Members

Leadership

Matt Perzanowski, PhD, MPH
- Director of NIEHS Center for Environmental Health and Justice in Northern Manhattan and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
- Pulmonary Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Child Health and Development, Asthma, Pollution--Air/Ground/Water, Environmental Epidemiology, Environmental Risk Factors, Molecular Epidemiology, Global Health, Public Health Education, Urban Health.
Diana Hernandez, PhD
- Deputy Director of the Center for Environmental Health and Justice in Northern Manhattan and Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences
- Sociologist
Areas of Research Focus: Community Programs and Outreach, Disparities / Inequalities in Health, Minority Health, Social Factors in Health, Underserved Populations, Climate and Health, Environmental Risk Factors, Hunger/Food Insecurity, Poverty, Smoking (Tobacco), Urban Health
Pam R. Factor-Litvak, PhD
- Co-Director of the Study Design and Data Science Facility Core and Co-Director of the Pilot Project Program
- Professor of Epidemiology, Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Epidemiology and Associate Dean for Research Resources Environmental Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Lifecourse epidemiology and endocrine disruptors.
Diane Berengere Ré, PhD
- Co-Director of the Pilot Project Program and Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Neuroscientist
Areas of Research Focus: Neurological Disease/Disorders, Parkinson's Disease, Chemical Hazards, Environmental Risk Factors, Environmental Toxins, Toxicity of Heavy Metals, Toxicology
Julie Herbstman, MSc, PhD
- Director of the Career Development Program and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences Environmental and Molecular Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Aging and Elderly, Breastfeeding, Child Health and Development, Environmental Epidemiology, Environmental Risk Factors, Environmental Toxins, Molecular Epidemiology, Epigenetics, Maternal Health, Perinatal Epidemiology, Prenatal/Perinatal Care, Urban Health.
Steven Chillrud, PhD
- Co-Director of the Translational Research Support Core and Lamont Research Professor in the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Geochemist
Areas of Research Focus: Air and water pollution, Metals exposures, Personal exposure assessment, Geochemistry, Atmospheric Chemistry, Biogeochemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Groundwater Geochemistry, Low Temperature Geochemistry.
Hui-Chen Wu, DrPH
- Co-Director of the Translational Research Support Core and Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
Areas of Research Focus: DNA methylation markers of breast and liver cancer.
Ami Zota, ScD
- Co-Director of the Community Engagement Core and Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
Areas of Research Focus: Discrimination/Bias, Disparities / Inequalities in Health, Minority Health, Social / Cultural Issues, Underserved Populations, Women's Health, Pollution--Air/Ground/Water, Chemical Hazards, Environmental Epidemiology, Molecular Epidemiology, Maternal Health, Perinatal Epidemiology, Reproductive Health.
Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou
- Co-Director of the Study Design and Data Science Facility Core and Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
- Environmental Engineer & Environmental Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Big Data, Data Science, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Neurological Disease / Disorders, Disparities / Inequalities in Health, Pollution--Air/Ground/Water, Climate and Health, Environmental Epidemiology, Environmental Toxins, Perinatal Epidemiology, Mental Health, Urban Health.

Full Members

Adana Llanos, PhD, MPH
- Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Cancer and Molecular Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Cancer, Cancer Breast, Cancer--Chemical/Environmental Causes, Stress, Disparities / Inequalities in Health, Minority Health, Underserved Populations, Environmental Risk Factors, Molecular Epidemiology, Obesity, Epigenetics, Genetics.
Alan S. Brown, MD, MPH
- Professor of Psychiatry & Epidemiology, Research Psychiatrist
Areas of Research Focus: Large-scale birth cohorts, Prenatal exposures & risk of psychiatric disorders, Autism.
Alfred I Neugut, MD
- Myron M. Studner Professor of Cancer Research in Medicine and Professor of Epidemiology at the CUIMC
- Medical Oncologist and Cancer Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Outcomes Research, Risk Assessment and Communication, Cancer, Cancer Breast, Cancer Colon, Cancer Esophageal and Gastric, Cancer Lung, Cancer Prostate, Cancer Screening, Disparities / Inequalities in Health, Genetics, Ethics.
Allison Kupsco, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Environmental Toxicologist and Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Child Health and Development, Environmental Epidemiology, Molecular Epidemiology, Toxicity of Heavy Metals, Epigenetics.
