Sarah E. Rothenberg

Sarah E. Rothenberg, D.Env., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Oregon State University's College of Public Health and Human Sciences. She holds affiliations with the Methylmercury Lab and the School of Nutrition and Public Health. Her research focuses on mercury cycling, methylmercury exposure dynamics, and interactions with trace metals, particularly in rice paddies and human health contexts. Dr. Rothenberg's work bridges environmental monitoring, epidemiology, and risk assessment, with a focus on vulnerable populations in rural China and globally.

Education: B.S. in Applied Mathematics, M.S. in Statistics, and Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from UCLA. She has held postdoctoral positions at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and NYU's College of Dentistry. Current roles include accepting graduate students in Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) and Global Health (GH) PhD programs, as well as MPH students.

Research interests emphasize methylmercury exposure pathways, particularly through rice consumption, and its impacts on neurodevelopment in children. Her studies also explore gut microbiota's role in mercury toxicity during pregnancy and early childhood. Notable grants include NIH and NSF funding for cohort studies in China and environmental health projects in coastal regions.

Dr. Rothenberg collaborates on interdisciplinary projects, including the NIH-funded investigation of maternal methylmercury exposure and child neurodevelopment. Her lab develops noninvasive biomarkers, such as hair mercury isotopes, to track dietary exposure. Recent work addresses sewage spills' health impacts and the influence of climate change on mercury speciation in crops.

Labs/Teams: Methylmercury Lab (OSU), collaborative networks in China, and partnerships with institutions like the San Francisco Estuary Institute. Future work includes expanding studies on immigrant environmental health in Oregon and advancing community-driven environmental exposure models.