Dr. Natasha DeJarnett is an assistant professor in the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute at the University of Louisville and the UofL Division of Environmental Medicine researching the health impacts of extreme heat exposure and environmental health disparities.

Some of her most recent work includes the Green Heart Project, an urban greening project in specific Louisville neighborhoods testing if increased green space improves health outcomes, and provides additional leadership within the community engagement arm of the Superfund Research Center.

She’s also a professorial lecturer in Environmental and Occupational Health at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Dr. DeJarnett is a graduate of University of Louisville, where she completed her PhD and Master of Public Health, both concentrating in environmental health sciences. In 2015, she became the recipient of the prestigious Impact Award from the Society of Toxicology’s Cardiovascular Toxicology Specialty Section for her 2014 paper “Acrolein Exposure is Associated with Increased Cardiovascular Disease Risk.”

Dr. DeJarnett was named 2017 Alumna of the Year for the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences and concurrently awarded designation in the class of 2017 Alumni Fellows.

Prior to becoming an assistant professor, Dr. DeJarnett was interim associate director of Program and Partnership Development at the National Environmental Health Association, leading the areas of research, climate and health, and children’s environmental health. She also previously served as a policy analyst at the American Public Health Association (APHA), where she led the Natural Environment portfolio, including air and water exposures along with climate change.

Dr. DeJarnett is a member of several groups, including EPA’s Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee, . DeJarnett is a member of the EPA’s Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee, is chair of the Governing Board of Citizens’ Climate Education, a member of the Board of Directors of Physicians for Social Responsibility, a member of the Advisory Board of APHA’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity, a member of the Board of Trustees for the BTS Center, special advisor to the Environmental Health and Equity Collaborative, and the Steering Committees of the International Transformational Resilience Coalition and the Environmental Law Institute’s Emerging Leaders Initiative.

Locally, Dr. DeJarnett is a member of the Board of Directors for the Chestnut Street Family YMCA.

To learn more about her work with the Envirome Institute, visit enviromeinstitute.com.