Ana Navas-Acien, MD, PhD, MPH
- Professor of Environmental Health Sciences and Director of the Columbia Superfund Research Program, Physician and Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Aging and Elderly, Clinical Trials, Intervention Studies, Longitudinal Studies, Survival Analysis, Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Disease, Diabetes, Disparities / Inequalities in Health, Pollution--Air/Ground/Water, Arsenic Exposure, Environmental Epidemiology, Lead Exposure, Molecular Epidemiology, Toxicity of Heavy Metals, Water Quality and Access, Obesity, Epigenetics, Gene-Environment Interactions, Genetic Susceptibility, Smoking (Tobacco).
Arianna Kim, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Dermatology at CUIMC
Areas of Research Focus: Understanding the molecular/signaling components that influence cell survival and how these components contribute to the pathological features of human cancer.
Blair Wylie, MD
- Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Areas of Research Focus: Global maternal and newborn health, reproductive environmental health, indoor air pollution, pesticides.
Charles Branas, PhD
- Gelman Endowed Professor in Epidemiology, Chair of the Department of Epidemiology
Areas of Research Focus: Adolescent/Youth, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Built Environment, Community Development, Neighborhoods, Place-Based Interventions, Urban Health, Urban Planning.
David J. Brenner, PhD
- Higgins Professor of Radiation Biophysics (in Radiation Oncology) and of Environmental Health Sciences, Director, Center for Radiological Research (CRR), Director, Radiological Research Accelerator Facility (RARAF)
Areas of Research Focus: Dr. Brenner divides his research time between the effects of high doses of ionizing radiation (relating to radiation therapy) and the effects of low doses of radiation (relating to radiological, environmental and occupational exposures).
Darby Jack, PhD
- Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
Areas of Research Focus: Risk Assessment and Communication, Pollution--Air/Ground/Water, Climate and Health, Environmental Risk Factors, Global Health, Poverty.
Dustin Duncan, ScD
- Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Co-Director, Social and Spatial Epidemiology Unit, Social and Spatial Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Longitudinal Studies, Spatial Analysis, Disparities/Inequalities in Health, Minority Health, Social Epidemiology, Social Factors in Health, Environmental Epidemiology, Environmental Risk Factors, Global Health, HIV/AIDS, Infectious Disease, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Health, Urban Health
Elizabeth Oelsner, MD
- Irving Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine
Areas of Research Focus: Primary and secondary prevention of chronic lung diseases, health effects of e-cigarettes.
Ezra Susser, MD, DrPH
- Director of the Psychiatric Epidemiology Training Program and Professor of Epidemiology & Psychiatry, Psychiatric Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Child Health and Development, Autism, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Community Programs and Outreach, Discrimination/Bias, Disparities / Inequalities in Health, Homelessness, Immigrant Health, Social / Cultural Issues, Underserved Populations, Environmental Risk Factors, Lead Exposure, Molecular Epidemiology, Hunger/Food Insecurity, Nutrition, Epigenetics, Gene-Environment Interactions, Genomics, Global Health, Human Rights, Poverty, Rural Health, Health Systems Strengthening, Healthcare Providers, Healthcare Reform, History of Public Health, Perinatal Epidemiology, Prenatal/Perinatal Care, Mental Health, Schizophrenia, Life-course Approach to Prevention, Smoking (Tobacco).
Frederica P. Perera, DrPH, PhD
- Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Molecular Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Risk Assessment and Communication, Child Health and Development, Low Birth Weight, Asthma, Cancer, Neurological Disease / Disorders, Environmental Risk Factors, Gene-Environment Interactions, Genetic Susceptibility, Genetics, Global Health, Birth Outcomes.
Gary W. Miller, PhD
- Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Pharmacologist, Toxicologist, Molecular Neuroscientist
Areas of Research Focus: Alzheimer's Disease, Neurological Disease / Disorders, Parkinson's Disease, Chemical Hazards, Environmental Risk Factors, Environmental Toxins, Exposomics, Toxicology, Gene-Environment Interactions, Addiction/Drug Abuse.
Hiroshi Mitsumoto, MD
- Wesley J. Howe Professor of Neurology at CUIMC, Neurologist and Physician Scientist
Areas of Research Focus: ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), Lou Gehrig's Disease, Neuromuscular Disease, Oxidative stress & genetic-environmental factors.
Ka Kahe, MD, ScD, MPH
- Tilden-Weger-Bieler Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Epidemiology
Areas of Research Focus: Aging and Elderly, Child Health and Development, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Neurological Disease / Disorders, Stroke, Environmental Epidemiology, Toxicity of Heavy Metals, Nutrition, Obesity, Maternal Health, Perinatal Epidemiology
Kiros Berhane, PhD
- Cynthia and Robert Citron-Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein Professor in Biostatistics, Chair of the Department of Biostatistics
Areas of Research Focus: Data Science, Longitudinal Studies, Multilevel Modeling, Research Design and Methods, Adolescent Health, Asthma, Pollution--Air/Ground/Water, Climate and Health, Environmental Epidemiology, Nutrition, Obesity, Global Health, Urban Health.
