Whitney Cowell

Whitney Cowell, PhD, MPH, serves as Assistant Professor in both the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York University. Her research investigates environmental determinants of child health outcomes with emphasis on prenatal exposure pathways and developmental impacts.

Dr. Cowell earned her PhD from Columbia University and Master of Public Health from Boston University, establishing foundational expertise in epidemiological methods and population health analysis.

Her research program focuses on environmental epidemiology and prenatal-child health interfaces, examining how pollutants like organophosphate pesticides, air contaminants, and endocrine disruptors influence fetal growth trajectories. She integrates social stressors and biological mechanisms to address health disparities, particularly through placental biomarker analysis and sex-specific effect modification.

Recent publications demonstrate consistent investigation of environmental hazards on birth outcomes, with 2025 work revealing organophosphate impacts on sex-specific fetal size and 2023 studies examining air pollution interactions with placental telomere length. Her research bridges exposure science, social determinants, and clinical outcomes through cohort studies like ECHO.

Dr. Cowell leads the NYU Children's Health and Environment Study (NYU CHES) as principal investigator for the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort, coordinating national data and biospecimen collection. She also contributes to pandemic-related research on preterm health care utilization and sedentary behavior impacts during pregnancy.