Advancing Policy Solutions for Cumulative Environmental Health Risks & Impacts.
I conduct solutions-oriented, policy-relevant research drawing upon risk assessment and environmental health science, systems science methodologies, social science theories, and community engagement.
THE CHALLENGE
The translation of science into policy doesn’t just happen on its own. Too often, environmental health science researchers assume that if the evidence is presented to decision-makers, they will act on that information and do what is best for the public. However, our policymakers and scientists still struggle with how to address cumulative risks, even when evidence shows the synergistic health effects of chemical mixtures and concurrent exposures to multiple chemical and nonchemical stressors.
Through collaboration with social scientists, I have found that we can better understand what’s required for environmental policy decision-making while addressing the science-policy challenges of environmental justice and cumulative risk. These interdisciplinary approaches can translate scientific evidence into policy solutions. At the same time, policy implications and solutions must be considered in cumulative risks and cumulative impacts research.
A DIFFERENT APPROACH
MY CONTRIBUTIONS
My research seeks to fill this gap by developing and assessing cumulative risks and impacts on policy responses at federal and state levels, identifying regulatory gaps, and evaluating how cumulative risks and impacts can be addressed under existing regulatory frameworks. I have pursued this research in multiple ways and use systems science methods to address dynamic, complex problems to help evaluate alternative policy scenarios.
