INQUIRY

The following interview with Frederica P. Perera, DrPH, was conducted in December 2006. Dr. Perera is professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and serves as director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH). A pioneer in the field of molecular epidemiology, she is internationally recognized for her research on environmental causes of cancer, developmental disorders, and asthma. The CCCEH focuses on the effects of ambient air pollution, environmental tobacco smoke, and pesticides on health outcomes in children and adults, and is currently conducting two major studies in New York City, a third study in the urban area of Krakow, Poland, and a fourth research project in Chongqing, China.