Columbia University Northern Plains Superfund Research Program

Trainees

Our RETCC trainees participate in multiple projects and community engagement opportunities across the Columbia University Northern Plains Superfund Research Program. Below, Core leaders Drs. Annie Nigra and Ben Bostick with RETCC trainees during the CUNP-SRP kick-off event in December 2022.

Group of adults posing together in an indoor room.

Current Trainees

  • Shams Azad, PhD

    • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Columbia Climate School

    Dr. Shams Azad earned his doctoral degree from New York University. His research focuses on investigating pollutant exposure dynamics through applying advanced sensing techniques and data-driven methodologies.

    Portrait of a man in a suit against a bright orange background.

  • Stephanie Calluori

    • PhD student, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

    Using epidemiological methods, Stephanie’s research examines the effects of environmental exposures on epigenetic biomarkers, and the ultimate impact on women’s and children’s health.

    Portrait of a woman in a dark blazer against a geometric background.

  • Grace Cammarata

    • MPH student, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

    Grace is pursuing an MPH in the Environmental Health Sciences department at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Her work focuses on leverging social determinants of health and community-based participatory research to enhance environmental justice. 

    Portrait of a smiling woman in a black blazer against a pale background.

  • Clara Chang, PhD

    • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

    Clara is interested in using uranium isotopes to understand contaminant mobilization and map hotspots in groundwater. 

    Portrait selfie of a person in glasses against a pale wall.

  • Carolyn Gigot, PhD

    • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

    Dr. Carolyn Gigot is an environmental epidemiologist interested in novel biomarkers of environmental exposures and health effects.

    Portrait of a woman in glasses and a blue top against a bright background.

  • Heidi Hannoush

    • Master's student, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

    Heidi's work focuses on toxic metal exposure from food, water, and other environmental matrices.

    Portrait selfie of a person outdoors among bare trees.

  • Wending Li, PhD

    • Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

    Wending’s research investigates the cardio-metabolic effect of arsenic and employs advanced deconvolution method to understand how environmental exposure may elicit tissue-specific response in humans.

    Portrait of a smiling young man outdoors in a light T-shirt.

  • Catherine Lucey

    • PhD student, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

    Catherine's research focuses on developing methods to isolate individual blastomeres from 8-cell stage mouse embryos and on arsenic and selenium metallomics.

    Portrait of a woman in glasses against a pale background.

  • Arijeet Mitra, PhD

    • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

    Arijeet’s research focuses on the application of stable and radiogenic isotope systematics on tracing the source and transportation pathways of pollutants (metals and metalloids) in the environment and biological substances.

    Portrait of a young man in glasses against a warm indoor background.

  • Kevin Patterson

    • PhD student, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

    Kevin's work focuses on environmental justice in American Indian and Native communities.

    Portrait of a smiling man outdoors against greenery.

  • Adelina Rolea

    • PhD student, Columbia University

    Adelina's research focuses on mitigating the exposure of hazardous substances on vulnerable populations, and her approach as a geochemist is to center environmental justice and community involvement in both research and fieldwork.

    Adelina Rolea Headshot Outside

  • Grace Santos

    • PhD student, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

    Grace’s research focuses on analyzing selenium speciation in the Strong Heart Study and plans to examine the underlying genetic and non-genetic determinants of selenium metabolism and its mechanistic involvement in diabetes risk.

    Portrait of a smiling woman standing against a brick wall.

  • Anna Tillery, PhD

    • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

    Anna’s research focuses on understanding the impact of rural air pollution exposures on cardiovascular health and electronic cigarettes.

    Portrait of a woman in a white coat standing outdoors on campus.

Alumni Trainees

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