Research Projects

My research focuses on how environmental exposures such as fracking and chemicals in consumer products affect health. My work combines large registry datasets with on-the-ground research in communities, using tools such as biomonitoring, drinking water sampling, spatial mapping, and surveys.

An industrial oil refinery with numerous pipes, towers, and chimneys emitting white smoke, under a cloudy sky.
A shelf filled with various personal care products, cosmetics, and toiletries including lotions, sprays, creams, and beauty items.
People are praying and washing themselves at a water fountain, with three individuals in a row. The woman in the foreground is wearing a white lace top and has her eyes closed as she cups water in her hands and drinks, with her face and hands wet. The two men behind her are also leaning forward with hands outstretched, water flowing from a stone spout.

Fracking and Other Exposures in Rural Populations

A decade ago, little was known about the health effects of unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD), commonly known as fracking. We have been investigating the drinking water, health, and justice-related impacts in the Appalachian Basin.

We showed that water contamination is localized rather than widespread, highlighting the utility of specialized exposure assessments. In a multi-disciplinary project with with hydrogeologists and chemists, we conducted multi-state sampling and applied new water-specific exposure metrics in population-based studies. My research has examined UOGD and health outcomes like pediatric leukemia and birth defects, helping inform state setback policies. Our work also documents environmental injustices in wastewater disposal and drinking water, expanding the evidence base for environmental justice (funded by the EPA).

Building on long-term partnerships in the region, I am now co-leading work on the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment, applying drinking-water focused exposure assessment approaches in a new setting (funded by NIEHS). 

Environmental carcinogens and thyroid cancer risk

Thyroid cancer incidence has been rising worldwide in adults and children, yet its etiology remains unclear. Our epidemiologic studies in adult women have examined multiple thyroid hormone–disrupting chemicals, including flame retardants, PCBs, and pesticides. While some associations were null, these studies advanced understanding of the potential impacts of these exposures. This work also suggested that early-life exposures may be critical windows of vulnerability. Building on these insights, we are now evaluating environmental risk factors for pediatric and early-onset thyroid cancer. We are using newborn dried blood spots to measure in utero exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and evaluating whether these chemical exposures are linked to thyroid cancer in children (funded by the American Cancer Society).

Exposure to drinking water contaminants

My research examines chemical contaminants in drinking water. I co-led a large-scale investigation of drinking water exposures, generating novel data from hundreds of private wells across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. I am leading the Exposure and Health on Long Island Study, a Yale Superfund Research Center project evaluating exposures to 1,4-dioxane and biomarkers of early biologic effect. I am also co-leading a project to evaluate water-related exposures in the aftermath of the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment.