Deborah A. Slechta

Deborah A. Slechta, Ph.D., is a Professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, holding joint appointments in Environmental Medicine, Neuroscience, and Public Health Sciences. A leading expert in environmental neurotoxicology, her research focuses on understanding how chemical and non-chemical environmental exposures impact brain development and neurological disorders. Her work emphasizes the role of air pollution, metals (lead, mercury, arsenic), and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in neurodevelopmental disorders, with a particular interest in cumulative risk assessment and health disparities.

Dr. Slechta earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota (1977), following earlier degrees from Western Michigan University (BS, 1971; MA, 1972). She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Rochester and the National Center for Toxicological Research.

Her research projects include studying the synergistic effects of developmental lead exposure with maternal stress, the neurodevelopmental impacts of air pollution (particularly ultrafine particles), and the epigenetic consequences of prenatal stress combined with lead exposure. She has pioneered translational approaches linking animal models to human populations, emphasizing sex differences in vulnerability and the importance of contextual factors in environmental risk assessment.

Awarded the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences New Investigator Award (1982–1985) and honored for her contributions to women in science, Dr. Slechta has held leadership roles including Chair of the Department of Environmental Medicine and Director of the NIEHS Environmental Health Sciences Center. She currently serves as Principal Investigator of the Cory-Slechta Lab, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams on projects addressing environmental justice and cumulative exposure risks.

Her lab’s recent studies highlight air pollution’s role in brain iron accumulation and neurodegeneration, as well as the enhanced neurotoxicity of metals when combined with stress. She advocates for policy changes to reduce environmental health disparities and improve public health protection strategies against neurotoxicants.