Susan Chemerynski, ScD, MPH, Named Jacob I. & Irene B. Fabrikant Chair in Health, Risk and Society

Susan Chemerynski, ScD, MPH, joined the Department of Health Policy and Management in August as an associate professor and director of the Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute. She has now been named the Jacob I. and Irene B. Fabrikant Chair in Health, Risk and Society. The professorship was established by Dr. Irene Fabrikant, a distinguished teacher and researcher in the pathogenesis and prevention of infectious disease, in 2000 in memory of her husband, Jacob, who was a pioneer in environmental radiology and a faculty member at the Bloomberg School and at the School of Medicine.

Chemerynski is dedicated to advancing risk and decision sciences to improve public health by developing approaches and tools to understand and inform exposure and risk reduction strategies and translate science into policy and practice. Her public health education and career have spanned from research to practice, across academia, consulting, and government in the areas of environmental health, risk assessment and management, and tobacco control and regulatory science. In her roles in HPM at the School, she will be working to advance risk science, policy, and management for public health practice to address pressing health risk issues in our society and reduce health disparities. 

Prior to joining the School, Chemerynski has conducted research and worked to address environmental and occupational health issues concerning air pollution, pesticides and other chemicals, and urban and built environments, particularly considering complex and cumulative risk challenges, vulnerable populations, and aspects of variability and uncertainty. Chemerynski has previously served in roles at the U.S. FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products’ Office of Science and as faculty at the universities of Yale, Harvard, and Brown. She holds a Doctor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Risk Management from Harvard School of Public Health, a Master of Public Health degree in Environmental Health Sciences from Yale University School of Medicine, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University in Public Health.