Research

Our research centers and labs examine how the environment and climate change impact human health and translate the findings into updated public health policies. These research efforts involve robust collaborations between faculty, postdoctoral researchers, students, and community-based organizations.

Research Centers

Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH)

Directed by Julie Herbstman, CCCEH was one of the first children’s centers designated by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the Environmental Protection Agency in 1997. The center was directed by Frederica Perera until 2020.

Center for Climate and Health

Directed by Lewis Ziska (interim), the Center for Climate and Health fosters innovative, cross-disciplinary research and teaching on the human health dimensions of climate change.

Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE)

Directed by Cecilia Sorensen, the GCCHE is a global network of health profession schools, including public health, medicine, and nursing programs that aim to educate professionals on the effects of climate change and advance global health security.

Precision Prevention

Precision Prevention targets specific communities and vulnerable populations with preventive health strategies using research from biological and molecular basic sciences, integrated with big data and computational methods.

NIEHS P30 Center for Environmental Health and Justice in Northern Manhattan

Directed by Matt Perzanowski (interim), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) P30 Center works to identify and understand environmental exposures contributing to the pathophysiology of human disease with a focus on environmental justice.

Columbia University Northern Plains Superfund Research Program

Directed by Ana Navas-Acien, the Columbia University Northern Plains Superfund Research Program uses systems science, traditional knowledge and innovative technology to reduce hazardous metals in Native American communities.