Rebecca Bascom

Dr. Rebecca Bascom is a practicing physician and active clinical researcher at Penn State College of Medicine, holding professorships in the Departments of Medicine and Public Health Sciences. She serves as the lead of the Health and the Environment theme at the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE), where she builds interdisciplinary partnerships and strategies to address environmental health challenges. Bascom is affiliated with the Penn State Cancer Institute, the Institute for Personalized Medicine, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

Her research focuses on Environmental Health, Pulmonary Medicine, and Clinical Research, with expertise spanning Inhalation Toxicology, Interstitial Lung Disease, and Occupational Medicine. Bascom’s work bridges environmental science with public health, particularly examining climate change’s health impacts and policy solutions. She has pioneered collaborations with aerosol physicists and computational engineers to advance respiratory disease modeling.

Bascom’s recent publications highlight interdisciplinary trends in Medical Imaging, Lung Disease Epidemiology, and Climate Change Policy. Her articles explore topics like N95 Reprocessing Quality Controls, E-cigarette Effects on Cardiovascular Health, and Deep Learning in Endoscopic Cancer Analysis, showing her commitment to translating research into clinical and policy action.

Scientific Awards include the

• Environmental, Occupational and Population Health (EOPH) Distinguished Career Award, American Thoracic Society (2022)
• Penn State Research Recognition Award (2018)

Bascom actively mentors students and trainees, emphasizing interdisciplinary career development. She advocates for equitable environmental health solutions, particularly addressing the disproportionate burden of pollution on marginalized communities. Her leadership at IEE involves establishing a Health and Environment Community Advisory Council to ensure community-informed research and global dissemination of findings.