Environmental Health Sciences

Along with providing education and training, department of Environmental Health Sciences faculty and researchers have achieved national and international reputations for excellence in their respective fields of research and expertise. Short summaries of faculty are detailed below.

Department Chair

Andrew D. Maynard, Ph.D.
Risk identification, assessment, management and communication; emergent risks; emerging technologies; technology innovation; science-informed decision-making, science communication.

Core Faculty

	Andrew Ault, Ph.D. Mass Spectrometry, Microscopy, and Microspectroscopy of Atmospheric Aerosols and Engineered Nanoparticles and their Impacts on Health and Climate
	Niladri Basu, Ph.D. Environmental toxicology, fish and wildlife sentinels, community health, neurochemical biomarkers, ecosystem health, indigenous peoples, water quality and risk assessment of legacy and emerging pollutants, gene-environment interaction.
	Stuart Batterman, Ph.D. Exposure assessment, biological monitoring, human health risk and environmental impact assessment, innovative measurement techniques for air pollutants, and environmental policy including indoor and ambient air quality, hazardous waste and drinking water.
	Sergei Chernyak, Ph.D.
	Dana Dolinoy, Ph.D. Environmental epigenetics/epigenomics, developmental origins of adult disease, role of diet and nutrition in modulating chemical exposure and epigenetic events including DNA methylation and chromatin structure.
	J. Tim Dvonch, Ph.D. Exposure assessment and health effects of air pollution, with a focus on chemical composition of airborne particles and air pollution source identification.
	Alfred Franzblau, M.D. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders, biological monitoring of methanol exposure, occupational neurological disease, and occupational respiratory disease.
	Craig Harris, Ph.D. Mammalian developmental toxicology and biochemical mechanisms of teratogenesis; the role of biochemical defenses in developing rat conceptus that might influence the incidence and severity of dysmorphogenesis.
	Olivier Jolliet, Ph.D. Environmental health risks and impacts, multimedia fate & exposure modeling, indoor and outdoor intake fractions, life cycle risks of chemicals, pesticides, contaminated sites, waste, and trade.
	Rita Loch-Caruso, Ph.D. Female reproductive toxicology, with a focus on environmental pollutant risks for normal and timely childbirth; development of human tissue culture methods for assessment of toxicant risks for parturition.
	Peter Mancuso, Ph.D. Inflammation and infection of the lung, arachidonic acid metabolism in alveolar macrophages and neutrophils, role of eicosanoids in pulmonary host defense, malnutrition, host defense mechanisms in bacterial pneumonia, leptin and immune function.
	Andrew D. Maynard, Ph.D. Risk identification, assessment, management and communication; emergent risks; emerging technologies; technology innovation; science-informed decision-making, science communication.
	John Meeker, Sc.D., C.I.H. Exposure assessment and epidemiology studies investigating negative health effects associated with exposure to pesticides, phthalates, bisphenol A, flame retardants, PCBs, tobacco smoke, and other agents.
	Masako Morishita, Ph.D. Air pollution exposure assessment, sources of trace metals and air toxics, and nanoparticle characterization
	Richard L Neitzel, Ph.D. Application of new methodologies and technologies to exposure science and risk assessment; evaluation and management of health risks related to physical agents, safety hazards, and psychosocial factors
	Jerome Nriagu, Ph.D., D.Sc. Sources, fate and effects of toxic metals in the environment, environmental arsenic pollution and poisoning, water quality issues in the Great Lakes, history of lead poisoning, environmental justice and environmental health in developing countries.
	Marie S. O'Neill, Ph.D. Environmental epidemiology, air pollution, climate change, environmental equity, international health, cardiovascular mechanisms.
	Karen E. Peterson, D.Sc. Nutrition: determinants of intergenerational patterns of growth in mothers and children, design and evaluation of domestic and international surveillance systems, and community-based interventions in low-income, multi-ethnic populations.
	Martin Philbert, Ph.D. Experimental neuropathology, nitrocompound-induced encephalopathies, mitochondrial mechanisms in non-neuronal cell death, development of nano-optical chemical systems, and nanostructure-based imaging of tumors of the head and neck.
	Rudy Richardson, Sc.D., D.A.B.T. Neural injury with applications to neurodegenerative disease and stroke; biomarkers of neurotoxicant exposure, dysfunction and recovery; stereochemistry and structure-activity relationships; chemistry and neurotoxicity of organophosphorus compounds.
	Thomas Robins, M.D., M.P.H. Exposure assessment and disease outcomes, epidemiology of inhaled toxins (coal dust, lead, allergens and ambient air pollutants, metalworking fluid aerosols, DDT); information transfer.
	Laura S. Rozek, Ph.D. Population based studies focusing on the epigenetic, environmental and genetic risk factors that contribute to the development of human cancer; specifically head and neck and colorectal cancers. Gene-environment and epigenetic-environment contributions to the risk of human chronic diseases.
	Chuanwu Xi, Ph.D. Water quality and water treatment, bio-imaging, molecular microbial ecology, antibiotic resistance, environmental genomics, infectious diseases, Acinetobacter and Helicobacter pylori, and global health.
	Edward T. Zellers, Ph.D. Microfabricated chemical sensor arrays and microanalytical systems for real-time monitoring of workplace contaminants in air and biological media, permeation of organic solvents through protective clothing.

