I am a Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley.  As an environmental health scientist and epidemiologist, my research examines social determinants of environmental health among diverse communities in the US with a focus on social inequality, psychosocial stress and how these factors interact with environmental chemical exposures to produce health inequalities. My work has examined this environmental justice question in the context of ambient air pollution, drinking water quality, climate change as well as prenatal exposures to environmental chemicals and effects on developmental outcomes.  I also collaborate with other scientists and community partners to leverage public data as well as apply community-based participatory research methods to carry out much of my research, including developing study protocols, conducting data collection and leveraging research results to improve policy.  In collaboration with researchers, regulatory scientists, and community partners, I have developed scientifically valid and transparent tools for assessing the cumulative impacts of chemical and non-chemical stressors to improve regulatory decision-making and advance environmental justice in California.  

PhD, Environmental Science, Policy and Management; University of California, Berkeley

MPH, Epidemiology, School of Public Health; University of California, Berkeley

BA, Environmental Studies; Skidmore College

energy, climate, health, oil and gas, air pollution, water pollution

I am the executive director of the energy science and policy institute, PSE Healthy Energy. I am also a visiting scholar in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley and an affiliate in the Environment Energy Technology Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California. An environmental and public health scientist by training, I have more than 15 years of experience in water, air, climate, and population health research. I have published more than 35 peer reviewed papers and technical reports, and I am an author of multiple high profile scientific assessments including the Human Health chapter of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), two human health chapters in the California Senate Bill 4 Independent Scientific Study on hydraulic fracturing and well stimulation; and a forthcoming assessment of the public health dimensions of underground gas storage in the State of California. I have sat on multiple science-policy expert panels, and have worked and published on topics related to the intersection of energy, air pollution, water quality, climate, and human health from scientific and policy perspectives.

1. Czolowski E, Santoro RL, Srebotnjak T, Shonkoff SBC. 2017. Towards Consistent Methodology to Quantify Populations in Proximity to Oil and Gas Development: A National Spatial Analysis and Review. Environmental Health Perspectives. Online version available at: https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/EHP1535.

2. DiGiulio DC, Shonkoff SBC, Jackson RB. Submitted. The Need to Protect Fresh and Brackish Groundwater Resources During Unconventional Oil and Gas Development.

3. DiGiulio D, Shonkoff SBC. 2017. Is Reuse of Produced Water Safe? First, Let’s Find out What’s in It. August 2017. EM Magazine, a copyrighted publication of the Air & Waste Management Association.

4. Stringfellow WT, Camarillo MK, Domen JK, Shonkoff SBC. 2017. Comparison of Chemical-Use Between Hydraulic Fracturing, Acidizing, and Routine Oil and Gas Development. PLoS ONE. 12(4): e0175344. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175344

5. Shonkoff SBC, Hays J, Hill LA, Krieger E, Hughes D, Hosang N, Law A. 2016. Trump: Renewables for Self-Sufficiency. Nature. 540:341. Available at: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v540/n7633/pdf/540341b.pdf

6. Hays J, McCawley M, Shonkoff SBC. 2016. Public Health Implications of Environmental Noise Associated with Unconventional Oil and Gas Development. Science of The Total Environment. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969716325724.

7. Krieger E, Casey J, Shonkoff SBC. 2016. A framework for siting and dispatch of emerging energy resources to realize environmental and health benefits: Case study on peaker power plant displacement. Energy Policy. 96:302-313. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421516302798.

8. Hays J, Shonkoff SBC. 2016. Toward an Understanding of the Environmental and Public
Health Impacts of Unconventional Natural Gas Development: A Categorical Assessment of the Peer-Reviewed Scientific Literature, 2009-2015. PLoS ONE. 11(4): e0154164. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154164.

9. Hays J, Finkel M, Depledge M, Law A, Shonkoff SBC. 2015. Considerations for the
development of shale gas in the United Kingdom. Science of The Total Environment. 512-513:
36-42. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969715000078.

10. Ingraffea A, Wells M, Santoro R, Shonkoff SBC. 2014. Assessment and Risk Analysis of Casing and Cement Impairment in Oil and Gas Wells in Pennsylvania: 2000-2012. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. 111 (30): 10955-10960. Available at: http://www.pnas.org/content/111/30/10955.abstract.

11. Shonkoff SB, Hays, J, Finkel, MF. 2014. The Public Health Dimensions of Shale Gas Development. Environmental Health Perspectives. 122 (8): 787-795. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1307866.

