Dr. Sarah Evan, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health
Can you provide a brief overview of your background?
I took somewhat of an indirect route to a career in public health after getting my doctoral degree in neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College with a focus on cell and molecular research. While I was finishing my graduate work, I became interested in better understanding how environmental factors impact brain development, and that’s when I learned about a T32 training program in Environmental Pediatrics at Mount Sinai. That program allowed me to get an MPH and obtain training in epidemiology, toxicology, and community engagement, and I’ve been lucky to be given the opportunity to stay on as faculty.
What has inspired you to take on your current role here at Mount Sinai?
During my fellowship I grew to love working with a team of people from diverse backgrounds – including bench science, epidemiology, pediatrics, industrial hygiene, community organizing, and health literacy – all committed to doing work that directly impacts the health of the communities that we serve. The more that I learned about the myriad of ways that the environment impacts health, particularly for vulnerable populations like children and low-income and communities of color, the more passionate I became about translating the science to inform safer practices and policies.
Is there any specific message that you’d like to share with our readers?
As scientists and providers in East Harlem, a designated environmental justice community, It’s important to center the needs of the community in our research and practice.
ConduITS is supported by NCATS of the NIH’s CTSA Program. Any use of CTSA-supported resources requires citation of grant number UL1TR004419 awarded to ISMMS in the acknowledgment section of every publication resulting from this support. Adherence to the NIH Public Access Policy is also required.
