I have over 30 years’ experience as an environmental health scientist, the last 21 years’ work at Children’s Mercy Kansas City (CMKC), retiring in 2023. I led the establishment of the Environmental Health Program (EHP). The program has assessed thousands of homes and schools, providing patient families, childcares, and schools with resources to assist them in identifying and reducing indoor environmental exposures that may result in health problems for children. During my tenure, the EHP received over $7 million in program and research grants and won three national awards, including the HUD Secretary’s Award for Healthy Homes. Grant funding also supported a variety of research projects focusing on indoor environmental health issues, environmental allergens, home environmental interventions, exposure assessment, and more recently on geospatial analysis of health disparities and social determinants of health.  

I am a co-author on more than 30 academic research publications and the primary author of the Healthy Housing Principles Reference Guide. I teach professional courses in environmental health assessment and investigations, environmental measurement and sampling, building science, and healthy homes. I am a Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant and previously worked as an environmental analytical chemist, research scientist in extractive metallurgy, and in a previous life, was a historic home restoration carpenter and woodworker.

Over my 20+ years advocating for children’s health I have served on many national and local coalitions and committees advocating for the environment, better housing, climate change action, and understanding the community factors that have led to health disparities affecting children in the Kansas City region.