12. Law A, Hays J, Shonkoff SB, Finkel, ML. 2014. Re: Public Health England’s reply to Editorial on
its Draft Report on Shale Gas Extraction. BMJ. 348:g3280.

13. Law A, Hays J, Shonkoff SB, Finkel, ML. 2014. Public Health England’s Draft Report on Shale Gas Extraction: Mistaking Best Practices for Actual Practices. BMJ. 348:g2728.

14. Shonkoff SB. 2013. Shale gas and Tight Oil Development: Look Before We Leap. Global Energy Affairs. Available at: http://globalenergyinitiative.org/insights/103-shale-gas-tight- oil-development.html

15. Shonkoff SB, Morello-Frosch R, Pastor M, Sadd J. 2011. Environmental Health and Equity Implications of Climate Change and Mitigation Policies in California: A Review of the Literature. Climatic Change. Volume 109. Supp. 1.

16. Smith KR, Jerrett M, Anderson HR, Burnett RT, Stone V, Derwent R, Atkinson RW, Cohen A, Shonkoff SB, Krewski D, Pope CA, 3rd, Thun MJ, Thurston G. 2009. Public Health Benefits of Strategies to Reduce Greenhouse-Gas Emissions: Health Implications of Short-Lived Greenhouse Pollutants. The Lancet. 374(9707): 2091-2103.

17. Shonkoff SB, Morello-Frosch R, Pastor M, Sadd J. 2009. Minding the Climate Gap: Implications of Environmental Health Inequities for Mitigation Policies in California. Environmental Justice 2(4): 173-177.

18. Spencer DF, Ksander GG, Donovan MJ, Liow PS, Chan WK, Greenfield BK, Shonkoff SB,
Andrew S. 2006. Evaluation of Water Hyacinth Survival and Growth in the Sacramento Delta, California, Following Cutting. The Journal of Plant Management. 44: 50-60.

Pioneer Under 40 in Environmental Public Health; Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE)

Emerging Leader, Emerging Leaders Fund; The Claneil Foundation

Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award; University of California, Berkeley

PhD, Energy & Resources; University of California, Berkeley (2016)

MPH, Epidemiology; University of California, Berkeley (2011)

BS, Molecular Environmental Biology; University of California, Berkeley (2003)

environmental justice, climate change, GIS, community-engaged scholarship

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Education at San Francisco State University and a Visiting Scholar in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. My research examines social inequalities in environmental exposures and the combined impacts of environmental and social stressors on health. My work has investigated questions of environmental justice in the context of pollution sources and hazardous sites, prenatal exposures to harmful chemicals, and climate change. Current projects include examining the impact of flaring from oil and gas wells on reproductive health outcomes and work to reduce the health risks of unsafe drinking water among low income households reliant on private wells.

1. Andrade, J., L. Cushing, A. Wesner, “Science Shops and the US Research University: A Path for Community-Engaged Scholarship and Disruption of the Power Dynamics of Knowledge Production” In: Education for Citizenship and Social Justice, T.D. Mitchell and K.M. Soria (eds.), Palgrave Macmillan, Chan, 2018, ISBN 978-3-319-62970-4, pgs. 149-165

2. Casey, J.A., P. James, L. Cushing, B.M. Jesdale, R. Morello-Frosch, “Race, Ethnicity, Income Concentration and 10-Year Change in Urban Greenness in the United States” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2017) 14 (12) 1546-1561, doi:10.3390/ijerph14121546

3. Morello-Frosch, R., L. Cushing, B.M. Jesdale, J. Schwartz, W. Guo, T. Guo, M. Wang, S. Harwani, S.S. Petropoulou, W. Duong, J.S. Park, M. Petreas, R. Gajek, J. Alvaran, J. She, R. Das and T.J. Woodruff, “Environmental Chemicals in an Urban Population of Pregnant Women and their Newborns from San Francisco” Environmental Science & Technology (2016) 50 (22): 12464–12472, doi: 10.1021/acs.est.6b03492

4. Cushing, L., J. Faust, L. August, R. Cendak, W. Wieland and G. Alexeeff, “Racial/ethnic disparities in cumulative environmental health impacts in California: evidence from a state-wide environmental justice screening tool (CalEnviroScreen 1.1)” American Journal of Public Health (2015) 105(11): 2341-2348, doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302643

5. Cushing, L., R. Morello-Frosch, M. Wander and M. Pastor, “The Haves, the Have-nots, and the Health of Everyone: The Relationship between Social Inequality and Environmental Quality”, Annual Review of Public Health (2015), 18(36): 193-209, doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031914-122646

