Education:
Ph.D., Brandeis University - 1997 (History)
M.L.A., University of South Florida - 1991 (Liberal Arts)
B.F.A., Florida State University - 1977 (Theater)
Areas of Expertise:
History of medicine and public health, environmental history, U.S. history since 1865.
Books and Publications
"'A Most Insidious Poison Taking Advantage of our Necessities': A Brief Historical Introduction to Lead and Lead Poisoning," in Silvia Bottinelli and Sharon Hecker, eds. Lead in Modern and Contemporary Art (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2021) (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2021
"No Magic Bolus: What the History of Rickets and Vitamin D Can Teach Us About Setting Standards," Journal of Adolescent Health 66, no. 4 (April 2020): 379-380. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2020
Editorial, co-written with Janet Golden, "The Summer Sun Didn't Stop Covid-19. Here's Why," Washington Post "Made by History," 3 September 2020. (Books and Publications: Other) 2020
"Nature Rx: Nothing New Under the Sun?" American Journal of Public Health 109, no. 10 (October 2019): 1316-1317 (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2019
"Old Situations, New Complications: Lead and Lead Poisoning in a Changing World," in Hazardous Chemicals: Agents of Risk and Change (New York: Berghahn Press, 2019): 107-135. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2019
"Of Ghosts and Bones and Vitamin D (on Halloween, Before the Election)," "The Public's Health, Philly.com 31 October, 2016 http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/public_health/Of-ghosts-and-bones-and-vitamin-D-on-Halloween-before-the-election.html (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2016
"50 Years Ago: Building the Case Against Lead," "The Public's Health, Philly.com 2 October, 2015 (http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/public_health/50-years-ago-Building-the-case-against-lead.html). (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2015
Review of Golden Holocaust: Origins of the Cigarette Catastrophe and the Case for Abolition, by Robert Proctor. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press, 2011. Business History Review. (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2014
"The Gardener in the Machine: Biotechnological Adaptation for Life Indoors." Environment, Health, and History. Eds. Virginia Berridge and Martin Gorsky. London: Palgrave; 206-23. (Books and Publications: Book Chapter) 2011
"Poison Me Elmo" op-ed. The Washington Post, Aug. 13: A-11. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2007
"The Little Engine That Could Poison" op-ed. The New York Times, June 22: 21. (Books and Publications: Article (Other)) 2007
Review of Toxic Drift: Pesticides and Health in the Post-World War II South, by Pete Daniel. Bulletin of the History of Medicine 81, Winter: 898-900. (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2007
Ward, John W. and Christian Warren. Silent Victories: The History and Practice of Public Health in Twentieth-Century America. Oxford University Press. (Books and Publications: Book (Edited)) 2006
Brush With Death: A Social History of Lead Poisoning. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. (Books and Publications: Book (Authored)) 2000
Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums
"Rickets: Deconstructing a 'Racial' Disease," American Association for the History of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, May 2019 (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2019
"Oh, The Sun Shines Bright on My Old Contorted Bones: Climate, Culture, and Race in Rickets and Vitamin-D Deficiency in the South," American Association for the History of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, May 2017 (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2017
"Codfish, Cows, and Chemicals: An Un-natural History of Vitamin D Fortification in the United States," American Society for Environmental History, Atlanta, Georgia, March 21, 2015 (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2015
"Contracted Pelvis, Contracted Labor: A 'Race Disease' in a Post-racial(?) America." American Association for the History of Medicine. Chicago, May. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2014
"Rickets and the State: Bringing the Sun Back In?" Society for the Social History of Medicine 2014 Conference. Oxford, United Kingdom, July. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2014
"Toward a Global Perspective: Lessons From America's 'Century of Lead.'"
International Society for Environmental Epidemiology. Seattle, Aug. 25. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2014
"Old Situations, New Complications: Lead and Lead Poisoning in a Changing World."
Hazardous Chemicals: Agents of Risk and Change (1800-2000). Deutsches Museum. Munich, April. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2012
"Rats and Foundlings: Rickets Experimentation in Depression-Era Philadelphia." American Association for the History of Medicine. Philadelphia, April 30. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2011
"Venerate the Heat Pump! Climate Control for Hospitals and Humans." American Association for the History of Medicine. Rochester, Minn., April 30. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2010
"Losing Our Sol? Elegies to the Sunlit Past in the Twentieth Century." World Congress of Environmental History. Copenhagen, August. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2009
"Power Windows, Power Locks: Americans in Their Cars, and the Transformation of Risk." American Historical Association. Washington, D.C., January. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2008
"HomeSick: Three Stories From the History of Urban Environmental Health." American Association for the History of Medicine. Montreal, May 6. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2007
"Two Edges: Pioneers and Holdouts in the Migration Indoors." American Society for Environmental History Conference. Baton Rouge, La., March 3. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2007