Environmental Exposure and Biomarker Lab

I am an environmental epidemiologist focused on understanding the health impacts related to early life exposure to chemical contaminants. I am also interested in identifying social and host factors (e.g. genetics, epigenetics, and microbiome) that can mediate these exposure-response relationships. A large portion of my research involves biomonitoring to assess personal exposure to chemical contaminants at different life stages. In addition to conducting studies that inform risk assessment and environmental policy, I also engage in community-based health research that engages communities in environmental health research in order to identify control measures that are acceptable to the impacted community. Currently, I am working on a prospective birth cohort in Bangladesh examining the effect of early life exposure to metals on children’s health outcomes including reproductive health outcomes, immunological functioning, and neurocognitive behavior. I am also working with Native American Tribes to investigate air quality and chemical contamination in First Foods. I am helping to develop a new study in Oregon that will investigate the association between flame retardant chemical exposure and children’s neurocognitive and behavioral outcomes. Finally, I am helping to develop and assess well water safety programming that will motivate homeowners to mitigate environmental hazards detected in their home’s well water.