6. Jesdale, B., R. Morello-Frosch and L. Cushing, “The Racial/Ethnic Distribution of Heat Risk–Related Land Cover in Relation to Residential Segregation”, Environmental Health Perspectives (2013), 121(7):811-817, doi:10.1289/ehp.1205919

Switzer Environmental Leadership Fellowship; Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Chancellor’s Public Fellow; University of California, Berkeley

Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

PhD, Energy and Resources; University of California Berkeley

MS, Energy and Resources; University of California, Berkeley

BS, Environmental Science; Brown University

drinking water, water justice, environmental health, environmental justice, California water, human right to water

I am a Research Scientist for the California Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). My research focuses on exposure to drinking water contaminants and the environmental justice implications of this work. I am passionate about working with local communities to address and solve drinking water quality problems using participatory research methods and collaborative approaches. I have worked for over a decade with non-profit organizations, academics and state agencies conducting community engaged water equity research in both California and Latin America. I am the lead on OEHHA’s human right to water work and co-lead the SRP’s Water Equity Science Shop. Prior to joining OEHHA I was a post-doctoral scholar at UC Davis and worked as a Research Scientist with the Community Water Center. I hold a PhD and Masters from UC Berkeley focused on water resources management and environmental health, and a BS in Environmental Science from Brown University.

1. Lubell, M.N. and Balazs, C. Adaptive Governance and Integrated Water Resources, in The Oxford Manual on Water Politics and Policy. 2018.

2. Ranganathan, M and Balazs, C. 2015, Drinking Water Marginalization at the Urban Fringe: Learning Across the North-South Divide. Urban Geography. 36:3, 403-423.

3. Balazs, C and Lubell, M. 2014. Water Justice and Social Learning: The Case of the Upper Kings Basin. Water Policy Special Issue on Justice in Water Governance. 16: 97-120.

4. Balazs, C and Ray, I. 2014. The Drinking Water Disparities Framework: On the Origins and Persistence of Inequities in Exposure, American Journal of Public Health, 104(4): 603-611.

5. Balazs, C and Morello-Frosch, R. 2013. The Three R’s: How Community Based Participatory Research Strengthens the Rigor, Relevance and Reach of Science. Environmental Justice, 1(6): 9-14.

6. Balazs, C., Morello-Frosch, R, Hubbard, A and Ray, I. 2012. Environmental justice implications of arsenic contamination in California’s San Joaquin Valley: a cross-sectional, cluster-design examining exposure and compliance in community drinking water systems. Environmental Health, 11(84): 2-12.

7. Balazs, C., Morello-Frosch, R, Hubbard, A and Ray, I. Just Water? 2011. Social Disparities in Nitrate Contaminated Drinking Water in California’s Central Valley. Environmental Health Perspectives.

UC Presidential Post-Doctoral Fellowship (2013)

Switzer Environmental Leadership Grant for work with Community Water Center (2012)

Switzer Environmental Leadership Fellowship for graduate studies (2009-2010)

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2007-2010)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency STAR Graduate Fellowship (2006-2009)

Fulbright Fellowship for study in Bolivia (2002-2003)

I am a postdoctoral scientist in environmental epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco’s Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, where I conduct biologically-based, population-level studies on exposure and health risks associated with endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). I aim to improve public health by studying reproductive and developmental health impacts related to EDCs commonly found in consumer and personal care products and identifying opportunities to reduce exposure and associated health risks among vulnerable populations. I earned my MPH and PhD in environmental health sciences at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. My dissertation research focused on developing methods for; characterizing disparities in; and evaluating dietary sources of cumulative phthalates exposure. Prior to graduate school, I facilitated scientific dialogue and research translation around developmental impacts of environmental contaminants as the reproductive health working group coordinator for the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE). I studied molecular biology as an undergraduate and contributed to laboratory research that improved chemical screening methods in water through microarray development. I enjoy spending free time outside with my 18 month old son, where we go on many long walks and have deep conversations about birds, airplanes, flowers, and buses. I also enjoy cooking, reading, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Environmental toxicology, environmental justice, water quality, cardiovascular toxicology, mitochondrial dysfunction

My research focuses on environmental justice and the health effects of environmental contaminants. I am particularly interested in addressing exposure to contaminated groundwater among vulnerable populations. I also conduct research on cardiovascular, metabolic, and mitochondrial dysfunction associated with arsenic exposure. I am currently working on a project that aims to reduce the risk of exposure to contaminated drinking water in California through community involvement, education, and environmental policy.