Faculty with Joint Appointments

	Ana Baylin, M.D., Dr.P.H. Nutritional epidemiology, cardiovascular disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome, genetic epidemiology, global health
	Charles Burant, M.D., Ph.D. Metabolic syndromes, insulin resistance, Type II Diabetes
	Zora Djuric, Ph.D. Diet and cancer prevention.
	W. Monroe Keyserling, Ph.D. Develop computer-aided methods for evaluating and predicting work posture, controlling posture related fatigue and injuries through improved work station design, enhancing work measurement techniques to evaluate ergonomic stresses in the work place, and safety/ergonomic issues in trucking and distribution operations
	Joyce Lee, M.D., M.P.H. Clinical care of children with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes; epidemiology of diabetes and obesity in children; health outcomes and quality of life for children with diabetes; long-term endocrine consequences of childhood obesity.
	Toby C Lewis, M.D., M.P.H. Epidemiology and public health of childhood respiratory disease, particularly the interplay of biologic, environmental, and social factors in the development and exacerbation of asthma
	Mats Ljungman, Ph.D. DNA damage and repair, DNA damage-induced cellular responses, radio sensitization
	Betzy Lozoff, M.D. Iron deficiency anemia in infants and child sleep problems
	Hal Morgenstern, Ph.D. Musculoskeletal conditions, cancers, neuropsychiatric disorders, nonintentional injuries, cardiovascular disease, psychosocial aspects of disease, occupational and environmental health, research methods, and access to and quality of health care.
	Sung Kyun Park, Sc.D., M.P.H. Environmental and molecular epidemiology of air pollution, heavy metals, bisphenol-A, and noise exposures, cardiovascular disease, age-related diseases, gene-environment and nutrient-environment interactions.
	Emily Somers, Ph.D., Sc.M. Epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune disease; ovarian preservation in patients exposed to alkylating agents
	Eduardo Villamor, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H. Pediatric and perinatal epidemiology, nutritional epidemiology, developmental origins of health and disease, nutrition and infection, child and maternal nutrition.
	Robert Werner, M.D. Occupational and environmental medicine

