Tracey Woodruff

Tracey Woodruff is a Professor and Director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE) at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). Her work focuses on understanding how environmental contaminants impact reproductive and developmental health, bridging scientific research, clinical care, and policy advocacy.

• Education:
  • 1991: M.P.H. in Environmental Health Sciences from UC Berkeley
  • 1991: Ph.D. in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco
  • 1993: Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Policy from UC San Francisco (Pew Foundation)

Dr. Woodruff’s research emphasizes reducing harmful chemical exposures through environmental health policies, with a focus on air toxics, endocrine disruptors, and plastic pollution (e.g., microplastics, nanoplastics). Her work informs national and international policymaking, including the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and global plastic pollution treaties.

She has received multiple scientific awards for her contributions to environmental health:

• 2002: EPA Science and Technology Achievement Award
• 2004: EPA Gold Medal for America's Children and the Environment report
• 2006: EPA Silver Medal for Supplemental Guidance on Early-Life Carcinogen Exposure

As PRHE Director, she leads multidisciplinary efforts to translate scientific findings into public education, clinical practice guidelines, and policy recommendations, including collaborations with organizations like the 5 Gyres Institute and the Lancet Commission on plastic pollution.