Meet our team
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Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP
Principal Investigator
Dr. Trasande is the Jim G. Hendrick, MD Professor of Pediatrics, Division Chief of Environmental Pediatrics, and Vice Chair for Research in Pediatrics at NYU Langone Health. He is an internationally renowned leader in environmental health. His research focuses on the impacts of chemicals on hormones in our bodies. He also led the way in documenting economic costs for policy makers of failing to prevent diseases of environmental origin proactively. He leads one of 35 centers across the country as part of the National Institutes of Health's Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. Dr. Trasande is an avid runner and has completed 16 marathons through May 2022 (personal best 3:42:43, 2022 Copenhagen Marathon).
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Akhgar Ghassabian, MD, PhD
Co-Investigator
Dr. Ghassabian is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Population Health, and Environmental Medicine at NYU Langone Health. Her research focuses on identifying environmental factors that contribute to the risk of mental health problems and developmental disorders in children. Dr. Ghassabian is passionate about sustainable cooking and spends most of her Saturdays in green markets.
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Linda Kahn, PhD, MPH
Co-Investigator
Dr. Kahn is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Population Health at NYU Langone Health. Her research interests span three interrelated areas: 1) the role of preconception and prenatal environmental exposures in pregnancy and postpartum health, 2) predictors of male and female reproductive development and fertility, and 3) health outcomes of assisted reproduction in both women and children. Prior to her career in public health, she spent two decades as a book editor specializing in women’s studies, psychology, health, maternity, and childcare. A NYC native, Dr. Kahn enjoys being a tourist in her own town, exploring different neighborhoods, attending theater and museums, and visiting parks--especially the Bronx Zoo.
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Naomi Legros, MPH
Research Coordinator
Naomi holds an MPH from the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy concentrating in Community Health and Social Sciences and a BA in Africana Studies and American Studies from Tufts University. Her public health experiences have predominantly been in reproductive health and justice and mental health (focusing on depression, anxiety and suicide prevention). Naomi’s short and long-term career goals aims to address health inequities and dismantling social determinants of health that create barriers to achieving optimal health (care) in marginalized communities, with emphasis on Black Diasporic populations. She is an avid Real Madrid fan and enjoys most art forms (literature, museums, film, television, music, dance), trivia, cooking, and travel.
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Alessandro Malave, BS
Research Data Associate
Alessandro holds a BS in Global Public Health from New York University. His interest is in public health research, with a particular focus on coordinating and managing medical personnel with public health researchers. He likes to watch movies, run/hike outdoors, and explore the different restaurants of whichever city he's living in at the time.
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Yuly Duque-Villa, BA
Research Data Associate
Yuly holds a BA degree in Global Public Health/Sociology from New York University. She has research experience in child and adolescent psychiatry, and health promotion including work in Buenos Aires. Her interests include: public health nutrition, maternal and child health, and health disparities. In the future, she plans to pursue an MPH and become a registered dietitian. For fun, she loves to dance, cook, watch soccer games, and travel.
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Miguel Salazar, BS
Research Data Associate
Miguel holds a BS in Biology from the University of Hartford. He has hands on clinical experience and a passion for learning new things. His interests include: emergency and family medicine, pathology, and finding solutions to the disparities in medical access to differing socio-economic classes. If time permits he enjoys writing, traveling and exploring new places. He hopes to one day become a PA who can travels abroad and use his skills to help those in need.
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Alexandria Pena, BA
Research Data Associate
Alexandria holds a BA in Global Public Health and Sociology from New York University. She has research experience in social cognition and health disparities among sexual and racial/ethnic minorities. Her interests include reproductive and maternal health, with plans to pursue an MPH in the future. She loves to read books of all genres, watch movies and tv shows, and travel.
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Carolina Schwab, BE
Research Data Associate
Caroline holds a BE in Environmental Engineering from CUNY City College of New York. While trained in engineering, she minored in gender studies and has primarily worked in environmental policy and communications. Caroline is particularly interested in working at the intersection of public health and environmental justice. For fun, she loves to spend time with her two sisters and enjoys reading, theater, singing with her choir, and cooking.
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