About
Dr. Andy Zeiger, MD
Welcome to the site! My name is Andy.
I live in New York City with my wife, two cats, and our soon-to-be born son. I work as a pediatric resident physician at Columbia University New York Presbyterian.
What inspires me most in Pediatrics is the ability to help kids and their families thrive. I believe that interacting with the natural environment is integral to promoting a healthy life.
Living with type 1 diabetes, I understand the benefits of a healthy relationship with nature first-hand. Time in nature is stress-relieving, it promotes a diet rich in fruits & vegetables, and of course gardening itself is exercise. It is clear how nature time helps me control my blood sugar.
And I have witnessed nature's impact on young people. The toddler immersed in a garden; exploring, imagining, laughing. The 16 year old, completely blind, learning job skills with a horticultural therapist in a greenhouse. The 11 year old, months prior hospitalized for suicidality, joyfully leading a group of peers in picking carrots.
This site was built to help us connect to the natural world. Through work like this, I hope nature-based approaches can become a stronger part of health, education, and community life.
Background
Education & Academic Experience
Education
2024 – present
NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital
Columbia University Department of Pediatrics
New York, NY
Resident Physician in Pediatrics
2019 – 2024
Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
2013 – 2017
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Academic Appointment
2024 – present
Columbia University Department of Pediatrics
New York, NY
Postdoctoral Residency Fellow in Pediatrics
Research Experience
2021 – 2023
Jefferson Center for Autism & Neurodiversity, Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA
Medical Student Researcher
Dr. Wendy Ross, M.D., Director of Jefferson Center for Autism & Neurodiversity
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2016 – 2019
Asthma Collaboratory, University of California - San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Student Research Intern (Summer 2016), Junior Research Specialist (2017 – 2019)
Dr. Esteban Gonzalez Burchard, M.D., M.P.H., Professor in Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences
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2014 – 2016
Raskind Movement Disorder Lab, University of Washington
Seattle, WA
Undergraduate Researcher
Dr. Wendy Raskind, M.D., Ph.D., Professor in Department of Medical Genetics
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Writing
Connecting Kids With Nature
Articles I have written for the American Horticultural Therapy Association exploring practical ways to build stronger relationships with nature.
Kids, Vets, and Bees: Building Community Through Horticulture
Summer 2026 - A creative collaboration along the Pacific Northwest's Columbia River between hospitalized children, Veterans, and local bee advocates.
Read article →
How We Work With Youth: Reflections from the American Horticultural Therapy Association Community
Spring 2025 - Profiles of horticultural therapists and how they work with youth.
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When Nature Threats: Approaches to Leading Horticultural Therapy in Hot Weather
Summer 2024 - A review of leadership approaches to horticultural therapy sessions in hot weather.
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Pediatric Weight Management in the Garden: A Role for Horticultural Therapists on the Healthcare Team
Spring 2024 - How horticulture is used at a pediatric weight management clinic in Durham, NC.
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Horticultural Therapy in Every Hospital
Summer 2023 - A call to action to the horticultural therapy community toward advocating for a horticultural therapist in every hospital.
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Digital Tools to Connect With Nature
Summer 2023 - With the startling rise in screen use, this article reviews how one can use their screen for good: to access nature.
Read article →
AHTA Grant-Funded Programs Improve Employment For People with Disabilities
Spring 2023 - Historical review of disability employment programming sponsored by the American Horticultural Therapy Association in the 1980s and 1990s.
Read article →
Other Writing & Contributions
Guides & Other Publications
Additional writing, guides, and educational resources created in collaboration with other organizations.
