Sandrah Proctor Eckel

Sandrah Proctor Eckel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the University of Southern California. She leads the PhD Program in Biostatistics and focuses on statistical methods applied to environmental epidemiology and climate change impacts on health. Her research emphasizes air pollution exposure, prenatal health risks, and pediatric respiratory conditions. She directs the MADRES pregnancy cohort study, examining environmental and social stressors affecting maternal and child health.

Her work spans interdisciplinary collaborations, integrating epidemiological data with biostatistical modeling. Key areas include asthma monitoring via sensor-based systems, the health effects of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and the intersection of climate change with public health equity. Eckel has led NIH-funded studies on exhaled nitric oxide and sensor technologies for health surveillance.

Recent studies investigate air pollution's role in autism spectrum disorder, maternal mental health, and metabolic dysfunction linked to environmental chemicals. She advocates for equitable climate health research and has published extensively on air pollution's effects on pregnancy outcomes, postpartum depression, and childhood neurodevelopment.

Her contributions include developing statistical frameworks for analyzing longitudinal environmental exposures and advancing methodologies for assessing health disparities. Eckel's research bridges statistical innovation with real-world applications, emphasizing translational science to address urgent public health challenges.