Robin M. Whyatt, Dr.P.H.,
Associate Professor of Clinical Environmental Health Sciences

Dr. Whyatt's research focus is on the effects of environmental exposures on women and children, including the developing fetus. Prior to coming to Columbia in 1991, she evaluated the extent of pesticide exposure in the preschooler's diet as Senior Staff Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Her research at Columbia University has used biologic markers to study effects of environmental exposures during pregnancy. This has included a molecular epidemiologic study of prenatal exposures to ambient air pollution and cigarette smoking in Poland and a comprehensive community-based study of environmental risks to African American and Dominican mothers and newborns in Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx. Dr. Whyatt's particular focus is on the extent of exposure to non-persistent pesticides (organophosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids) during pregnancy among this minority population. She is also collaborating with the Center for Disease Control on the validation of biomarkers of exposure to contemporary-use pesticides during pregnancy. Dr. Whyatt is Deputy Director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health and is principal investigator on three grants: a U.S. EPA STAR grant to validate the measurement of non-persistent pesticides in postpartum meconium as a biomarker of fetal exposure; a NIEHS R01 grant to validate a battery of biomarkers of prenatal exposure; and on an intervention grant from the Speaker's Fund for Public Health Research to reduce residential pesticide exposures during pregnancy.

Recent Publications:

Whyatt, RM, Perera, FP, Jedrychowski, W, Santella RM, Garte, SJ, Bell, DA. Association between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA adduct levels in maternal and newborn white blood cells and Glutathione S-Transferase P1 and CYP1A1 Polymorphisms, Cancer Epi Bio & Prev, 9:207-212, 2000.

Whyatt, RM, Barr, DB. Measurement of organophosphate metabolites in postpartum meconium as a potential biomarker of prenatal exposure: A validation study. Environ Health Perspect, 109:417-420, 2001.

Whyatt, RM, Jedrychowski, W, Hemminki, K, Santella, RM, Tsai, WY, Yong, K, Perera, FP. Biomarkers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA damage and cigarette smoke exposures in paired maternal and newborn blood samples as a measure of differential susceptibility, Cancer Epi Bio & Prev, 10 (6):581-588, 2001.

Whyatt, RM, Camann, DE, Kinney, PL, Andrews, HF, Reyes, A. Ramirez, J., Dietrich, J, Diaz,D. Holmes, D., Perera, FP. Residential pesticide use and exposures during pregnancy among a cohort of urban minority women, Environ Health Perspect, 110:507-514, 2002.

Whyatt, RM, Camann, DE Barr, DB Barr, JR Andrews, HF, Kinney, PL Perera, FP. Pesticides levels in 48-hour personal air samples during pregnancy and in blood samples at delivery from urban minority mothers and newborns, Indoor Air, 2002.

Peki, K, Whyatt, RM, Jedrychowski, W, Camann, D, Penar, A, Bawle, U, Adibi, J. Perera FP. Personal, indoor and outdoor monitoring of exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons among a cohort of pregnant women from Krakow, Poland, Indoor Air, 2002.

Perera FP, Kinney PL, Whyatt RM, et al. The challenge of preventing environmentally-related disease in young children: community-based research in New York City, Environ Health Perspect, 110(2):197-204, 2002.

Perera F, Rauh V, Tsai WY, Kinney P, Camaan D, Barr D, Garfinkel R,Tu YH and Whyatt RM. Effects of Transplacental Exposure to Environmental Pollutants on Birth Outcomes in a Multi-Ethnic Population, Environ Health Perspect, in press.

Meyer I, Whyatt RM, Perera FP, Ford JG. Risk for asthma in 1-year old infants who reside in high risk neighborhoods: Preliminary results from the CCCEH project, J. Asthma, in press.

Whyatt RM, Barr DB, Camann DE, Barr JR, Andrews HF, Hoepner LA, Kinney PL, Perera FP. Measurement of contemporary-use pesticides in personal air samples during pregnancy and blood samples at delivery among urban minority mothers and newborns, Environ Health Perspect, in press.

Adibi J, Perera FP Jedrychowsky W, Camaan D, Barr D, Whyatt RM. Prenatal Exposures to Phthalates in New York City and Krakow, Poland, submitted.