Research
Research & Scientific Publications
Peer-Reviewed Publications
- 1. Contreras, M., Keys, K., Magana, J., Goddard, P., Risse-Adams, O., Zeiger, A. M., Mak, A. C. Y., Samedy-Bates, L.-A., Neophytou, A., Lee, E., Thakur, N., Elhawary, J. R., Hu, D., Huntsman, S., Eng, C., Hu, T., Burchard, E. G., & White, M. J. (2021). Native American ancestry and air pollution interact to impact bronchodilator response in Puerto Rican children with asthma. Ethnicity & Disease, 31(1), 77–88.View publication →
- 2. Magaña, J., Contreras, M., Keys, K. L., Risse-Adams, O., Goddard, P. C., Zeiger, A. M., Mak, A. C. Y., Elhawary, J. R., Samedy-Bates, L. A., Lee, E., Thakur, N., Hu, D., Eng, C., Salazar, S., Huntsman, S., Hu, T., Burchard, E. G., & White, M. J. (2020). An epistatic interaction between pre-natal smoke exposure and socioeconomic status has a significant impact on bronchodilator drug response in African American youth with asthma. BioData Mining, 13(1), 1–20.View publication →
- 3. Zeiger, A. M., McGarry, M. E., Mak, A. C., Medina, V., Salazar, S., Eng, C., Liu, A. K., Oh, S. S., Nuckton, T. J., Jain, D., Blackwell, T. W., Kang, H. M., Abecasis, G., Oñate, L. C., Seibold, M. A., Burchard, E. G., & Rodriguez-Santana, J. (2019). Identification of CFTR variants in Latino patients with cystic fibrosis from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Pediatric Pulmonology, 55(2), 533–540.View publication →
- 4. Samedy-Bates, L., Oh, S. S., Nuckton, T. J., Elhawary, J. R., White, M., Elliot, T., Zeiger, A. M., Eng, C., Salazar, S., LeNoir, M. A., Meade, K., Farber, H. J., Serebrisky, D., Brigino-Buenaventura, E., Rodriguez-Cintron, W., Bibbins-Domingo, K., Kumar, R., Thyne, S., Borrell, L. N., … Burchard, E. G. (2019). Racial/ethnic-specific differences in the effects of inhaled corticosteroid use on bronchodilator response in patients with asthma. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 106(5), 1133–1140.View publication →
- 5. Lee, E. Y., Oh, S. S., White, M. J., Eng, C. S., Elhawary, J. R., Borrell, L. N., Nuckton, T. J., Zeiger, A. M., Keys, K. L., Mak, A. C. Y., Hu, D., Huntsman, S., Contreras, M. G., Samedy, L.-A., Goddard, P. C., Salazar, S. L., Brigino-Buenaventura, E. N., Davis, A., Meade, K. E., LeNoir, M. A., Lurmann, F. W., Burchard, E. G., Eisen, E. A., & Balmes, J. R. (2019). Ambient air pollution, asthma drug response, and telomere length in African American youth. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 144(3), 839–845.View publication →
- 6. Zeiger, A. M., White, M. J., Eng, C., Oh, S. S., Witonsky, J., Goddard, P. C., Contreras, M. G., Elhawary, J. R., Hu, D., Mak, A. C. Y., Lee, E. Y., Keys, K. L., Samedy, L. A., Risse-Adams, O., Magana, J., Huntsman, S., Salazar, S., Davis, A., Meade, K., Brigino-Buenaventura, E., LeNoir, M. A., Farber, H. J., Bibbins-Domingo, K., Borrell, L. N., & Burchard, E. G. (2018). Genetic determinants of telomere length in African American youth. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 13265.View publication →
- 7. Oh, S. S., Du, R., Zeiger, A. M., McGarry, M. E., Hu, D., Thakur, N., Pino-Yanes, M., Galanter, J. M., Eng, C., Nishimura, K. K., Huntsman, S., Farber, H. J., Meade, K., Avila, P., Serebrisky, D., Bibbins-Domingo, K., Lenoir, M. A., Ford, J. G., Brigino-Buenaventura, E., Rodriguez-Cintron, W., Thyne, S. M., Sen, S., Rodriguez-Santana, J. R., Williams, K., Kumar, R., & Burchard, E. G. (2017). Breastfeeding associated with higher lung function in African American youths with asthma. Journal of Asthma, 54(8), 856–865.View publication →
Scientific Abstracts & Presentations
- 1. Zeiger, AM. “Horticulture in Pediatrics: Applications, Evidence and the Future.” Presentation at the 2026 American Horticultural Therapy Association Annual Scientific Meeting. Planned October 2026. San Francisco, CA.
- 2. Zeiger, AM. “Horticultural Therapy and Nature Exposure Counseling From a Survey of Pediatric Primary Care Providers in Philadelphia, PA.” Virtual presentation at the 2023 American Horticultural Therapy Association Annual Scientific Meeting. October 2023. Virtual.
- 3. Chowdhury L, Zeiger AM. Health status and flight using diabetes as a model of discussion. Presented during panel entitled “Impacts of Diversity in Aeronautics & Aerospace Medicine” at the 2021 Aerospace Medical Association Annual Scientific Meeting. August 2021, Denver, CO. 91(3):202–203.
