homes Project Manager, Esperanza Community Housing
  Breathe Safe: Getting South LA Ready for Wildfire Smoke

• Ray Cheung — Chief Executive Officer, Breathium; Collaborator, Esperanza Community Housing
  Community Communication Lessons From the January 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires

 

Session 5A: Supporting Communities in Smoke Preparedness Planning

• Ahmed Kablan — Executive Director, Verapolis Global
  The Coin Flip: Why Smoke Protection Depends on Your ZIP Code

• Jean Andino, PhD, PE, BCEE — Director, Indoor Air Pollution Control for Resilience Project; Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Arizona State University
  Learning by Doing: Engaging Communities in Air Pollution Control

• Johna Boulafentis — Environmental Specialist, Nez Perce Tribe Air Quality Program
  Wildfire Smoke Preparedness on the Nez Perce Reservation

• Brian Henning, PhD — Professor, Gonzaga University
  Advancing Community-Oriented Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Spokane, Washington

 

Session 5B: Supporting Communities in Smoke Preparedness Planning

• Sadie Martinez — Access and Functional Needs Coordinator, Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
  Beyond the Haze: Localizing the CMIST Framework for Community Smoke Resilience

• Tehya Stockman, PhD, and Annareli Morales, PhD — Adams County Government and Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment
  Seeping in Through the Cracks: Leveraging Wildfire Smoke Concerns to Highlight Indoor Air Quality

• Kristen Steffes, with Kaila Hood, Lexi Dressman, and Lucy Derrick — CDPHE and University of Colorado
  Preparing for Compound Hazards: Understanding the Impact of Heat and Air Quality in Colorado

 

Day 2 Facilitated Discussion

• Facilitator: Channing Bice, PhD
  Communication and Outreach Specialist, Wildfire Smoke Preparedness Program, CDPHE

 

Panel 1: Perspectives on the AQI and Air Quality Data for Smoke Communication and Decision-Making

• Moderator: Dan Welsh
  Air Quality Meteorologist, Meteorology and Prescribed Fire Unit, CDPHE

• Moderator: Annareli Morales, PhD
  Air Quality Policy Analyst, Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment

• Panelists: To be announced

 

Workshops and Continued Discussions

Wildfire Smoke Ready Schools Workshop​

• Facilitators:

  • Jean Andino, PhD, PE, BCEE — Arizona State University

  • Gretchen Pflueger — Regional Program Manager, Center for Green Schools, U.S. Green Building Council

  • Tony Ward, PhD — University of Montana

  • Maysa Walters, MPH, MPA — University of Montana

  • Ali Boris, PhD — Indoor Air Quality Specialist, Washington State Department of Health

  • Orly Stampfer, PhD — Indoor Air Quality Epidemiologist, Washington State Department of Health

  • Odessa Gomez, PhD — Indoor Air Quality Engineer, Wildfire Smoke Preparedness Program, CDPHE

 

Designing With, Not For: Co-Designing Smoke Communication With Communities​

• Facilitators:

  • Channing Bice, PhD — Wildfire Smoke Preparedness Program, CDPHE

  • Megan Vizina, MSW — Program Coordinator, Wildfire Smoke Preparedness Program, CDPHE

 

Panel 2: Successes and Challenges in Using the AQI for Communication and Decision-Making

• Moderators:

  • Dan Welsh — Air Quality Meteorologist, Meteorology and Prescribed Fire Unit, CDPHE

  • Annareli Morales, PhD — Air Quality Policy Analyst, Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment

• Panelists: To be announced

 

Closing Remarks and Resource Sharing