Lecturers and Adjunct Faculty

	Susan Aaronson, M.A., R.D. School and community based pediatric obesity prevention
	Kwangseog (Kwan) Ahn, Sc.D., C.I.H. Ventilation, indoor air quality, sustainability and occupational health, exposure assessment and controls for airborne hazards, internationally common environmental and occupational health issues.
	Michael R. Bleavins, Ph.D. Dr. Bleavins specializes in immunotoxicology, biomarkers, and translational medicine. He co-founded Michigan Technology & Research Institute utilizing his experience and expertise in development of biotechnology and small-molecule therapies.
	Edward Carney, Ph.D. Developmental and reproductive toxicology
	Suzanne M. Cole, Ph.D. Dietary assessment, genetic analysis of health-related complex traits; role of lifestyle factors in the development of type 2 diabetes among adolescents.
	Adrienne Ettinger, Sc.D., M.P.H. Effects of environmental exposures on reproductive, perinatal, and children's health
	B. Bhaskar Gollapudi, Ph.D. Molecular toxicology and geotoxicology
	Theresa Han-Markey, M.S., R.D. Adult and pediatric parenteral and enteral nutrition support; design, production and delivery of metabolic research diets.
	Judith Henck, Ph.D. Developmental and reproductive toxicology
	Howard Hu, M.D., M.P.H., Sc.D. Environmental epidemiology, heavy metals, epigenetics, nutrient-toxicant interactions, and children's health.
	Geoffrey Jacquez, Ph.D., M.S. Life sciences and epidemiology
	Dale Johnson, PharmD, Ph.D., DABT Drug discovery and development, computational toxicology, first-time-in-human dose estimation, pharmacogenomics, green chemistry and toxicology, carcinogenicity
	Bradley Joseph, Ph.D. Ergonomics, industrial hygiene
	Joseph Miklos, Ph.D. Radiological health
	Michael Murray, Ph.D., M.S. Environmental chemistry, water quality
	Alvaro R. Osornio-Vargas, M.D., Ph.D. Children's environmental health
	Nicola Pirrone, Ph.D. Atmospheric modeling, mercury recycling
	Louis Radulovic, Ph.D. Toxicology (specializing in dermatoxicology and nantoxicology), pharmacokinetics/toxicokinetics, xenobiotic metabolism, and bioanalytical methods development
	Felipe Vadillo-Ortega, M.D., Ph.D. Environmental health and perinatology.

Emeritus Faculty

	Rolf Deininger, Ph.D. Modeling and predicting the changes of water quality in water distribution systems, regrowth of bacteria in the distribution system, and optimal control of activated sludge plants.
	David H. Garabrant, M.D., M.P.H. Occupational and environmental epidemiology, cancer epidemiology, neuroepidemiology and neurotoxic agents, colon cancer, pancreas cancer, environmental exposure to dioxins.
	Richard Garrison, Ph.D., C.I.H., C.S.P. Ventilation to control atmospheric hazards for work in confined spaces, with applications of computational fluid dynamics to dilution ventilation, and experimental ventilation studies.
	Robert H. Gray, Ph.D. Heavy metal toxicology and toxicological pathology
	Rolf Hartung, Ph.D., D.A.B.T. Environmental Toxicology; risk analysis methods for human health and ecological risks.
	Steven Levine, Ph.D., C.I.H.
	Khalil H. Mancy, Ph.D. Assessment and management of environmental health risks, water supply and sanitation, and waste water reuse applications
	James E. Martin, Ph.D. Radiation protection and and assessment of public health impacts of radiation and radionuclides; landfill simulation studies of radioactive and hazardous wastes, radiotracers; radon assessment and mitigation.
	Peter Meier, Ph.D. Impact of contaminants on the aquatic community; biogenic transport of contaminants; habitat and ecological assessment; biomonitoring and aquatic toxicity bioassays; interactions of the aquatic community with the air-water interface (microlayer).
	Arthur Oleinick, M.D., J.D., M.P.H. Research: Factors that affect the duration of missed work-time following work injuries and medical utilization for such injuries. Teaching: occupational health law, including workers' compensation, workplace rights of the disabled, age, gender and race.
	James Vincent, Ph.D., D.Sc. Aerosol science, experimental fluid mechanics, air pollution control engineering, dust sampling and control in workplaces, exposure assessment, inhalation research, pharmacokinetic and dosimetric modeling for inhaled aerosols.