Luz Claudio, PhD

Dr. Luz Claudio is a professor in the Department of Environmenal Medicine and Chief of its Division of International Health. She is a research scientist specializing in the study of how environmental factors affect the health of people who are most vulnerable such as children and minority populations. Her main activities as a faculty member are:

Multidisciplinary Research: Dr. Claudio has a unique background that encompasses both basic science and clinical research. Her doctoral and postdoctoral training in neurobiology provided her a strong understanding of the requirements of laboratory-based research. Current research is more clinical in nature, focusing on population-based studies on children’s health and health disparities. Highlights of this work are:

- Use of big data sources to study how environmental and sociodemographic factors contribute to disparities in children’s health, resulting in numerous publications and research studies

- Translation of research studies in public health into actionable information for lay audiences resulting in many publications in different media and formats

Highlights of this work include her induction into the Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research and Medicine, membership to numerous other national and international committees and the publication of over 75 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters.

Training and Mentoring: Dr. Claudio is a dedicated mentor and educator. She is director of several, long-standing training programs such as the International Exchange Program for Minority Students and the Short-Term Training Program in Environmental and Occupational Health, which has been continuously funded since 1995. Through this grant and other methods of support, she has trained or directly mentored over 170 students and junior faculty, many of whom are now in faculty positions. She brings an innovative approach to mentoring and training. For instance, she uses distance learning tools to keep a consistent, long-term contact with mentees, both from the US and from abroad. Highlights of this work include:

- Equity Champion Award; presented at the United Nations by Educational Equity Concepts

- Faculty Council Award for Academic Excellence

​Global Health and International Collaboration: Through her training and mentoring programs supported by NIH, Dr. Claudio has mentored 52 mid-career scientists from Latin America, 60 junior clinical faculty from Latin America and 110 minority students from the US in global health. These programs have a long-term mentoring component in which faculty and trainees continue to receive mentoring from Dr. Claudio after they have completed the program. Because of that continuity of the mentoring relationship, many of her trainees are in research positions in academia and have become collaborators in other research projects. In recognition of her international work, Dr. Claudio has been named to prestigious organizations such as:

Advisory Board of the Fogarty International Center, NIH

Collegium Ramazzini