About the Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA)
[NOTICE] CPHEA's Willingness to Participate in Funding Opportunities of Other Federal Agencies Announced
The Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA) provides the science needed to understand the complex interrelationship between people and nature in support of assessments and policy to protect human health and ecological integrity.
On this page:
What We Do
The Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA) develops human health and environmental assessments that support EPA program and regional policies and decisions.
CPHEA examines the human health and the environment at individual, community, regional, and national scales to improve the prediction of human health, environmental and ecological effects to enable informed risk reduction and remediation. The Center evaluates and applies environmental indicators of ecological and human systems to inform EPA programs, help establish programmatic priorities and assess environmental impacts.
CPHEA conducts toxicological, clinical, ecological, epidemiological, and citizen science studies to assess the impact of environmental exposures to chemicals and other stressors on healthy individuals, populations, and ecosystems, emphasizing people and ecosystems most susceptible to the adverse effects of such exposures.
CPHEA provides research, statistical methods, analysis, and modeling that helps interpret scientific study results and inform assessments or programmatic decisions. This includes laboratory and field studies, pharmacokinetic and ecological modeling, dose- and stress-response analysis, that help evaluate the results of studies and determine public health or ecological impact. The Center’s efforts advance the state-of-the-science of risk assessment by developing methods and guidelines.
CPHEA advances the principles of translational science characterized by problem formulation and research to inform risk assessment, policy decisions, interventions, and evaluation through Solution-Driven Research Projects.
CPHEA develops systems-informed scientific approaches and conducts research to address complex environmental problems, providing information and solutions that lead to improvements in environmental condition, ecosystem service production, and human health and well-being.
CPHEA evaluates scientific knowledge gaps and identifies, and implements research needs to improve risk assessment and risk reduction. The Center’s efforts advance through innovative research and predictive modeling links between environmental condition and the health and well-being of people and society.
CPHEA provides technical assistance to the Region and Program Offices, states and tribal nations, and other risk assessors who perform site-specific or chemical-specific assessments, helping to evaluate scientific knowledge gaps in portions of the risk assessment process. The Center additionally interfaces with Federal and non-federal organizations relative to Center programs, products, and services.
CPHEA Management
Wayne Cascio, CPHEA Center Director
- Biography
- Phone: 919-541-2107
- Email: cascio.wayne@epa.gov
Kay Holt, CPHEA Deputy Director
- Biography
- Phone: 919-541-0633
- Email: holt.kay@epa.gov
Samantha Jones, Associate Director for Assessment Science
- Phone: 202-564-6794
Jamie Strong, Associate Director for Health and Ecological
- Phone: 202-566-0056
Megan Christian, Chief of Staff
- Phone: 401-782-9609
Emily Snyder, Chief of the Research and Assessment Communications and Outreach Staff
- Phone: 919-541-1006
Jill Franzosa, Chief of the Research Planning and Implementation Staff
Note: See EPA's Staff Directory for additional information. Learn more about CPHEA from the Organization Chart.
CPHEA Divisions
The Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA) organization is made up of the following divisions:
- Chemical and Pollutant Assessment Division (CPAD)
- Health and Environmental Effects Assessment Division (HEEAD)
- Integrated Climate Sciences Division (ICSD)
- Pacific Ecological Systems Division (PESD)
- Public Health and Environmental Systems Division (PHESD)
- Public Health and Integrated Toxicology Division (PHITD)