Texas A&M Expert Featured In Documentary About The Health Benefits Of Nature

Major new film is sponsored by REI and produced by Robert Redford’s environmental philanthropy.

Jul 1, 2025 – By Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications

Jay Maddock, a professor in Texas A&M University’s School of Public Health and the director of the Center for Health and Nature, will be featured in a documentary sponsored by outdoor gear giant REI about the benefits of spending time outdoors.

The documentary, which is expected to be released on several streaming platforms early next year, focuses on the company’s health and nature movement. Nalini Nadkarni from the University of Utah and Jennifer Roberts from the University of Maryland also will be featured.

“This documentary will help the public understand the relationship between spending time in nature and improved health and — I hope — will also get more people outside,” Maddock said.

Maddock is a member of REI’s cooperative action fund advisory board and chairs its Nature and Health Alliance.

The film is being produced by the Redford Center — actor Robert Redford’s environmental philanthropy.

Maddock’s research includes topics such as how exposure to nature can reduce the pain and distress of chemotherapy, how parks and other greenspaces can reduce the need for hospitalization among residents in a densely populated urban area, how plants can aid stress recovery, and an exploration of doctors prescribing nature for their patients.

Other initiatives at the Center for Nature and Health include the installation of a rooftop garden on the new tower at Houston Methodist Hospital and a partnership with the Houston Botanic Garden that resulted in the Nurture by Nature Festival and a new tour of the garden that focuses on the science of health and nature.

Maddock has been featured on The Today Show and CNN, as well as in publications such as Prevention and Good Housekeeping. In addition, he has lectured in countries including Australia, South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, El Salvador and Brazil, and held honorary professorships at two universities in China.

“It has been gratifying indeed to see this work take shape and resonate so widely,” he said. “And it’s exciting to consider what the next few years could bring.”