Kristen Cowan, PhD, MPH, joined the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health in 2025 as part of the Center for Climate Change and Health Equity. She specializes in environmental epidemiology, with research focused on climate hazards, environmental justice, and health disparities. Her dissertation examined the health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure on incarcerated populations. Cowan has held research roles at the CDC and EPA, and her work has been recognized with awards such as the Mary Fran Myers Award for Excellence in Disaster Research. She is passionate about translating research into policy and advancing health equity in the face of climate change.

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, N.C., PhD, environmental epidemiology with a graduate certificate in geography
• Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, Ga., MPH, global epidemiology with a certificate in complex humanitarian emergencies
• The Ohio State University School of Public Health, Columbus, Ohio, BS, major: public health, minor: Spanish language