Research Interests

My Ph.D. research was focused on the rapidly growing, global issue of hazardous electronic waste (eWaste); specifically, identifying toxicants in the ash of incinerated eWaste, and determining the public health implications for the communities or “cottage villages” in the developing world that engage in its rudimentary recycling. Cell phones, which were used as a surrogate for eWaste, were dismantled, separated into categories (plastics, batteries, circuit boards, and screens), shredded and incinerated. Residual ash from the four categories was analyzed for metals, dioxins, furans, semi-volatiles, volatile organic compounds, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, halogens, and biphenyls. Results were then applied to US EPA models for predicting public health impact. This research has implications for policy, public health, and the engineering of future electronics (use of less hazardous materials).

My postdoctoral studies at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have been focused on determining the extent to which non-chemical stressors (e.g., acculturation, tree coverage, living near parks) influence the biological response to a chemical exposure. I have completed a scoping review of the few studies that include both non-chemical and chemical exposure in their design, and the even fewer that analyze the interactions between the two. For a different project, I completed quantification and analysis of athlete behavior and micro-activity events (hand-to-mouth, object-to-mouth, hand-to-turf, body-to-turf), using extant videography. This work involved using a novel methodology for videography and quantified parameter data that can be used not only in future research on synthetic turf (tire-crumb, crumb-rubber, rubber infill), but in a variety of other studies of the human/environment interface, including pesticide exposures, or even athlete behavior and injury.

My current research includes two projects. The first is a case study on how Philadelphia residents’ exposure to non-chemical stressors can alter the adverse health effects associated with exposure to the criteria air pollutant, lead, or BTEX (benzene/toluene/ethylbenzene/xylene). This research includes a translational science approach (community driven variables of concern) along with health records including asthma blood lead, bone-lead, cardio-pulmonary, and obesity measures. In the second project, we are analyzing longitudinal food consumption data on an individual level for time-trends and activity patterns leading to obesity and exposure levels and comparing results with the national averages. These projects have led to a manuscript, a manuscript in review, a portion of an interagency federal white paper, and three additional manuscripts to be completed.

Looking ahead, I see my future research trajectory narrowing my investigation into the confluence of human behaviors that directly influence the health of humans and their environment, as well as the indirect by-product of human behavior, the degradation of the environment that influences human health. The questions I hope to add knowledge to are: 1) When considering the treatment of our natural environment, is there a relationship between culture and the science that populations choose to be motivated by or choose to dismiss? And, 2) Are there identifiable factors that elevate a person’s behavior from thought to action?

To this end, I am currently working on an international project that studies subjects’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors (KABB) about sustainability, health activities, and how they interact with their environment. This project is including cultural differences as a variable of interest in its design and analysis.