Chemicals, Pollution, and Pregnancy: A Reproductive Environmental Health Virtual Conference | 2024

Senior Research Scientist, Children’s Environmental Health Initiative (CEHI)

College of Medicine, University of Illinois 

Melissa Fiffer is Senior Research Scientist at the Children’s Environmental Health Initiative (CEHI) in the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her role includes leading epidemiologic studies, fostering a nationwide network of geographic information systems (GIS)-trained health departments, and managing research translation and communication efforts. She brings 11 years of experience working for the federal government, primarily in the U.S. EPA’s Office of Atmospheric Programs. She is passionate about using science to tackle complex environmental challenges and inform evidence-based programs and policies to protect public health and reduce inequities. Her research focuses on environmental and social drivers of health disparities, including cardiometabolic and reproductive health outcomes. Melissa holds a PhD in Environmental Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a master’s degree in Environmental Health from the Duke Nicholas School of the Environment.

Assistant Professor, Center for Research on Ingredient Safety

Michigan State University

Obstetrics/Gynecology Climate for Health Fellow, ecoAmerica

Co-host, Green Docs

Bruce Bekkar is a women’s health physician and international keynote speaker engaged with the climate crisis since 2007.  He currently serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Climate Change and Health and as a Fellow and member of the Leadership Circle Executive Committee at ecoAmerica in Washington, DC.   At home in Southern California, he is Chair Emeritus of the Public Health Advisory Council and a public health consultant for the County of San Diego Regional Decarbonization Framework.  Bruce has given more than 100 presentations on climate and health to diverse audiences including the American Meteorological Society, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Genentech, England’s Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the California State Senate and members of the U.S. House of Representatives.  He is the lead author of the first large-scale review of birth impacts and climate change, published in JAMA in June 2020, and he co-hosts “Green Docs,” a new podcast at the intersection of women’s health, pregnancy outcomes and our environment.