Dr. Luz Claudio, PhD

I am a Latina scientist and tenured professor of environmental medicine and public health at a top medical center in New York City, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Often, when I mention that my field is "environmental health," people think that I work outdoors in green spaces. Not as many people view the environment as a medical issue, when in fact, exposure to pollution, socioeconomic factors, diet, and the built environment, all contribute significantly to human health.

I work to improve environmental health outcomes, especially among disadvantaged communities in the US and abroad. My research involves assessing the interaction between people’s exposure to environmental pollutants and other factors such as diet and socioeconomic status. One of my most important scientific contributions was the discovery of the high numbers of children with asthma in poor communities in New York City. I work with many community organizations to address environmental issues such as this.

In addition to my research, I am experienced in training new generations of scientists in this field. I am deeply engaged in reducing disparities in gender and race in academia and have spoken repeatedly about these issues. I also travel extensively to develop training programs in environmental health in other countries.

I have much experience translating scientific information into actionable formats for the public. My media experiences include: 1) magazine articles that I have written, or in which I have been featured providing scientific information about environmental health topics that can be easily understood by the public, (New York Times, Reuters, Time, Today, etc.) 2) my recent TED Talk (bit.ly/LuzClaudioTEDTalk) about my research in asthma and my community partnerships, and 3) my appearance in a TV program called Mission Unstoppable in which I show children some of the community factors that can affect environmental health. Links to all of these and more can be found on my website: www.drluzclaudio.com