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A cross-divisional department spanning

The Buckley Research Group

Research Team

Buckley Research Team

 

Giehae Choi, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, 2020 –

Giehae is an epidemiologist interested in understanding the impacts of prevalent environmental exposures during vulnerable life stages and approaches to facilitate research translation. She completed her BPH and MPH in Environmental Health at Korea University and her PhD in Epidemiology at UNC in 2020. Her dissertation applied mixtures perspectives to investigate pregnancy organophosphate ester exposures as risk factors for offspring ADHD and a potential mechanism through maternal thyroid disruption. Giehae joined the Buckley Research Group as a postdoctoral fellow to continue research in environmental mixtures and their impacts on children’s health. Outside of research, she likes to bake, cook, swim, and wheel throw.
 


Taylor Etzel, PhD, 2017 – 2022; Postdoctoral fellow, 2022 - 

Taylor grew up outside of Seattle, Washington and graduated from Willamette University in 2014 with a BA in Anthropology and Biology. She then received her ScM in Epidemiology from the Brown University School of Public Health in 2017. She is currently a PhD student with a focus on Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. She is interested in children’s environmental health and her dissertation research focuses on prenatal phthalate exposures and adolescent cardiometabolic health. Outside of research, Taylor enjoys training for marathons, coaching high school track and field, and hiking with her husband and puppy, Maddie. 


Tyler Smith Buckley Research

 

Tyler Smith, PhD candidate, 2019 –

Tyler is an environmental epidemiologist studying how chemical exposures during pregnancy and childhood can alter health and developmental trajectories. His doctoral research aims to estimate the effects of potential interventions to reduce drinking water arsenic during pregnancy on immune and respiratory outcomes among infants in rural northern Bangladesh. More generally, he is interested in combining rigorous study designs and novel statistical methods to estimate causal effects using observational data. Prior to starting the doctoral program, Tyler worked in environmental policy. He holds an MPH in epidemiologic methods and a BA in history from Johns Hopkins. Tyler was born and raised in Seattle. When he’s not working, he can be found hiking, skiing, or otherwise engaged on the side of a mountain. Tyler’s website is here.


Kate Marquess PhD student

 

Kate Marquess, PhD student, 2022 –

Kate Marquess is a Baltimore native and graduated from Stevenson University in 2016 with a BS in Environmental Science. She earned her MPH in Environmental Health from Emory University Rollins School of Public Health in 2019 and MA in Biomedical Sciences from Bluefield College-Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2020. She is primarily interested in studying how exposure to every day environmental chemicals affects maternal and child health. In her spare time, Kate enjoys working on renovation projects at home, attending concerts, and playing with her dogs.


 

Elizabeth Boyle, DrPH student, 2017 –

Liz’s research interests revolve around environmental epidemiology, risk assessment, and exposure sciences. For her doctoral research, Liz is beginning to explore the potential impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on the mental health of children. Liz is also currently a Program Officer at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, a non-profit in Washington, DC. At the NASEM, she is managing a study that is reviewing the systematic review procedures that the Environmental Protection Agency uses for the Toxic Substances and Control Act’s Risk Evaluations. Liz has an MPH in environmental health from the University of Minnesota, a BS in biology from Xavier University and is a Certified Industrial Hygienist. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, running, swimming, and spending time with her husband, Brad, son, Jack, and dog, Tops.
 


Emily Hall, DrPH student 2019 –

Emily is a DrPH student and holds a MPH in Environmental health from Columbia University. Her interests include exposure assessment, environmental epidemiology, and epidemiologic and statistical methods for addressing environmental public health challenges. Emily is also the manager of the Environmental Surveillance and Toxicology Branch (ESTB) of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), where she directs the activities of the Environmental Epidemiology, Occupational Health Surveillance, Poison Epidemiology, Health Assessment and Toxicology, and Texas Fluoridation programs. Previously, she served as environmental epidemiologist with DSHS. In her free time, Emily enjoys hiking, dancing, and watching/listening to live music.
 


Alfred May Buckley Research

 

Alfred May, DrPH student 2020 –

Alfred is the Public Health District Liaison for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, leading the Downeast District and serving the population of Hancock and Washington Counties. His district work involves convening the Downeast Public Health Council, a statutory, district-wide representative body formed to engage in collaborative planning and decision-making for the delivery of the 10 Essential Public Health Services. At the state level, he serves as co-leader for the local health officer statewide database project and the new Healthy Brain Initiative Planning Lab, while leading teams in re-accreditation, infrastructure improvement, and quality improvement projects. His work in environmental health has including managing a pilot radon indoor air testing project, promoting well water testing to prevent arsenic exposures, serving on a county brownfield advisory committee, and creating risk communication for cancer prevention.


Junyi Zhou Buckely Research

 

Junyi Zhou, MHS student 2022   

Junyi is an MHS student in Epidemiology with a focus on Environmental Epidemiology. She previously received her BS in Food Science from the University of Georgia. She is interested in chemicals in the food system and the environment and their impacts on children’s health. Her thesis research focuses on early life chemical exposures and adolescent bone strength. Outside of research, Junyi enjoys hiking, watching old movies, and trying out new coffee recipes.


Roberto Rojas Buckely Research

 

Roberto Rojas, MHS student 2021 –  

Roberto is a current MHS student in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. He graduated from Florida International University with a BS in environmental engineering and a BA in interdisciplinary studies and has varied experience in public health research through independent research, internships, and part-time work in his undergraduate years. He’s helped develop research on water quality within publicly accessible lakes in Washington state, disaster resilience in Miami Dade County, gendered barriers to medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, and difficulties in accessing treatment to opioid use disorder during COVID-19. Currently, he is looking into the health outcomes and developmental issues that occur from children’s exposure to wildfire smoke. Roberto hopes to work with and conduct research with Latinx children on ways to improve their environmental health and overall development. 


 

Alumni

  • Shudi Pan, ScM | 2019–21 
  • Harris Malik, MHS | 2020–21 
  • Jordan Kuiper, PhD | 2019–20 
  • Jennifer Dantzer, MD, MPH | 2019-20 
  • Maggie Vitale, MHS | 2019–20 
  • Olivia Kezirian, MPH | 2018–19 
  • Zoha Naseer, MPH | 2017–18