Vanessa Leonel Peterka is an oceanographer and specialist in Environmental Control Management, with experience in environmental health, health promotion, and urban sustainability. She graduated in Oceanography from Centro Universitário São Judas Tadeu – UNIMONTE Campus (2009), where she conducted research on the toxicity of water and sediments from the Rio do Meio (Guarujá/SP) using ecotoxicological assays with the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus. She later completed a specialization in Environmental Control Management at SENAI “Mario Amato” School (2014), focusing on the development of a manual of environmental best practices applied to urban development projects.
Since 2015, she has been working at the São Paulo Municipal Health Department, affiliated with SPDM – Associação Paulista para o Desenvolvimento da Medicina, as an environmental manager in the Green and Healthy Environments Program (PAVS). In this role, she develops initiatives related to health promotion, socio-environmental risk analysis, environmental education, waste management, urban afforestation, and climate change adaptation, integrating intersectoral strategies between health services, territory, and communities.
Throughout her professional career, she has also worked on socio-environmental diagnostics and the development of sustainability projects for different Brazilian municipalities, as well as gaining experience in environmental monitoring, consultancy, and laboratory activities in aquatic ecotoxicology. Her work integrates knowledge from oceanography, environmental management, and public health, with a focus on the socio-environmental determinants of health.
In the academic and technical-scientific field, she contributes to the production and dissemination of knowledge through presentations at conferences and scientific events, including the Congress of Municipal Health Secretaries of the State of São Paulo. Her contributions address topics such as health promotion, geoprocessing applied to epidemiological surveillance, social participation, and socio-environmental strategies in urban territories. She has also presented work at events in oceanography and marine biology, focusing on ecotoxicology and coastal ecology.
Among her contributions are scientific presentations on environmental studies related to the quality of aquatic ecosystems. Her work seeks to strengthen the integration between science, public management, and social participation in building healthier territories.