- 4. Zeiger, AM; Gulick, V; and Naik, TU. “Creation of a Web-Based Tool to Facilitate Community Connectivity.” January 2021. Paper 10.View publication →
- 5. Huang PF, Zeiger AM, Oh SS, Elhawary JR, Samedy LA, Elliot T, LeNoir MA, Rodriguez-Santana JR, Nuckton TJ, Burchard EG. Validation of the FEV1/FVC cutoff in ethnically diverse children. Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Thoracic Society. May 2019. Dallas, TX.View publication →
- 6. Zeiger AM, Huang PF, Oh SS, Elhawary JR, Samedy LA, Elliot T, LeNoir MA, Rodriguez-Santana JR, Nuckton TJ, Burchard EG. Bronchodilator reversibility cutoffs for persistent asthma in ethnically diverse children. Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Thoracic Society. May 2019. Dallas, TX.View publication →
- 7. Zeiger AM, Liu AK, Salazar S, Eng C, Oh SS, Mak ACY, Elhawary JR, Nuckton TJ, Rodriguez-Santana JR, Burchard EG. CFTR mutations in patients with cystic fibrosis in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Thoracic Society. May 2019. Dallas, TX.View publication →
Community Involvement
Member, Prevention Education Partnership · Doctors and Teens in Conversation at NYU, New York City, NY
Member, Mid-Atlantic Horticultural Therapy Network
Member, American Horticultural Therapy Association Magazine Work Team
Member, American Horticultural Therapy Association Credentialing Working Group
Member, American Horticultural Therapy Association
Class of 2023 Member of Medical Education Program Sub-Committee, Liaison Committee on Medical Education Accreditation Site Visit · SKMC, Philadelphia, PA
Member, Clinical Experience Program Focus Group · SKMC, Philadelphia, PA
Class of 2023 JeffMD Phase 1 Curriculum Liaison Chair · SKMC, Philadelphia, PA
Class of 2023 Liaison for Scholarly Inquiry and Evidence-Based Medicine & Informatics Curriculum Threads · SKMC, Philadelphia, PA
Class of 2023 Liaison for Cardiology & Pulmonary Block · SKMC, Philadelphia, PA
Mentor in Future Health Professionals Pipeline · SKMC, Philadelphia, PA
Member of SKMC Curriculum Student Advisory Board · SKMC, Philadelphia, PA
Founding Member, Treasurer (’19), co-President (’20), Vice President (’21) of Aerospace Medicine Society · SKMC, Philadelphia, PA
Ambassador · College Diabetes Network, Seattle, WA and Philadelphia, PA
Volunteer in Urgent Care Clinic · San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA
Organizer · Water filter project benefitting post-hurricane Puerto Rico, San Francisco, CA
Founder and co-President · UW chapter of College Diabetes Network, Seattle, WA
College Outreach Chairman, Outreach board member and volunteer · Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Seattle, WA
Founder and Captain · Letters for Life team, UW Relay for Life fundraiser, Seattle, WA
Community Presentations
- 1. Zeiger, AM. “Kids Need Nature Now – Integrating Horticulture into Pediatric Practice.” Webinar as part of American Horticultural Therapy Association Growing Impact campaign. March 2025. New York, NY.View presentation →
- 2. Zeiger AM, Handley N. Integrative medicine and horticultural therapy: the evidence for the healing benefits of nature. Presented as an invited guest at the Philadelphia Flower Show. March 2023, Philadelphia, PA.
- 3. Zeiger AM, Ross, W. Qualitative analysis of horticulture education programs for youth in the United States. Presented as part of Thomas Jefferson University SPRING Award. February 2023, Philadelphia, PA.
- 4. Zeiger AM, Barret MP, Nalabolu S, Ross W. Environment and the health experience. Presentation for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Grand Rounds. November 2022, Philadelphia, PA.
- 5. Blaber O, Chadwick M, Sheng Y, Zeiger AM. Streamlining Hospital Transfers for Pediatric Musculoskeletal Patients. Business Model presentation as part of the Physician Executive Leadership curriculum at Sidney Kimmel Medical College. January 2020; Philadelphia, PA.
- 6. Zeiger AM, Malone G. T1Dawgs: Creating a Network for Type 1 Diabetic Students. Oral presentation at the University of Washington Service and Leadership Symposium. May 2017, Seattle, WA.View presentation →
- 7. Zeiger AM, Burchard EG. Racial Differences in Genetic Determinants of Telomere Length. Oral presentation at the University of Washington Undergraduate Research Symposium. May 2017, Seattle, WA.
- 8. Taking Diabetes to College. Moderated two community events in October 2016 and April 2017. Seattle, WA.
In the News
Featured Articles & Stories
Articles and stories that have featured my work, listed from most recent to oldest.
