Marie Lynn Miranda

Dr. Marie Lynn Miranda serves as Director of the Children's Environmental Health Initiative (CEHI) at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and faculty in Duke's Integrated Toxicology Program, integrating environmental health sciences with social policy through GIS-based analysis of children's vulnerabilities to toxicants.

Education:

• Ph.D., Harvard University (1990)

Her research specializes in children's environmental health with emphasis on GIS-driven analysis of reproductive/developmental toxicants and childhood lead exposure. She investigates spatial relationships between environmental contaminants and child health outcomes while developing evidence-based policy interventions. Her interdisciplinary work bridges toxicology, geospatial technology, and public health to address environmental justice issues affecting vulnerable populations.

Her publication record shows historical focus on quantitative environmental policy analysis, particularly in waste management siting processes. Current research demonstrates evolution toward geospatial medicine applications, examining gene-environment interactions for conditions like neural tube defects, autism, and ADHD through integrated spatial modeling frameworks.

Scientific Awards:

• Gabel Chair in Environmental Ethics and Sustainable Environmental Management (2000-2005)
• A.B. Duke Scholar Fellowship
• Marshall Fellowship
• Truman Fellowship
• Eisenhower Fellowship
• Lilly Foundation Fellowship
• National Science Foundation Fellowship
• AAUW American Fellowship Program
• Harvard University Chiles Program Fellowship
• Richard K. Lublin Distinguished Award for Teaching Excellence
• U.S. EPA Environmental Justice Achievement Award

Dr. Miranda directs substantial grant-funded research including CDC-funded lead exposure modeling across 27 North Carolina counties, NIEHS replication studies nationwide, HUD mold contamination research, and NIH's Center for Geospatial Medicine. Her $2.2M malaria research collaboration with African partners demonstrates international scope. She serves as Deputy Director for the NIEHS Center for Comparative Biology of Vulnerable Populations and PI for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute genomics curriculum project.

As CEHI Director, she leads a multidisciplinary team developing spatial risk models for environmental health threats. Her community engagement includes leadership roles on the Durham County Lead Intervention Team, North Carolina Lead Elimination Action Plan Strategic Planning Group, State Asthma Coalition, and Alliance for Healthy Homes Board, ensuring research translates to practical policy solutions.