Amber Cathey

Dr. Amber Cathey is an Assistant Research Scientist in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Her research examines environmental chemical exposures during pregnancy and their impacts on fetal development, birth outcomes, and early childhood health with emphasis on endocrine disruption mechanisms.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Environmental Health Sciences (University of Michigan, 2021)
• MPH in Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology (University of Michigan, 2017)
• Dual BS degrees in Cell and Molecular Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology (University of Michigan, 2015)

Dr. Cathey specializes in environmental and reproductive epidemiology, investigating how chemical mixtures (phthalates, metals, PAHs) disrupt hormonal pathways during gestation. Her methodological expertise includes mixed effect modeling, shrinkage variable selection, and causal mediation analysis to identify exposure-biomarker-outcome relationships.

Her publication record (2018-2022) reveals consistent focus on biomarker epidemiology in Puerto Rico and Mexico City cohorts, with recurring themes of endocrine disruption, chemical mixture effects, and statistical innovation in exposure assessment. Key trends include sex-specific outcomes, oxidative stress pathways, and hormone-mediated delivery timing.

She actively contributes to major research initiatives:

• PROTECT Project: Examining contamination threats and chemical mixture exposures in Puerto Rico
• LIFECODES Biobank: Investigating female reproductive epidemiology and endocrine disruptors in Boston