Environmental Health Results

Nayomi Cawthorne

Advancing health equity and environmental sustainability worldwide

Nayomi Cawthorne

Nayomi Cawthorne is a University of Michigan student pursuing master’s degrees in Health Behavior and Health Equity from the School of Public Health and Sustainability and Development from the School for Environment and Sustainability. From urban agriculture to cancer clinical trials access, this CEW+ Margaret Dow Towsley Scholar partners with nonprofits and communities to advance environmental sustainability, food security, and health equity through grassroots collaboration worldwide.

Abas Shkembi

Working in the heat is deadlier than we thought

Abas Shkembi, MS ’23

Michigan Public Health researcher Abas Shkembi, a PhD student in Environmental Health Sciences, has found that occupational heat deaths may be hundreds of times higher than official records show—between 3,000 and 17,000 annually versus the reported 30 to 60. His research also reveals that low-income workers, minorities and immigrants bear the greatest burden.

Chloe Thach with a blue blazer and a white sweater underneath at the School of Public Health

First-generation student finds purpose, community in public health

Chloe Thach, MPH ’26

Chloe Thach, a first-generation student from Cleveland, found her path from medicine to public health after learning how social determinants drive food insecurity and health inequities. At the University of Michigan School of Public Health, she pursued global and community-centered research, policy impact, and mentorship—and will return for a PhD.

Pedro Sancha in his office

Leading global impact through science, partnership and innovation

Q&A with Pedro Sancha, President and CEO of NSF

Pedro Sancha, President and CEO of NSF, discusses leading a global public health organization born at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 1944. Serving on Michigan Public Health’s Dean's Advisory Board, Sancha shares how NSF’s 5,000 experts across 110 countries use science-based standards to tackle emerging threats like PFAS and microplastics, keeping families safe through food and water safety innovation rooted in Ann Arbor.

Andrew Hoover

On a fast track to environmental health leadership

Andrew Hoover, BS ’24, MS ’25

Michigan Public Health’s Accelerated Master’s program allowed Andrew Hoover to earn both his Bachelor of Science in Public Health Sciences and Master of Science in Environmental Health Sciences in five years. Inspired by Flint’s water crisis, he balanced rigorous coursework with student leadership, research, and teaching while studying environmental justice issues.

Josh Foster-Tucker

The unexpected epidemiologist: Evolving from neuroscience to respiratory virus research

Joshua Foster-Tucker, MPH ’21

When Joshua Foster-Tucker’s wife suggested he apply to Michigan Public Health instead of attending medical school, neither could have predicted it would launch a passion for understanding infectious diseases. Now pursuing his PhD at Michigan Public Health, he studies respiratory viruses, including how they could accelerate immune system aging—research that could transform our understanding of health longevity. His journey, shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, personal challenges and mentorship illustrates how meaningful career paths can emerge from unplanned moments of redirection.