When I was a child, I missed a lot of school and activities because of my allergies and asthma. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized environmental exposures were the root cause of my condition.
As a pediatric environmental health doctor, I help families identify and reduce triggers and allergens that affect their child's health.
I strive to be as empathetic as possible. Families and kids need to know that someone really cares about them and will help them address their health concerns. There are so many behind-the-scenes details to consider when caring for sick children. I work hard to stay up to date on the latest medical advances and use evidence-based practices.
My training in pediatrics and occupational and environmental medicine lets me educate families about environmental triggers related to their child’s condition. I partner with families to help them remove or reduce the impact of these triggers.
My research focus is two-fold:
- I want to better understand how common environmental exposures, like air pollution and lead exposure, influence neurodevelopment and behavior in children.
- I work to improve asthma treatment by understanding environmental triggers and by developing interventions to reduce them.
My recent research received the Michael Shannon Award for Pediatric Environmental Health Research from the American Pediatric Association. This project examines the influence of housing age and socioeconomic status on childhood lead levels.
I also serve as co-director of the Community Engagement Core through the University of Cincinnati Center for Environmental Genetics. This is a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research center. I actively work with communities to help them identify and advocate for improving air pollution and lead dust in neighborhoods.
When I’m not at work, I love competing in triathlons, cooking and reading philosophy or history. I also enjoy spending time with my wife and adult children.