Jasmine A. McDonald, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Longitudinal Studies, Adolescent Health, Breastfeeding, Child Health and Development, Cancer Breast, Chronic Disease, Disparities / Inequalities in Health, Minority Health, Women's Health, Environmental Risk Factors, Molecular Epidemiology, Epigenetics, Gene-Environment Interactions, Infectious Disease, Life-course Approach to Prevention, Risk Factors.
Jeanette Stingone, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Pediatric Environmental Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Data Science, Child Health and Development, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Pollution--Air/Ground/Water, Environmental Epidemiology, Birth Outcomes, Perinatal Epidemiology, Urban Health.
Jeanine D'Armiento, MD, PhD
- Professor of Medicine (in Anesthesiology, Physiology & Cellular Biophysics) at CUIMC, Physician Scientist, Molecular Medicine
Areas of Research Focus: Lung disease and MMP biology/animal models.
Jeanine Genkinger, PhD
- Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Epidemiologist and Nutritional Scientist
Areas of Research Focus: Longitudinal Studies, Survival Analysis, Cancer, Cancer Ovarian, Cancer Prostate, Chronic Disease, Nutrition, Obesity, Epigenetics.
Jeffrey Shaman, PhD
- Professor of Environmental Health Sciences and Director of the Climate and Health Program at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Geophysicist
Areas of Research Focus: Climate and Health, Emerging Infections, Epidemics, Infectious Disease.
Karen Marder, MD, MPH
- Sally Kerlin Professor of Neurology at CUIMC, Physician and Behavioral Neurologist
Areas of Research Focus: Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia, Memory Loss, Behavioral Disorders, Huntington's Disease.
Manuela Orjuela-Grimm, MD
- Assistant Professor of Epidemiology & Pediatrics (in the HICCC) at CUIMC, Molecular Epidemiologist and Pediatric Oncologist
Areas of Research Focus: Child Health and Development, Cancer, Disparities / Inequalities in Health, Immigrant Health, Molecular Epidemiology, Hunger/Food Insecurity, Nutrition, Epigenetics, Gene-Environment Interactions, Genetic Susceptibility, Global Health, Poverty.
Markus Hilpert, PhD
- Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences Civil Engineer
Areas of Research Focus: Cancer, Pollution--Air/Ground/Water, Chemical Hazards, Environmental Risk Factors, Urban Health.
Mary Beth Terry, PhD
- Professor of Epidemiology in Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Longitudinal Studies, Research Design and Methods, Adolescent Health, Cancer, Cancer Breast, Cancer Screening, Community Programs and Outreach, Disparities / Inequalities in Health, Women's Health, Environmental Epidemiology, Molecular Epidemiology, Genetic Susceptibility, Genetics, Perinatal Epidemiology, Life-course Approach to Prevention.
Mary V. Gamble, PhD
- Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Nutritional Biochemist
Areas of Research Focus: Arsenic Exposure, Nutrition, Global Health.
Maya Deyssenroth
- Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Molecular Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Bioinformatics, Child Health and Development, Environmental Epidemiology, Molecular Epidemiology, Genomics, Birth Outcomes, Maternal Health, Perinatal Epidemiology.
Muhammad Parvez
- Research Scientist in Environmental Health Sciences, Public Health Researchers in International Programs
Areas of Research Focus: Metals, air pollution, molecular toxicology & immune function.
R Graham Barr, MD, DrPH
- Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Physician Scientist and Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Air pollution & cardiopulmonary disease, Longitudinal Studies, Research Design and Methods.
Rebecca Anne Haeusler, PhD
- Associate Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology
Areas of Research Focus: Diabetes, Cardiometabolic Disease, Insulin Action and Insulin Resistance, Lipid Metabolism, Bile Acid Metabolism.
Ronald Wapner, MD
- Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at CUIMC, Physician Scientist and OBGYN
Areas of Research Focus: Multi-center trials, environmental exposures & child health development, fetal anomalies, genetic testing, fetal testing, preterm birth prevention.
Sen Pei
- Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Biostatistician
Areas of Research Focus: Bayesian Methods, Epidemics, Infectious Disease.
Tom K. Hei, PhD
- Professor of Radiation Oncology & Environmental Health Sciences (in the Center for Radiologic Research), Radiation and Environmental Cancer Expert
Areas of Research Focus: Extracellular effects of ionizing radiation, Asbestos, Arsenic, Radon, Lung cancer, Animal models.
