Assistant Professor
Environmental and Occupational Health
267.359.6294
lhs36@drexel.edu
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Degrees
PhD, Epidemiology, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public HealthMSPH, Epidemiology, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public HealthBA, Environmental Studies, Vassar College
Bio
Dr. Leah Schinasi is an environmental and occupational epidemiologist whose research examines the complex intersections of climate change, built environments, and health equity. With a focus on addressing health disparities and advancing social justice, her work explores the disproportionate impacts of climate-driven extreme weather events on vulnerable populations and identifies structural and policy interventions to mitigate these effects.
Dr. Schinasi employs rigorous quantitative methods, combining epidemiology, spatial statistics, and interdisciplinary approaches to address critical questions at the nexus of environmental exposures and population health. Her research spans topics including the role of housing and indoor environments in heat vulnerability, the health implications of urban greenspaces, and the impacts of labor and social policies on occupational heat safety.
Dr. Schinasi earned her BA in Environmental Studies from Vassar College and her MSPH and PhD in Epidemiology from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She held a postdoctoral fellowship at the International Agency for Research on Cancer. She is also a Harvard CH Chan Environmental Health Fellow, reflecting her dedication to advancing innovative, equity-centered, interdisciplinary approaches to environmental health research.
At Drexel, Dr. Schinasi is director of the PhD program in Environmental and Occupational Health and co-leads the training core for the Urban Health Collaborative. She is also a dedicated educator, developing innovative curricula and mentoring students to critically engage with the pressing environmental and occupational health challenges of our time.
Research Interests
- Environmental Exposures
- Cancer
- Health and Place or Built Environment
- Occupational Health
- Urban Health
- Community Based Participatory Research
- Environmental Justice
- Environmental Epidemiology
- Climate Change
Publications
Recent Publications:
Sharma, R.,* Schinasi LH, Lee BK, Weuve J, Weisskopf MG, Sheffield PE, Clougherty JE. (2024) Air pollution and temperature in seizures and epilepsy: A scoping review of epidemiological studies. Curr Environ Health Rep. 10;12(1): 1. Doi: 10.1007/s40572-024-00466-3. PMID: 39656387.
Huang, W.,* De Roos, A. J., Kondo, M. C., Clougherty, J. E., Zhao, Y., & Schinasi, L. H. (2024). Gender and violent crime modify associations between greenspace and cardiovascular disease mortality in Philadelphia, PA. Health & Place, 90, 103372.
Edwards, J.R.,* Ong, C.,* Barber, S., Headen, I., Tabb, L.P., De Roos, A.J. and Schinasi, L.H., 2024. Methodologic Strategies for Quantifying Associations of Historical and Contemporary Mortgage Discrimination on Population Health Equity: A Systematic Review. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, pp.1-12.
Ramarao, M.V.S., Arunachalam, S., Sánchez, B.N., Schinasi, L.H., Bakhtsiyarava, M., Caiaffa, W.T., Dronova, I., O’Neill, M.S., Avila-Palencia, I., Gouveia, N. and Ju, Y., 2024. Projected changes in heatwaves over Central and South America using high-resolution regional climate simulations. Scientific Reports, 14(1), p.23145.
Fitzpatrick, J. H., Willard, A., Edwards, J. R., * Harhay, M. N., Schinasi, L. H., Matthews, J., & May, N. (2024). Time Series Analysis: Associations Between Temperature and Primary Care Utilization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Schinasi, LH, and Jourdyn A. Lawrence. Everyday discrimination and satisfaction with nature experiences. Frontiers in Epidemiology 4 (2024). doi: 10.3389/fepid.2024.1212114. eCollection 2024. PMID: 38872717
Schinasi LH, Williams A, Schnake-Mahl A. Mandated Rest Breaks and Occupational Injuries and Illnesses in Dallas County, Texas Construction Workers: A Quasi-Experimental, Comparative Interrupted Time Series Study. J Occup Environ Med. 2024 Sep 1;66(9):731-736. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003144. Epub 2024 May 10. PMID: 38729206.
De Roos AJ, Senter JP, Schinasi LH, Huang W,* Moore K, Maltenfort M, Forrest C, Henrickson SE, Kenyon CC. Outdoor aeroallergen impacts on asthma exacerbation among sensitized and nonsensitized Philadelphia children. J Allergy Clin Immunol Glob. 2024 Mar 25;3(3):100248. doi: 10.1016/j.jacig.2024.100248. PMID: 38645670; PMCID: PMC11024998.
Hampo, C. C.,* Schinasi, L. H., & Hoque, S. (2024). Surviving indoor heat stress in United States: A comprehensive review exploring the impact of overheating on the thermal comfort, health, and social economic factors of occupants. Heliyon. 2024 Feb 3;10(3):e25801. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25801. PMID: 38371979; PMCID: PMC10873744.
Huang W,* Schinasi LH, Kenyon CC, Auchincloss AH, Moore K, Melly S, Robinson LF, Forrest CB, De Roos AJ. Do respiratory virus infections modify associations of asthma exacerbation with aeroallergens or fine particulate matter? A time series study in Philadelphia PA. Int J Environ Health Res. 2024 Jan 2;:1-12. doi: 10.1080/09603123.2023.2299249. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 38164931.
Schinasi LH, Bakhtisiyara M,* Sanchez BN, Kephart JL, Ju Y, Arunachalam S, Gouveia N, Teixeria Caiaffa W, O’Neill MS, Dronova I, Diez Roux AV, Rodriguez DA. Greenness and excess deaths from heat in 323 Latin American cities: Do associations vary according to climate zone or green space configuration? Environ Int. 2023 Sep 25; ;180:108230. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108230. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 37776620.
Girma B, Liu B, Schinasi LH, Clougherty JE, Sheffield PE. High ambient temperatures associations with children and young adult injury emergency department visits in NYC. Environ Res Health. 2023 Sep 1; 1(3): 035004. Doi: 10.1088/2752-5309/ace27b. Epub 2023 Jul 12. PMID: 37448837.
Niu L, Girma B, Liu B, Schinasi LH, Clougherty JE, Sheffield P. Temperature and mental health-related emergency department and hospital encounters among children, adolescents and young adults. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2023 Apr 17; 32: e22. Doi: 10.1017/S2045796023000161. PMID: 37066768.
Huang W,* Schinasi LH, Kenyon CC, Auchincloss AH, Moore K, Melly S, Robinson LF, Forrest CB, De Roos AJ. Evaluation of evidence for interaction between PM2.5 and aeroallergens on childhood asthma exacerbation in Philadelphia, PA, 2011 to 2016. Environ Res. 2023 Jun 28; 234: 116395. Doi: 10.1016/j/envres.2023/116395.
Kim J, Leon ME, Schinasi LH, Baldi I, Lebailly P, Beane Freeman LE, Nordby KC, Ferro G, Monnereau A, Brouwer M, Kjaerheim K, Hofmann JN, Straif K, Kromhout H, Schüz J, Togawa K. Exposure to pesticides and risk of Hodgkin lymphoma in an international consortium of agricultural cohorts (AGRICOH). Accepted at Cancer Causes Control.
*Denotes author was a student or trainee at the time the work was conducted.
View Dr. Schinasi's full list of publications on Google Scholar