I am a cardiologist and environmental epidemiologist. I grew up in the US, Kenya, India, Chile, Italy and Sweden, experiences that have contributed to my interest in global environmental health. At KI, I am Associate Professor and Research Group Leader at the Unit of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, and expert coordinator at the Centre for Health Crises, in the field of extreme weather, climate and health effects.
My current research interests center around cardiovascular effects of environmental exposures including air pollution, ambient noise as well as ambient temperature. Recently, I am expanding air pollution research efforts into low and middle income countries that are experiencing extreme levels of air pollution and rapid urban development. Together with colleagues at Harvard and the Public Health Foundation of India, I am heading a large-scale effort to comprehensively assess PM2.5 levels across India and collaborate with Indian health researchers to conduct health association studies for a range of outcomes. I believe an important future direction is to harness the opportunities to prevent non-communicable disease through creating healthy urban environments, translating research into policy.