Felicia Rabito

Felicia Rabito, PhD, MPH, serves as Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Her research centers on environmental health disparities, particularly how housing conditions impact children's health in low-income urban communities.

Education

• PhD, Tulane University
• MPH, Tulane University
• BA, University of Mississippi

Dr. Rabito specializes in environmental epidemiology with a focus on asthma outcomes in children linked to residential exposures. Her work investigates how allergens, chemicals, and metals in housing environments exacerbate health disparities, particularly through the interplay of environmental stressors and psychosocial factors. She also conducts health services research and training collaborations with universities in Ethiopia, addressing global public health challenges.

Her recent publications (2021-2025) reveal three dominant trends: (1) Climate-health intersections examining heat/humidity effects on cardiovascular outcomes in Bangladesh; (2) Immunological assessments of SARS-CoV-2 responses in asthmatic children exposed to pesticides; and (3) Environmental copper exposure in bariatric populations. These studies consistently employ multi-city cohort designs in vulnerable communities, emphasizing environmental justice.

Scientific Awards

• National Lead Star Award
• Linkage Award, Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice
• Women of the Year - City Business Magazine
• 40 under 40 - Gambit Magazine
• Delta Omega honor society

Dr. Rabito leads numerous NIH-funded cohort studies and randomized controlled trials investigating housing interventions for asthma reduction. Her work with the Tulane Environmental Research Group involves community-based participatory research in New Orleans post-Katrina neighborhoods, while her Ethiopia collaborations focus on health systems strengthening. Current grants support her longitudinal studies on environmental copper exposure and climate-respiratory health linkages.

She directs the Urban Environmental Health Lab at Tulane, which partners with New Orleans housing authorities to implement exposure-reduction protocols. Her team collaborates with the Ethiopian Public Health Institute on training programs for environmental health practitioners, and she serves on the CDC's National Asthma Control Program advisory committee.