I am an environmental and occupational epidemiologist in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. My undergraduate training was in chemistry in New Zealand, where I was born and raised, followed by an M.Sc. in toxicology at the University of Surrey in England. After working for a few years as a toxicologist in New Zealand, I became interested in epidemiology and subsequently obtained an M.P.H. in environmental health sciences and a Ph.D. in epidemiology at U.C. Berkeley (1987-1991). I then carried out epidemiologic research in New Zealand before returning to the School of Public Health at Berkeley in 2000.
My research interests have always been diverse, but with a particular focus on defining the relationships between environmental and occupational chemical exposures and health effects. At present, my main active research areas are:
- Investigation of the possible health effects of long-term exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas in the Rotorua geothermal area of New Zealand.
- Investigation of the health effects of household air pollution from fuels used for cooking, heating, and lighting in Nepal and India.
- Study of possible health effects of solvent use by motor vehicle mechanics in the San Francisco Bay Area.
More information on these projects and others is provided through the links to the research above.
As well as conducting research, I teach epidemiologic methods to graduate students. Also, I am the Associate Director of the Global Health and Environment M.S. program, and Co-Director of the STEER undergraduate research internship program.
