Alexis J. Handal

Dr. Alexis J. Handal is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She joined the University of Michigan in fall 2019 after spending 11 years on the faculty at the University of New Mexico College of Population Health. Dr. Handal holds joint appointments with multiple centers including the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the Donia Human Rights Center, the Michigan Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease (M-LEEaD), and the UM Center for Occupational Health and Safety Engineering.

Dr. Handal's educational background includes:

• PhD in Epidemiological Sciences from the University of Michigan
• MPH in Epidemiology-International Health from the University of Michigan
• BA in Biochemistry and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado-Boulder
• Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Dr. Handal's research focuses on environmental and occupational epidemiology, reproductive epidemiology, and child health examined within social, political, and economic contexts. Her work emphasizes populations traditionally underrepresented in research, including Latinx and Indigenous populations in the U.S. and Latin America, with special attention to women and children exposed to hazardous work conditions. She employs community-based participatory research and mixed methods to investigate how chemical exposures interact with social determinants to impact health outcomes, particularly among agricultural workers.

Analysis of her publications reveals consistent focus on the health impacts of agricultural work, particularly in Ecuador's flower industry and Michigan's farmworker communities. Her research examines pesticide exposure effects on neurodevelopment, the intersection of occupational hazards with social stressors, and the health consequences of precarious employment conditions, with particular attention to maternal and child health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Handal serves as Principal Investigator on NIH-funded research including the SEMILLA study examining fungicidal exposure impacts in Ecuador and the Michigan Farmworker Project investigating occupational health exposures among migrant workers. Her work consistently applies a health equity lens to understand the complex interplay between chemical exposures, social determinants, and health disparities affecting vulnerable populations.

Dr. Handal teaches courses in occupational and environmental epidemiology and field methods in global health, preparing students to conduct ethical, community-engaged research in international settings with attention to social determinants of health and health equity considerations.