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Leanne S. Fawkes

Contact

fawkes@uthscsa.edu

Departments & Divisions

Leanne S. Fawkes, DrPH, MPH

Assistant Professor

Leanne Fawkes, DrPH, MPH, is a professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at UT School of Public Health San Antonio. Dr. Fawkes earned her Doctor of Public Health Sciences in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Master of Public Health in Health Policy from Texas A&M University. Before joining UT School of Public Health San Antonio, she was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Epidemiology Program in the College of Health Sciences at the University of Delaware, where she led the Delaware State Health Assessment (SHA) and Delaware State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP).

Dr. Fawkes’ research interests are centered on the assessment of environmental exposure risks within environmental justice communities, applied epidemiology, and rapid health assessments.

With nearly four years of research experience in community-engaged research, she has designed surveys, conducted environmental sampling, and executed rapid assessments. Dr. Fawkes conducts environmental sampling to assess potential exposures to harmful chemicals, integrating multiple facets of environmental health, epidemiology, and urban planning in her research. Dr. Fawkes has been involved in interdisciplinary research projects funded by federal agencies that addressed hazards, mental and physical health, and adherence to emergency notification systems.

Dr. Fawkes’ teaching experience includes courses in environmental epidemiology and strategies in population health. 

  • Professional Background

    Education

    • 2022 - DrPH - Public Health Sciences, Environmental Health - School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
    • 2019 - MPH - Health Policy & Management - School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
    • 2017 - BA - Speech & Hearing Sciences - College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
    • 2008 - BA - International Affairs - Lewis & Clark College

    Appointments

    • 2024 - Assistant Professor - UT School of Public Health San Antonio
    • 2022-2024 - Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Epidemiology - University of Delaware, College of Health Sciences
    • 2022 - 2023 - Adjunct Assistant Professor - College of Health Sciences, University of Delaware - Environmental Epidemiology
    • 2020 - 2022 - Graduate Research Assistant - Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Texas A&M University, School of Public Health
    • 2017 - 2020 - Graduate Teaching Assistant - School of Public Health, Texas A&M University

  • Research & Grants

    • Environmental Epidemiology
    • Environmental Justice and Equity
    • Exposure Science, Risk Assessment
    • Hazard Research (Recovery, Resiliency, Social Vulnerability)
    • Research Methods (Geospatial Analysis, Epidemiology Methods, Categorical Data, Survey)

    Grants

    Active Grants & Projects as Key Personnel

    • Delaware Health and Social Services, State Health Assessment and Improvement Plan, July 1, 2022-June 30, 2027, (Total Award, $500,000)—Role: Post-Doctoral Researcher
    • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P42ES027704), Comprehensive Tools and Models for Addressing Exposure to Mixtures During Environmental Emergency-Related Contamination Events, September 20, 2022 – August 31, 2027 (Total award: $9,747,536) – Doctoral Trainee in the Community Engagement Core (Total award: $648,906)—Role: Doctoral Trainee
    • National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine, Creation of Community Resilience Registry: The Case for Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens, 2023 (Total Award, $300,000)—Role: Grant Writer
    • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences-Internal Pilot Grant, “Assessing Creosote Exposure and Health Outcomes within a Confirmed Cancer Cluster in two Houston Neighborhoods”, September 1, 2020-August 31, 2023, (Total Award, $22,000)—Role: Doctoral Trainee

    Completed Grants & Projects as Key Personnel

    • Texas A&M University Health Seedling, “Environmental Assessment within a Confirmed Cancer Cluster”, January 1, 2022-January 1, 2023, (Total Award $50,000)—Role: Doctoral Trainee
    • National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine, Gulf Coast Early-Career Research Fellowship, September 1, 2020-August 31, 2022, (Total Award, $76,000)—Role: Doctoral Trainee

  • Service

    Service to the Profession

    Professional Affiliations

    • 2023, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)
    • 2023, International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE)
    • 2020—2022, Institute for Sustainable Communities, Texas A&M University
    • 2020—2022, NIEHS Superfund Research Program, Doctoral Trainee- P42ES027704

  • Publications