Rebecca Bascom

Rebecca Bascom is a Professor in both the Department of Medicine and Department of Public Health Sciences at Pennsylvania State University’s College of Medicine. She is a practicing physician specializing in internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care, clinical immunology, and occupational/environmental medicine. She leads the Institute of Energy and Environment’s (IEE) Health and Environment theme, focusing on interdisciplinary research linking environmental factors to human health. Her work addresses inhalation toxicology, interstitial lung diseases, and climate change policy solutions.

Her research spans clinical and environmental health domains, including bronchoscopy innovations (e.g., endobronchial ultrasound), lung fibrosis pathophysiology, and public health responses to wildfires and air quality challenges. Key projects include studying wildfire smoke impacts, developing safer cleaning product adoption strategies in disadvantaged communities, and improving healthcare accessibility for rural populations with interstitial lung disease.

Bascom’s recent publications emphasize patient-specific models of airway deformation in fibrosis, policy engagement via climate science outreach, and AI-driven lesion detection in bronchoscopy. She collaborates with institutions like CUNY Medicine and ISSA on environmental justice initiatives. Her work bridges clinical practice, environmental science, and public health policy to address complex health challenges.