Horticultural Therapy Institute · August 2023
50 Years of Cultivating Horticultural Therapy
Read article →
Technology.org · October 2018
Genetic Predictors of Lifespan Studied in Whites and Asians Don’t Apply to Black Youth
Read article →
UC San Francisco · September 2018
Genetic Predictors of Lifespan Studied in Whites and Asians Don’t Apply to Black Youth
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UCSF School of Pharmacy · November 2017
UCSF Lab Sends Filters to Hurricane-Ravaged Puerto Rico
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Hugging the Cactus · November 2017
CDN Creates Guide for Newly Diagnosed Young Adults
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The Daily of the University of Washington · November 2017
Chronic Illness in College: You Are Not Alone
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The Daily of the University of Washington · October 2016
UW Students Start First Type 1 Diabetic Support Group on Campus
Read article →
Videos
Featured Videos
Videos and interviews featuring my work, advocacy, and community projects.
YouTube · March 2025
Integrating Horticulture into Pediatrics
Watch video →
YouTube · October 2023
HT and Nature Exposure Counseling Among Pediatric Primary Care Providers
Watch video →
YouTube · March 2022
Medical Student Day in the Life
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YouTube · February 2021
CDN Exercise
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YouTube · February 2021
CDN Drinking
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YouTube · February 2021
Intro to Newly Diagnosed Young Adult
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YouTube · December 2020
Bloom
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YouTube · April 2017
Mary Gates Endowment 20th Anniversary
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Honors, Awards, and Certificates
Thomas Jefferson University SPRING Program Award · Project: Generating a national survey of pediatric primary care providers' perspectives on digital screen use and nature exposure counseling · Mentor: Dr. Wendy Ross, M.D.
Thomas Jefferson University SPRING Program Award · Project: Qualitative analysis of horticulture education programs for youth in the United States · Mentor: Dr. Wendy Ross, M.D.
Sidney Kimmel Medical College Dean's Student Research Prize · Project: Creation of a web-based tool to facilitate community connectivity · Mentor: Dr. Tejal Naik, M.D.
Dean's Student Leadership Forum · Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, PA
Physician Executive Leadership Program Certificate · Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, PA
University of Washington Annual Dean's List · University of Washington, Seattle, WA
University of Washington Mary Gates Leadership Scholarship · Project: T1Dawgs: Creating a network for Type 1 Diabetic students · Mentor: Gwen Malone
Mustang Soccer Club Scholar-Athlete Award
Connect
Interested in Collaborating?
Data Selection
From Source Data to Published Nature Sites
Nature Finder combines large public datasets and specialized directories, then screens and refines their records before qualifying locations are published on the map.
Source Data
National datasets, public directories, and community contributions
Screen & Standardize
Clean records and identify nature-related, publicly useful locations
Verify & Deduplicate
Review geography, quality, and likely overlap across sources
Publish
Add qualifying locations to Nature Finder while retaining source provenance
American Public Gardens Association — Garden Finder
474 processed•Sep 15, 2026
471 published
99.4% published
National Park Service — Public Points of Interest
11,700 processed•Sep 15, 2026
11,498 published
98.3% published
ParkServe® — Trust for Public Land
149,125 processed•Sep 17, 2026
142,000 published
95.2% published
American Community Gardening Association — Find a Garden
4,993 processed•Sep 17, 2026
4,736 published
94.9% published
KidsGardening Grantees
0 processed
826 published
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
229 processed•Sep 13, 2026
196 published
85.6% published
Florida Horticulture for Health Network
197 processed•Sep 12, 2026
118 published
59.9% published
School Garden Support Organization Network — National School Garden Map
16,361 processed•Sep 18, 2026
8,763 published
53.6% published
Green Schoolyards America — Outdoor Learning Map
206 processed•Sep 18, 2026
98 published
47.6% published
Walk with a Doc
558 processed•Sep 18, 2026
198 published
35.5% published
Botanic Gardens Conservation International — GardenSearch
952 processed•Sep 13, 2026
285 published
29.9% published
Garden Conservancy — Preservation Partners
0 processed
34 published
Protected Areas Database of the United States
43,473 processed•Sep 18, 2026
Processing
American Horticultural Society Garden Network
402 processed•Sep 8, 2026
Processing
Therapeutic Landscapes Network
235 processed•Sep 8, 2026
Processing
Live counts from the Nature Finder database. One published location may carry more than one source membership.
About the Website
How this site was built
Kids Need Nature combines educational resources with the Nature Finder, a geographic database designed to help people discover publicly accessible nature.