Organochlorines in New York and the Hudson River: Sources, Environmental Distribution, and Health Risks

Investigators

Luz Claudio, Ph.D.

Luz Claudio, Ph.D., Director, balances a research focus on neurobiology and environmental medicine with leadership in community outreach, education, and health policy development in New York City and her native Puerto Rico. As Associate Professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, she works closely with local hospitals that serve Harlem and the Bronx and directs a community outreach and education program that connects community organizations with medical researchers to combat local health problems. She recently engaged graduate and postgraduate students in a project to document and map the incidence of asthma in New York City, which has one of the highest asthma rates in the country.

Dr. Claudio is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico and holds a Ph.D. from the Albert Einstein School of Medicine. Her laboratory investigations focus on the study of cellular and molecular aspects of the blood-brain barrier in the attempt to determine its role in immunologic conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, and in environmental exposure, such as lead poisoning. Still in the early years of her own career, Claudio devotes her personal time and resources to providing fellowships for scientifically gifted youngsters from inner-city and disadvantaged neighborhoods to work under her tutelage at Mount Sinai. Her dedication to underserved populations extends to designing community-based environmental health education programs, one of which recently won an award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. On the basis of her work with communities, Claudio was invited by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to join its Board of Scientific Counselors and co-chair the Community/Tribal Subcommittee that addresses health issues of African Americans and Native Americans.