Environment and Health

PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Early Childhood Development in India’s Informal Settlements:

How does the ambient environment affect early childhood development? Dr. Pam Factor-Litvak, Professor of Epidemiology, Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Epidemiology and Associate Dean for Research Resources at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, explored the relationship between early childhood development and the surrounding environment in Mumbai’s informal settlements in a discussion on October 18, 2022. The discussion rounded off with strategies and recommendations for academia and civil society organizations to design and implement community-focused field studies.

Metal Exposures and the Fetus:

Can exposure to metals during pregnancy impact the fetus? Professor Maya Deyssenroth, Assistant Professor in Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health deliberated on the subject with research scholars from the International Institute of Population Sciences, IIT Bombay and The Foundation of Medical Research. The discussion centered on the need for investigating environmental exposures in India and the current research gaps in studying adverse health outcomes from exposure to air pollution, climate change and contaminants in groundwater and soil.

Pollutants in the Air:

Air pollution in India is rising at an alarming level, suggest studies. A three-day symposium hosted by our Center sought to explore the health impact and clinical significance of air pollution in India. Dr. Mary Beth Terry, Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Dr. Jasmine McDonald, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Dr. Jeanine D'Armiento, Professor of Medicine in Anesthesiology at Columbia University and Dr. Qamar Rahman, Former Deputy Director Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow discussed the effects of air pollution, particularly on women’s health.

From Genome to Exposome: Environmental Determinants of Global Health:

Is human growth determined more by our genetic makeup or by environmental nurture? Delivering the Yusuf Hamied Distinguished Lecture on March 4, 2019, Gary Miller, Vice Dean and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, demonstrated how the study of the human genome and genetics has now been expanded by a new and complex set of diagnostic measures classified as the exposome.