Understanding Disease Clusters: Public Health Investigations

Dr. Megan Latshaw, PhD, MHS, is the Director of the MHS and ScM master's programs at Johns Hopkins University and co-Course Director for Environment & Your Health. She recently completed her term as Chair of the American Public Health Association's Environment Section and is now Chair-Elect of the Intersectional Council. Previously, she led the Environmental Health Programs at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, establishing the National Biomonitoring Network for environmental health surveillance, and served as Senior Director for Environmental Health Policy at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Dr. Latshaw holds a doctorate in Environmental and Occupational Health, a Master’s in Environmental Health Sciences, a Certificate in Risk Sciences and Public Policy, and a Bachelor’s in Biology from Johns Hopkins. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and presented at many national conferences.

Trained at Johns Hopkins University in geography and environmental engineering (PhD, '72) and Environmental Health Sciences (postdoctoral fellow, '72–75), I have built a career bridging science and public policy, focusing on integrating toxicological and epidemiological research into environmental and occupational health policy. My roles have included NIH staff fellowship, senior scientist at Environmental Defense, and professorship at the University of Maryland Medical School, as well as advisory positions with organizations like NTP-NIH, CDC, EPA, WHO, and PAHO. My current research emphasizes cardiovascular risks from arsenic, lead, and cadmium; mercury immunotoxicity; and the health impacts of industrial food animal production, exploring gene-environment interactions and antibiotic-resistant pathogens. My work spans international studies, including mercury research in the Amazon, heavy metal exposure in Mexico, mining impacts in Mongolia, and zoonotic diseases in Thailand and the Netherlands. In 2016, I was appointed Special Consultant to the WHO Food Safety Programme.