Events

The Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health Spring 2013 Seminar Series

Presents: Dr. Virginia Rauh, ScD, MSW

Discussing: Impact of Prenatal Exposure to Toxic Substances on Child Development: An Environmental Justice Perspective

Join us for a discussion of the adverse child health and
developmental consequences of early exposure to common ambient pollutants from an environmental justice perspective. The talk summarizes some of the results of a 12-year prospective cohort study of low-income minority children in northern Manhattan and the South Bronx, with a focus on behavioral and neurodevelopmental consequences of prenatal chemical exposures.


Virginia Rauh, ScD, MSW, has been working in the field of perinatal epidemiology since 1982. Her expertise is in the area of low birth weight and preterm delivery, particularly with respect to socioeconomically disadvantaged and minority populations. She has been principal investigator on numerous major research projects, including a randomized intervention trial for low birth weight infants, a multi-site study of lifestyles in pregnancy, a study of developmental outcomes of children born to inner-city adolescent mothers, a multi-level analysis of the impact of Head Start on New York City school children, a study of the effects of air pollutants on pregnant women and their children, and a study of links between race, stressors, and preterm birth. Dr. Rauh serves as deputy director of the Center for Children's Environmental Health, where her work focuses on the adverse impact of exposure to air pollutants, including second hand smoke and pesticides; on pregnancy and child health; and the susceptibility of disadvantaged populations to environmental hazards. She is working with other Columbia faculty to study the effects of the World Trade Center disaster on pregnant women and newborns. She is primary instructor for the Child Health course within the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health. In addition, Dr. Rauh is an affiliated faculty member for the Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholars Program, and is currently directing an initiative to integrate air quality and socio-demographic information in New York City.

Lunch will be served.