Newswise — The Rutgers School of Public Health is excited to announce that Zorimar Rivera-Núñez, PhD, MS, is now a tenure track assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. Previously, she was an assistant research professor at the school.
Rivera-Núñez studies chemical exposures and their impact on maternal health, early life, and subsequent health. Her research involves applications of human exposure science and placental toxicology in reproductive epidemiology studies of known or suspected endocrine disrupting chemicals. Additionally, she has extensive experience managing and analyzing large data sets to evaluate several health outcomes on a national scale.
Rivera-Núñez is currently working on various projects funded by the National Institutes of Health including characterizing zearalenone (ZEN) exposure during pregnancy. ZEN is an estrogenic mycotoxin produced by Fusarium fungi. It is considered an endocrine disruptor because it alters prenatal hormonal systems. This property is particularly important during pregnancy given that hormones control pregnancy processes including fetal growth and development.
“The Rutgers School of Public Health is thrilled to have Dr. Rivera-Núñez,” says Perry N. Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health. “Dr. Rivera-Núñez’s work on early life is vital to understand health across the lifespan and critically impacts maternal health education, outcomes, and policy for all people and populations.”
“The Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology is proud to have Dr. Rivera-Núñez in our ranks,” says Jason Roy, professor and chair of the department. “In addition to her important environmental epidemiologic research, she is also a dedicated teacher and mentor who is a great asset to our students.”
“Academia has a main role in society and that role is even bigger in public health,” says Rivera-Núñez. “Health is everything. Women’s health, before, during, and after pregnancy is fundamental for a productive society. What most attracted me to the Rutgers School of Public Health is my outstanding team of mentors and the active role that the school takes in local, state, and national public health issues.”
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About the Rutgers School of Public Health:
The Rutgers School of Public Health is New Jersey’s only accredited school of public health that seeks to improve health and prevent disease in diverse populations in New Jersey and around the world through educating students to become well-qualified and effective public health leaders, researchers, and practitioners; conducting research to advance public health science and policies; and providing service programs that promote population and individual health. Visit us at https://sph.rutgers.edu and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to learn how we're "keeping the ‘public’ in public health.”
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