National Children’s Study Federal Advisory Committee Member
Dr. Silbergeld is a Professor of Environmental Health Sciences (with joint appointments in Epidemiology and in Health Policy and Management) at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She conducts research that connects environmental and occupational exposures to health risks in human populations. Her research has employed both experimental models and epidemiological studies to accomplish these goals. Her areas of current research include: understanding the environmental and human health impacts of antibiotic use in food animal production, and understanding the mechanisms of mercury immunotoxicity and the potential role of immunologic dysfunction in mercury-induced neurodevelopmental toxicity, decreased host resistance to infection, and increased risks of chronic disease and health risks associated with endocrine disruption. She is also involved in epidemiological studies of the effects of toxic metals on cardiovascular function.
Dr. Silbergeld received her Bachelors degree summa cum laude from Vassar College and her PhD from the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, with postdoctoral training in environmental health sciences at the School of Public Health. Prior to her current academic position, she has held scientific positions at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Environmental Defense Fund, and the University of Maryland Medical School. She has been appointed to numerous consultant and expert advisory committees for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Research Council, and the NIH; also for WHO, ILO, the OECD, the World Bank, UNEP, and UNDP. She has also served on many peer review panels for the NIH, EPA, NIOSH, NSF, and foundations, including chairing the epidemiology panel for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She is editor-in-chief of Environmental Research.
Dr. Silbergeld’s work has been recognized by fellowships and awards from the Fulbright Commission, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the American Public Health Association. She was also the recipient of a “genius” award from the MacArthur Foundation.