Thomas Matte, MD MPH

  • Senior Lecturer of Environmental Health Sciences at CUMC

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Overview

Tom Matte is an environmental epidemiologist and physician with more than 30 years of public health practice and research experience in government, academia, and non-governmental organizations.  His work has spanned a range of urban environmental exposures that contribute to health inequities, including lead poisoning, unhealthy housing, air pollution, and climate change.  Tom has led and collaborated in applied research, surveillance, and development of evidence-based policies and programs.  As an Assistant Commissioner with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Dr. Matte led the development of the New York City Community Air Survey and the Department's climate and health program.  With a multi-disciplinary team and collaborating researchers, fellows, and graduate students from Columbia and other academic institutions, he helped generate evidence that informed initiatives to phase out high-sulfur heating oil and protect vulnerable New Yorkers from extreme heat.  Dr. Matte also worked at Vital Strategies, a global public health NGO, as a vice president and consultant, contributing to the development of an environmental health program that supports clean air, active mobility, and other healthy city initiatives, and which has provided clinician and journalist air pollution workshops in low- and middle-income countries.  He is a member of the 4th New York City Panel on Climate Change, has lectured on urban issues in Mailman's climate change and health course, and participated in several New York City public health emergency responses.

Academic Appointments

  • Senior Lecturer of Environmental Health Sciences at CUMC

Administrative Titles

  • Internal Advisory Committee Member of Columbia Center for Environmental Health and Justice in Northern Manhattan

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • BA, 1977 Dartmouth College
  • MD, 1982 Albany Medical College
  • MPH, 1986 Harvard School of Public Health

Committees, Societies, Councils

New York City Panel on Climate Change

Research

Our urbanizing world needs environmental health science to help build healthy, resilient, and equitable cities.

Research Interests

  • Community Health
  • Environmental Health
  • Urban Health

Selected Publications

Matte, T. D., Lane, K., Tipaldo, J., Barnes, J., Knowlton, K., Torem, E., Anand, G., Yoon, L., Marcotullio, P. J., Balk, D., Constible, J., Elszasz, H., Ito, K., Jessel, S., Limaye, V. S., Parks, R. M., Rutigliano, M., Sorenson, C., & Yuan, A. (2024). NPCC4: Climate Change and New York City’s Health Risk: Interim Report. https://climateassessment.nyc

Yoon, L., Ventrella, J., Marcotullio, P., Matte, T., Lane, K., Tipaldo, J., Jessel, S., Schmid, K., Casagrande, J., Elszasz, H., (2024). Climate Change, Energy, and Energy Insecurity in New York City. Interim Report. https://climateassessment.nyc

Balk, D.,McPhearson, T., Cook, E. M., Knowlton, K.,Maher, N., Marcotullio, P., Matte, T., Moss, R., Ortiz, L., Towers, J., Ventrella, J.,Wagner, G., & Barnes, J. (2024). Concepts and tools for envisioning New York City’s futures – Interim Report. https://climaeassessment.nyc

Marcotullio P, Braçe O, Lane K, Olson CE, Tipaldo J, Ventrella J, et al. Local power outages, heat, and community characteristics in New York City. Sustainable Cities and Society [Internet]. 2023;99:104932. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210670723005437

Vital Strategies. “Integrated Use of Low-Cost Sensors to Strengthen Air Quality Management in Indian Cities.” Kushwaha M, Mehta S, Arora P, Dye T, and Matte T. New York, NY 2022. https://www.vitalstrategies.org/resources/integrated- use-of-low-cost-sensors-to-strengthen-air-quality-management-in- indian-cities/

Perera F, Berberian A, Cooley D, Shenaut E, Olmstead H, Ross,Z, and Matte T. "Potential health benefits of sustained air quality improvements in New York City: A simulation based on air pollution levels during the COVID-19 shutdown." Environ Res. 193:110555,2021.. doi:10.1016/j.envres.

Vital Strategies, World Health Organization. “Revealing the Toll of COVID-19: A Technical Package for Rapid Mortality Surveillance and Epidemic Response.” 47 contributing authors, including Matte T. New York, Vital Strategies, 2020. https://www.vitalstrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/Vital-Strategies-Reve...

Vital Strategies. “Innovation And Action Guide: Accelerating City Progress on Clean Air.” 11 authors, including Matte T. New York, Vital Strategies, 2020. https://www.vitalstrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/AcceleratingCityProgr...

Matte T. “The Moral Imperative of Clean Household Energy.” Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2018. DOI: 10.48558/maf3-zp36

Dominianni C, Lane K, Johnson S, Ito K, Matte T. “Health Impacts of Citywide and Localized Power Outages in New York City”. Environ Health Perspect. 2018. DOI:10.1289/EHP2154.

Koehler K, Latshaw M, Matte T, Kass D, Frumkin H, Fox M, Hobbs BF, Wills-Karp M, Burke TA. Building healthy community environments: a public health approach. Public Health Reports. 2018 Nov;133(1_suppl):35S-43S. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0033354918798809.

Kheirbek I, Haney J, Douglas S, Ito K, Matte T. "The contribution of motor vehicle emissions to ambient fine particulate matter public health impacts in New York City: a health burden assessment". Environmental Health. 15(1):89. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-016-0172-6

Johnson S, Bobb JF, Ito K, Savitz DA, Elston B, Shmool JL, Dominici F, Ross Z, Clougherty JE, Matte T. Ambient Fine Particulate Matter, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Preterm Birth in New York City. Environ Health Perspect. 124:1283–1290. 2016. http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/ehp.1510266

Kinney P L, Matte T, Knowlton K, Madrigano J, Petkova E, Weinberger K, Quinn A, Arend M and Pullen J. “New York City Panel on Climate Change Report. Chapter 5: Public Health Impacts and Resiliency.” Ann NY Acad Sci: 1336: 67–88, 2015. doi:10.1111/nyas.12588

Madrigano J, Ito K, Johnson S, Kinney P, Matte T. A case-only study of vulnerability to heat wave–related mortality in New York City (2000–2011). Environ Health Perspect. 123:672–678. 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408178

See a complete list of publications