Environmental and Occupational Health Doctoral Student Profiles
Learn more about the focus of our students' research in Drexel Dornsife's PhD in Environmental and Occupational Health program.
Table of Contents:
Lisa Frueh, MPH
Degrees: MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; BA in Chemistry from Reed College
Focus: Lisa (they/them) focuses on the relationship between social and environmental exposures and health in urban settings.
They are interested in the complex role that social stressors and resilience factors play in modifying and/or mediating the effects of climate-related exposures on health.
Professional Experience: Before starting their doctoral program, Lisa developed GIS-based web resources focused on environmental racism in Greater Boston as a research assistant in the NIEHS Center for Environmental Health at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health under Dr. Gary Adamkiewicz and Dr. Tamarra James-Todd.
During their MPH, Lisa wrote literature reviews and assisted research activities related to the Nurses’ Health Study Cohorts in the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital under Dr. Heather Eliassen.
Prior to their MPH, Lisa’s research focused on antimalarial development in the Experimental Chemotherapy Laboratory at Oregon Health and Sciences University under Dr. Michael Riscoe.
Research Interests:
- Air pollution
- Climate-related exposures
- Urban health
- Social epidemiology
- Environmental justice
- Maternal and pediatric health outcomes
Awards and Honors: 2022-2023 Drexel Graduate College Fellow - Gold Level
Publications: View Lisa’s publications on Google Scholar
Contact: lisa.frueh@drexel.edu
Jessie Gleason, MSPH
Degrees: MSPH from Emory University; BS from University of Pittsburgh
Focus: Jessie Gleason is interested in conducting health outcomes research to study the impact of environmental hazards on human health. Currently, her focus includes studying climate change and emerging drinking water contaminants through a health equity lens. Additional interests include using data to design and conduct evidenced-based environmental health interventions.
Professional Experience: Jessie has been with the NJ Department of Health’s Environmental and Occupational Health Surveillance Program as an environmental epidemiologist for the past 9 years. She studies areas of emerging concern around drinking water and public health including Legionella, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and lead. She is the Principal Investigator for CDC’s Environmental Health Capacity cooperative agreement which focuses on targeted private well testing outreach, education, risk communication and evaluation. She serves as the Chair of the Health Effects Subcommittee of the New Jersey Drinking Water Quality Institute.
Research Interests:
- Environmental Exposures
- Climate Change
- Drinking Water
- Social Determinants of Health
Publications:
- Gleason JA, Cohn PD. A review of legionnaires’ disease and public water systems – Scientific considerations, uncertainties and recommendations. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 2022; 240: 113906.
- Seliga A, Spayd SE, Procopio NA, Flanagan SV, Gleason JA. Evaluating the impact of free private well testing outreach on participants' private well stewardship in New Jersey. Journal of Water and Health 2021.
- Gleason JA, Nanavaty JV, Fagliano JA. Drinking water lead and socioeconomic factors as predictors of blood lead levels in New Jersey's children between two time periods. Environmental Research 2019; 169: 409-416.
- Gleason JA, Fagliano JA. Effect of drinking water source on associations between gastrointestinal illness and heavy rainfall in New Jersey. PLoS One 2017; 12: e0173794.
- Gleason JA, Kratz NR, Greeley RD, Fagliano JA. Under the Weather: Legionellosis and Meteorological Factors. Ecohealth 2016; 13: 293-302.
- Gleason JA, Post GB, Fagliano JA. Associations of perfluorinated chemical serum concentrations and biomarkers of liver function and uric acid in the US population (NHANES), 2007-2010. Environ Res 2015; 136: 8-14.
- Gleason JA, Bielory L, Fagliano JA. Associations between ozone, PM2.5, and four pollen types on emergency department pediatric asthma events during the warm season in New Jersey: a case-crossover study. Environ Res 2014; 132: 421-9.
Contact: Jessie.Gleason@drexel.edu
Emily Huber, MPH
Degrees: MPH, Community Health and Prevention, Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health; BA, Mathematics from Boston University
Focus: Emily focuses on the relationship between heat in urban settings and health outcomes in the context of the climate crisis. She is interested in identifying effective heat adaptation strategies while engaging communities in her research
Research Interests:
- Environmental Exposures
- Urban Health
- Built Environment
- Community Based Participatory Research
- Environmental Justice
- Mental Health
Contact: eh649@drexel.edu
Amber Palmer, MPH
Degrees: MPH in Environmental Health Science and Policy from George Washington University; BS in Pharmacology and Toxicology from The University at Buffalo
Focus: Amber is interested in health risks from biological and chemical contamination of water. Her goal is to conduct research that will influence policy.
Research Interests:
- Water Quality
- Risk Assessment
- Environmental Exposures
- Built Environment
Professional Experience Before starting her doctoral program, Amber worked as an Emerging Threats Consultant focused on Hepatitis C and COVID-19 in Erie County New York. She worked on Hepatitis C surveillance for pregnant women and infants for the CDC's Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies Network. She also drafted COVID-19 guidance for schools in Erie County and assisted in planning a school testing program for all schools in the county.
Annaka Scheeres, MPH
Degrees: MPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; BS in Biology and BA in Environmental Studies (Geography concentration) from Calvin College
Focus: Annaka is interested in how climate change affects the health of urban populations and how governmental agencies can develop equitable, evidence-based strategies to promote environmental justice. Specifically, she will focus on how heat affects the physical and mental health of people living in cities and how social factors impact this relationship. She is passionate about making public health data accessible and translating public health research into policy and practice.
Professional Experience: Before starting her doctoral program, Annaka worked at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health for almost a decade. She started as a research associate focused on chronic disease, injury prevention, and the built environment, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, she helped develop systems for tracking cases and contacts. Most recently, she worked as a research scientist in the Health Commissioner’s Office, where she managed birth and death certificate data, published Philadelphia’s vital statistics on PhilaStats, and conducted population-level mortality research.
Research Interests:
- Heat and Mental Health
- Climate Change
- Urban Health
- Environmental Justice
- Environmental Epidemiology
- Spatial Analysis
Research Interests: Health impacts of heat, climate change, urban health, environmental justice,
Awards and Honors:
Theresa C. Soya, MPH
Degrees: MPH from the University of Pennsylvania; BA from The College of New Jersey
Focus: Theresa's work is focused on the influence of cultural and environmental factors in reducing injury risk, particularly in firefighter and EMS populations. She hopes to ultimately find ways to apply these associations to improve the way we prepare for and respond to natural disasters and other public health emergencies.
At Drexel, Theresa will be collaborating with the Firefighter Injury Research & Safety Trends (FIRST) Center.
Research Interests:
- Injury Prevention
- Emergency Preparedness
- Disaster Response
- Mental Health
Professional Experience: Theresa currently serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Public Health department at The College of New Jersey.
Prior to beginning her studies at Drexel, she served as a research coordinator at the Penn Injury Science Center, assisting in the execution of several studies focused on youth violence prevention in school settings, cultural norms on gun safety in West Philadelphia, and sport concussion recovery in college athletes.
Awards and Honors:
- The College of New Jersey Public Health Department Young Alumni Research Award
- APHA Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Student Oral Presentation Award
Learn more about environmental and occupational health research and learning opportunities available at Drexel Dornsife: