People
Dr. Allison Kupsco, PhD, PI (she/her)
Dr. Allison Kupsco is an environmental toxicologist and epidemiologist. Originally from Tucson, Arizona, she attended higher education in Southern California. She received her BA in Biology from Scripps College and her doctorate in Environmental Toxicology from University of California Riverside. Her doctoral work focused on delineating a mechanistic pathway of selenium-induced birth defects in medaka fish, with the goal of enhancing environmental protections from mining and climate change. She did a short postdoc with Dr. David Volz at UCR, examining the epigenetic impacts of organophosphate flame-retardant exposures in zebrafish models. She transitioned from epigenetics in model organisms to human populations in her second postdoc with Dr. Andrea Baccarelli at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, where she learned to apply molecular and epigenetic biomarkers to epidemiological research. Beginning as an Assistant Professor in 2021, she now directs a molecular epidemiology lab with the goal of advancing children’s environmental health though cutting-edge molecular biomarkers.
Courses Taught at MSPH: Principles of Toxicology (current), SHARP Epigenetics Bootcamp (2019-2024), Biomarkers for Environmental Health (2022), Public Health Epigenetics (2018 and 2019)
Professional Societies: ISEE, SOT
Membership: P30 Center for Environmental Health and Justice in Northern Manhattan, Columbia University Northern Plains Superfund Research Program, Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Investigator at the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health
Editorial Duties: Section co-Editor for Current Environmental Health Reports, Epigenetics Section
Postdocs
Pei Wen (Millie) Tung, MPH, PhD
Dr. Pei Wen Tung is an environmental epidemiologist with research focuses on children’s environmental health, molecular epidemiology and omics approaches for understanding the impacts of pre- and post-natal environmental exposure on health outcomes. She received an MPH in Environmental Health Sciences from Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from Emory University. Her doctoral dissertation utilized a U.S-based birth cohort to investigate the association between placental multi-metal exposure and newborn neurobehavior, in addition to epigenetic effects of prenatal metal exposure quantified from various biomarkers. She enjoys going to local coffee shops with a good book, museums and Broadway shows, and long walks in the city on breezy days.
Abigail Gaylord, MPH, PhD
Abby Gaylord received her PhD in Epidemiology from the NYU School of Medicine in 2022 and her MPH from the Environmental Health Sciences Department at Columbia University in 2017. Her previous research focused on the effects of prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals on newborn DNA methylation and allergic outcomes in childhood. In the Kupsco Lab, Abby is studying novel epigenetic biomarkers of pre- and post-natal environmental exposures. She is also beginning research on the interactive effects of prenatal extreme heat and air pollution on the fetal methylome and asthma development in children using data from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) consortium. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and pets, learning to garden, and eating good food.
Carolyn Gigot, PhD
Dr. Carolyn Gigot is an environmental epidemiologist interested in novel biomarkers of environmental exposures and health effects. She received a PhD in Environmental Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2024, where she studied impacts of COVID-19 on high-risk workers and cumulative health risks from air pollutants in fenceline communities. Before her PhD, she worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency as an ORAU contractor, contributing to IRIS chemical health hazard assessments. She is originally from Washington, DC and also enjoys rock climbing and knitting.
Doctoral Students
Tessa (Tess) Bloomquist, MS
Tess is a PhD candidate working in the Kupsco and WATER EPI Labs. She holds a BS in neuroscience from Trinity College and a MS in toxicology from the Mailman School of Public Health Columbia. Her research interests include the role of epigenetic biomarkers in prenatal determinants of children's health. When not in lab, she spends as much time as possible outside hiking, running, and playing with her dog!
Stephanie Calluori (she/her)
Stephanie is a PhD student in the Environmental Health Sciences Department. Using epidemiological methods, Stephanie’s research focuses on the effects of environmental exposures on epigenetic biomarkers, and the ultimate impact on women’s and children’s health. Stephanie received a B.A. from Barnard College, where she studied cell and molecular biology as well as science and public policy. Previously, she conducted research at CU Mailman School of Public Health and CU Institute for Cancer Genetics. In addition, Stephanie worked as a scientific program analyst at the National Human Genome Research Institute. Stephanie enjoys all things music, cooking, and kayaking.
Lab Personnel
Katie DeSantis