Translating Environmental Health Research into Action

Our Mission

Welcome to the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health (MIAEH). MIAEH is a dedicated group of talented faculty, students and staff who serve as the teaching, research and service outreach function for environmental health in the school of public health at UMCP.

Our goal is to create improved living and working environments and eliminate environmental injustice for people on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and around the globe. We work in diverse, collaborative, multidisciplinary teams, investigate health impacts of the natural, built, and social environments, train the next generation of environmental and occupational health professionals, and develop and implement public health solutions, in partnership with the communities we serve in ways that are transformative, empowering, and sustainable.

What is Applied Environmental Health?

Environmental health research explores the impacts of our natural and man-made environment on human health.  Yet, the environment is not limited to our air, water, soil and food. It also encompasses our sociocultural environment, economic environment, work environment and family environment. The phrase “applied environmental health” means translating the results of environmental health research into positive actions and public health interventions that are appropriate in the context of our total sociocultural and economic environment at local, national and global levels.   

We offer students flexible and individualized programs of study through our Master of Public Health (MPH) Program in Environmental Health Sciences and our Doctorate (PhD) Program in Toxicology and Environmental Health. Our programs are designed not only to satisfy the academic goals of our students but also to help them acheive their life and career goals.

Creating Partnerships to Find Global Solutions.

The faculty members of the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health collaborate with state, federal, international and private agencies to develop research solutions that address pressing environmental health problems. For example, the Institute is working with the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities to identify which communities are most impacted by environmental, socioeconomic, or health disparities. Other faculty members collaborate with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to identify the sources of antibiotic resistance and microbial contamination in foods. Another area of research involves the relationship between air pollution and asthma as well as other chronic health outcomes.

Beyond our neighborhoods, environmental health has a global impact. We also partner with international organizations in order to conduct environmental health research that results in successful, sustainable interventions that improve the health of communities worldwide.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Amir Sapkota
Graduate Admissions Director
Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health
University of Maryland
Room 2234F, School of Public Health
College Park, Md. 20742-2611
301.405.8716
amirsap@umd.edu

The Extended MIAEH Family