1. Pace C., Banerjee T.D., Welch B., Khalili R., Dagda R.K., Angermann J. (2016). Monomethylarsonous Acid, But not Inorganic Arsenic, is a Mitochondria Specific Toxicant in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells. Toxicology in Vitro. 35:188-201. doi: 10.1016/j.tiv.2016.06.006

2. Pace C., Dagda R.K., Angermann J. (2017). Antioxidants Protect Against Arsenic Induced Mitochondrial Cardio-toxicity. Toxics. 5, 38: doi:10.3390/toxics5040038

3. Pace C., Smith-Gagen J., Angermann J. (2018). Arsenic Methylation Capacity and Metabolic Syndrome in the 2013-2014 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 15, 1: 168; doi:10.3390/ijerph15010168

Suma Cum Laude, University of Nevada, Reno (2017)

Suma Cum Laude, University of Nevada, Reno (2014)

M.P.H. Academic Achievement Award, University of Nevada, Reno (2014)

Graduate Student Association, University of Nevada Reno, Student Scholarship (2014)

Nevada Public Health Association Scholarship Winner (2013)

Miles Public Health Scholarship Award, University of Nevada Reno (2011)

Valedictorian Candidate, Sierra Nevada College (2011)

Suma Cum Laude, Sierra Nevada College (2011)

Undergraduate Research Prize Recipient, 2^nd place, Sierra Nevada College (2011)

occupational health, environmental justice, biomonitoring, women’s health, endocrine disruption, environmental epidemiology

I am currently working on the Women Workers Biomonitoring Collaborative (WWBC), a community-based participatory research study that aims to assess female firefighters, nurses, and office workers’ environmental exposures.

1. Clarity C, Gourley G, Handley M, Ackerman S, Lyles C, Schillinger D, Sarkar U. Implementation Science Workshop: Barriers and Facilitators to Increasing Mammography Screening Rates in California’s Public Hospitals. J Gen Intern Med. 2017 Jun;32(6):697-705.

2. Nelson K, Sanford E, Emmons-Bell S, Clarity C, Gorukanti A, Kennelly P, Handley M. Examining Lead Exposures in California Through State-Issued Health Alerts for Food Contamination and an Exposure-Based Candy Testing Program. Environ Health Perspect. 2017 Oct 26;125(10):104503.

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Industrial Hygiene Traineeship (2016-2018)

University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health Alumni Association Scholarship (2017)

PhD Candidate, Environmental Health Sciences; University of California, Berkeley

MPH, Global Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH); Emory University

BS, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology; University of California, Los Angeles

climate change, health equity, environmental justice, energy, policy

I am a doctoral student in environmental health at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. My interest in place-based environmental hazards that have implications for climate change, health and environmental justice began at Emory University, where I completed my Master of Public Health. During my time there, I had the pleasure of working on projects with vulnerable populations and collaborating with policymakers in India and Atlanta, GA. I continue to strive to identify disproportionate impacts of environmental hazards in my work and am committed to translating my research to affect equitable policymaking. I am currently examining the relationship of California oil/gas development relative to prenatal health outcomes and drinking water resources.

1. White AC, Khuu JK, Dang CY, Hu J, Tran K, Liu A, Gomez S,  Zhang Z, YI R, Scumpia P, Grigorian M, and Lowry WE. Stem cell quiescence acts as a tumor suppressor mechanism in hair follicle initiated squamous tumors. Nature Cell Biology. 2014 Jan;16(1):99-107. PubMed PMID: 24335650; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3874399.

2. Tran K, Azhar G, Nair R, Jaiswal A, Knowlton K, Mavalankar D, Hess J. A cross-sectional, randomized sample survey of household vulnerability to extreme heat among urban slum dwellers in Ahmedabad, Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013 Jun 18;10(6):2515-43. PubMed PMID: 23778061; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3717750.

3. White AC, Tran K, Khuu J, Dang C, Cui Y, Binder SW, Lowry WE. Defining the origins of Ras/p53-mediated squamous cell carcinoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 May 3;108(18):7425-30. PubMed PMID: 21502519; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3088581.

 

Mentored Research Award Fellowship (2017-2018)

EPA-NEJAC Youth Perspectives Climate Change Workgroup (2016-2018)

SAGE-IGERT Fellowship, UC Berkeley (2016-2018)

Tenbosch Graduate Fellowship, UC Berkeley (2014-2015)

NCAR Biannual Colloquium on Climate and Health Scholarship (July 2013)

American Public Health Association Environment Section Student Scholarship Award (September 2012)

Public Health Traineeship, Emory University (November 2011)