Virginia A Rauh, ScD, MSW
- Professor of Population & Family Health, Perinatal Epidemiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Child Health and Development, Low Birth Weight, Minority Health, Social / Cultural Issues, Social Epidemiology, Environmental Risk Factors, Birth Outcomes, Perinatal Epidemiology.
Ying Wei, PhD
- Associate Professor of Biostatistics, Biostatistician
Areas of Research Focus: Biostatistics, Quantile regression, Longitudinal studies.
Marcela Tamayo-Ortiz
- Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
Areas of research focus: adolescent health, aging, climate change, community health, environmental epidemiology, environmental health, and urban health.
Teresa Janevic
- Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Areas of research focus: social and structural determinants of perinatal and reproductive health and health outcomes.

Associate Members

Amy Margolis, MD
- Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry) at CUIMC Pediatric Neuropsychologist
Areas of Research Focus: Children's health, Neurotoxicants, Learning disorders.
Anne (Annie) Nigra, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
Areas of Research Focus: Socioeconomic inequities in environmental exposures, environmental justice, community-directed research, drinking water regulation, metal exposures, metal-related chronic disease.
Beizhan Yan, PhD
- Lamont Associate Research Professor, Geochemist
Areas of Research Focus: Biogeochemistry, environmental bioremediation.
Cecilia Sorensen, MD
- Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences and Medicine at the CUIMC and Director of the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education, Emergency Medicine Physician Investigator
Areas of Research Focus: Community-Based Healthcare, Women's Health, Climate and Health, Global Health, Refugee Health, Health Worker Education, Physician Education, Public Health Education.
Greg A. Freyer, PhD
- Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Molecular Biologist and Biochemist
Areas of Research Focus: Cancer, Oncogenes, Oncoproteins, Radiation Exposure, Gene-Environment Interactions, Genetic Susceptibility, Genetics.
Kathrin Schilling, MSc, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Isotope Geochemist
Areas of Research Focus: Cancer, Cancer--Chemical/Environmental Causes, Pollution--Air/Ground/Water, Chemical Hazards, Climate and Health, Environmental Toxins, Toxicity of Heavy Metals, Water Quality and Access
Lewis Ziska
- Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Plant Physiologist
Areas of Research Focus: Climate change and rising carbon dioxide that address: agriculture and food security; invasive species; and plant biology and public health.
Linda Valeri, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, Biostatistician
Areas of Research Focus: Data Science, Longitudinal Studies, Missing Data, Disparities / Inequalities in Health, Environmental Epidemiology, Mental Health, Schizophrenia.
Matthew Neidell, PhD
- Professor of Health Policy and Management, Health Economist
Areas of Research Focus: Research Design and Methods, Pollution--Air/Ground/Water, Climate and Health, Healthcare Economics.
Merlin Chowkwanyun, PhD, MPH
- Donald H. Gemson Assistant Professor of Sociomedical Sciences Historian
Areas of Research Focus: Data Management, Spatial Analysis, Community-Based Healthcare, Disparities/Inequalities in Health, Immigrant Health, Pollution--Air/Ground/Water, Healthcare Policy, History of Public Health.
Norman Kleiman, PhD, MS
- Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences Molecular Biologist/Ophthalmology
Areas of Research Focus: Aging and Elderly, Cancer, Cancer--Chemical/Environmental Causes, Arsenic Exposure, Chemical Hazards, Environmental Risk Factors, Environmental Toxins, Radiation Exposure, Toxicity of Heavy Metals, Toxicology, Epigenetics, Gene-Environment Interactions, Genetic Susceptibility, Genetics, Genomics, Public Health Education.
Robbie M. Parks, PhD
- Assistant Professor and NIH NIEHS K99/R00 Fellow
Areas of Research Focus: Climate-related exposures (tropical cyclones, temperature, air pollution, wild fires), community health, biostatistical methods.
Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, MD
- Director of the Division of Pulmonary Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics and Assistant Professor of Pediatric Pulmonology, Physician Scientist and Pediatric Pulmonologist
Areas of Research Focus: Children's respiratory health, Asthma, Physical activity, Air pollution.
Xiao Wu, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Biostatistics
Areas of Research Focus: Developing statistical and causal inference methods to address methodological needs in climate and health research.
Dana Goin, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Epidemiology
Haotian (Howie) Wu, PhD
- Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
Areas of research focus: reproductive, pulmonary, and neuropsychological health.
Joseph P. Alukal
- Associate Professor of Urology