Please join Wayne State University's Center for Urban Responses to Environmental Stressors (CURES) for their upcoming virtual seminar on November 2, 2023 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The seminar is free. The Zoom information can be found below.

The guest speaker will be Antonella Zanobetti, Ph.D., principal research scientist in the Exposure Epidemiology and Risk Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Zanobetti will present, Environmental exposure, disparities and children’s health.

Abstract:

There is extensive literature documenting the association between multiple environmental exposures (e.g., air pollution, temperature, noise, greenness, or neighborhood-built environment characteristics) and health outcomes in adult and children. Children are especially vulnerable to environmental factors such as air pollution and weather that may cause serious health problems. A child’s early years are a uniquely sensitive developmental epoch of rapid body and brain growth that establishes the foundation for future physical, socioemotional, and cognitive health and school readiness. This rapid development enhances children’s vulnerability to social and environmental stressors. Air pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death in the world for children. Disadvantaged and segregated neighborhoods have the highest levels of air pollution. Extreme weather related to climate change influences the vast majority of the world's population but disproportionally affects people of color in marginalized communities. In this presentation Dr. Zanobetti will first summarize recent work on the relationship between several environmental exposure (air pollution, temperature, and greenness), disparities and birthweight in MA. Then Dr. Zanobetti will present their work in the ECHO/CREW consortium on asthma in children in 12 US cohorts with a focus on environmental health disparities by neighborhood factors, redlining and pollution.

Speaker's Bio:

Dr. Zanobetti is a principal research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is an international leader in environmental epidemiology with more than 20 years of experience. Her research is focused on four main topics: (1) the impact of air pollution on mortality and morbidity in adults focusing on cardiovascular disease, and neurological disorders; (2) the assessment of the health consequences of extreme temperatures and other weather parameters on mortality and morbidity, (3) the characterization of susceptibility, vulnerability, and environmental health disparities; and (4) children’s health. She is a formally trained statistician with a doctorate in Applied Statistics. Her research and training has always been focused on the intersection between environmental epidemiology and statistics. Her work has contributed substantially to the understanding of air pollution and climate change-mediated health impacts and has made critical contributions in this field at the local, national and international levels.