Asher Rosinger

Asher Rosinger is Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University, where he directs the Water, Health, and Nutrition Lab and leads the Environmental Health Sciences Program Area. His research integrates human biology, nutritional anthropology, and global health to investigate hydration strategies, water insecurity, and health outcomes across indigenous Tsimane’ populations in the Bolivian Amazon, Daasanach agro-pastoralists in Kenya, and U.S. demographic groups using NHANES data. He also co-leads NSF-funded projects like the HWISE Research Coordination Network.

• Ph.D., Anthropology, University of Georgia (2015)
• M.P.H., Epidemiology, University of Georgia (2012)
• B.A., Anthropology and Psychology, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (2007)

His work focuses on understanding human variation in water intake, the interplay between environmental changes and hydration, and the health consequences of water insecurity. He employs biomarker data to assess hydration status in diverse populations, including semi-nomadic pastoralists experiencing climate stressors and U.S. communities with distrust in tap water infrastructure. Key contributions include cross-cultural validation of the HWISE Scale and insights into water insecurity's role in inflammation, metabolic disorders, and child health.

Articles highlight his research on hydration in semi-arid regions, water sharing networks, vitamin A deficiency in Ethiopia, and urban water affordability. His lab collaborates globally on climate change's health impacts, with projects spanning water salinity effects on kidney function and policy-oriented studies on water access. Dr. Rosinger’s 2019 CDC award for Zika virus response and Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professorship underscore his interdisciplinary contributions.

As a mentor, he co-advises students in Biobehavioral Health and Anthropology, emphasizing five-year PhD funding. He also trains undergraduates in field research through NSF REU Site grants, focusing on human-environment dynamics. Lab projects address water's role in obesity, disease transmission, and climate adaptation, with a commitment to public health policy and community-driven solutions.