New Faculty Members Drive Innovation in Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
On October 23, 2024, it was announced that the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School has welcomed new academic talents whose research will delve into how environmental variables affect human health from multiple perspectives — assessing risks from chemical mixtures, investigating microorganisms in artificial water systems, and analyzing the effects of severe weather linked to climate change.
Meet the New Faces of Research
The newly appointed educators include Peng Gao as Assistant Professor specializing in environmental health and exposomics starting November 15; Hannah Healy as Assistant Professor focusing on environmental health and exposure science beginning January 1; and Amruta Nori-Sarma who commenced her role as an Assistant Professor within the realms of environmental health and population studies on October 15.
A significant addition to the team is Mary Rice, who became active on October 1 as Director for the Center for Climate, Health, and Global Environment (C-CHANGE) while also assuming the position of Mark and Catherine Winkler Associate Professor in Environmental Respiratory Studies. Previously a critical care physician affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a professor at Harvard Medical School, Rice’s career has been dedicated to treating patients afflicted by chronic lung conditions exacerbated by air pollution stemmed from fossil fuel consumption.
Diving Deep into Exposomes
Peng Gao transitions to Harvard from his tenure at the University of Pittsburgh where he held concurrent positions within both their public health school and engineering department. His foundation in chemistry underpinning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees has enabled him to effectively evaluate pollutants found across various environments—ranging from contaminated drinking water to biological specimens like urine or tissue samples—fueling his passion for studying environmental health matters.
Gao’s focus centers around the concept known as “exposome,” which encompasses all an individual’s cumulative external exposures throughout their life course along with how these exposures correlate with health outcomes. His current investigations target connections between these elements especially concerning respiratory diseases such as asthma or lung cancer.
Referring affectionately to the myriad toxic chemicals people encounter daily as a “toxin cocktail,” Gao emphasizes a collaborative approach toward understanding potential collective risks: “We need insight into their interrelations along with their overall contribution towards chronic diseases.” A key endeavor involves evaluating chemical hazards following a train derailment incident that occurred near East Palestine Ohio back in February 2023; this event released numerous dangerous substances that infiltrated local ecosystems. Gao expressed anticipation regarding conducting thorough analyses on affected soil/water samples coupled with risk assessments under National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) funding received earlier this year for such projects.
The Importance of Clean Water Access
Hannah Healy arrives fresh off serving her postdoctoral fellowship through Yale University engaging intricately within Chemical & Environmental Engineering research spheres while investigating microbial influences—including bacteria/fungi—that inhabit different constructed environments impacting public well-being significantly since she first recognized this critical need during formative experiences abroad working on inadequate farm systems prone contagious illness outbreaks near Panama during college years.
