Elaine Symanski, Ph.D.
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Elaine Symanski, Ph.D.
Professor
Positions
- Professor
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Center for Precision Environmental Health
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas
- Professor
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Department of Medicine
Epidemiology and Population Sciences
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States
Addresses
- Allkek Tower (Office)
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Alkek N1317.08 |
One Baylor Plaza BCM229
Houston, TX 77018
United States
Phone: (713) 798-6547
Education
- PhD from University of North Carolina
- Chapel Hill, North Carolina United States
- MSPH from University of North Carolina
- Chapel Hill, North Carolina United States
Professional Statement
I am a Professor in the Center for Precision Environmental Health and Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and serve as Director of the Program in Population and Environmental Health Disparities. I am also Deputy Director of the Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health (GC-CPEH), an NIEHS Environmental Health Sciences P30 Center of Excellence. With training in environmental sciences and epidemiology, my research expertise is in developing methods for assessing workplace and environmental exposures, especially as they relate to their application in studies of health effects in vulnerable populations. Much of my current research is focused in air pollution epidemiology. I have also been engaged in Disaster Research Response (DR2) following Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and the Intercontinental Terminals Company fire in 2019. We recently completed a community-engaged “research to action” project (NIEHS, R01ES023563) to evaluate and mitigate health risks associated with metal aerosol emissions from scrap metal recycling facilities. Previous work focused on studies to assess associations between fine particulate matter and ozone and adverse birth outcomes, air toxics and early childhood leukemia, psychosocial stressors and air pollution and hypertension, and air pollution and temperature and stillbirth. Work is ongoing to evaluate the impact of the chemical and non-chemical stressors in the environmental riskscape on maternal and infant health.Websites
Selected Publications
- Rammah A, Whitworth KW, Symanski E "Particle air pollution and gestational diabetes mellitus in Houston, Texas." Environ Res. 2020 Nov;190 Pubmed PMID: 32745750
- Han I, Richner D, An Han H, Hopkins L, James D, Symanski E "Evaluation of metal aerosols in communities adjacent to metal recycling facilities in Houston, Texas." J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2020 May;70(5):568-579. Pubmed PMID: 32315255
- Symanski E, An Han H, Raun L, Smith MA, McCurdy S, Han I, Jimenez M, Flores J, Markham C, Richner D, James D "Metal Air Pollution Partnership Solutions: Building an academic-government-community-industry-collaboration to improve air quality and health in environmental justice communities in Houston." Environ Health. 2020 Apr 5;19(1):39. Pubmed PMID: 32248802
- Han I, Whitworth KW, Zhang X, Afshar M, Berens PD, Symanski E "Characterization of urinary concentrations of heavy metals among socioeconomically disadvantaged black pregnant women." Environ Monitoring Assess. 2020 Feb 27;192(3):200. Pubmed PMID: 32107644
- An Han H, Han I, McCurdy S, Whitworth KW, Delclos GI, Rammah A, Symanski E "The Intercontinental Terminals Chemical Fire Study: A Rapid Response to an Industrial Disaster to Address Resident Concerns in Deer Park, Texas." Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Feb 5;17(3):996. Pubmed PMID: 32033278
- Rammah A, Whitworth KW, Han I, Chan W, Symanski E "Temperature, placental abruption and stillbirth." Environ Int. 2019 Oct;131 Pubmed PMID: 31376592
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