Suzanne McDermott

Dr. Suzanne McDermott is a Professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, affiliated with the ENERGY Center and Environmental, Occupational, and Geospatial Health Sciences division. Her research focuses on environmental epidemiology related to mining impacts and the intersection of disability and environmental health. She has over 130 peer-reviewed publications and co-leads three CDC-funded grants examining neurodevelopmental risks and health promotion strategies for individuals with lifelong disabilities.

Education: PhD in Health Services Research and Epidemiology from the University of South Carolina.

Research interests include understanding chemical/infectious risk factors for neurodevelopmental disabilities, disability health disparities, and advanced statistical methods for intervention evaluation. Her work combines epidemiology, biostatistics, and health services research to address gaps in care for vulnerable populations.

Her recent articles highlight trends in opioid use among disabled populations, environmental metal exposure impacts, and interventions to improve medication adherence. Key themes include environmental justice, disability-inclusive healthcare systems, and longitudinal disease surveillance.

Grants/Advising: Co-Principal Investigator on three CDC grants. Advises on muscular dystrophy surveillance and Medicaid beneficiary analyses. Her teams focus on translating research into actionable health policies.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with multidisciplinary teams across epidemiology, biostatistics, and public health policy. Active in MD STARnet surveillance network for muscular dystrophies and mining community health projects.