Rebecca T. Parkin, M.P.H., Ph.D.

Rebecca Tyrrell Parkin (formerly Zagraniski) is a Professorial Lecturer in the Environmental & Occupational Health Department.

In a career focused on putting cutting-edge science to work improving human health and the environment, Professor Parkin pursues two passions - conducting research and making science relevant and useful to communities. "My commitment to prevention and population approaches, and my fascination with learning from others' views and knowledge, are what drew me into public health," she says. "Once I discovered the field and all that it offered, there was no question that I had found my professional home."

As Associate Dean for Research and Public Health Practice until 2010, Dr. Parkin held a position that is unique among schools of public health, one that highlights SPHHS's commitment to evidence-based work with public health agencies and communities. Dr. Parkin also maintained a half-time teaching and research schedule, bringing her extensive field and research experiences into the classroom to illustrate fundamental public health principles, theories and issues. Although she has retired from GW, she continues to serve as a Professorial Lecturer, lending her expertise in the classroom and to students. Prior to joining the School, Dr. Parkin was Assistant Commissioner of Occupational and Environmental Health in the New Jersey Department of Health, one of the top three state-level positions in the public health arena.

Bachelor of Arts (Sociology), Cornell University, 1970
Master of Public Health (Environmental Health), Yale University, 1977
Doctor of Philosophy (Epidemiology), Yale University, 1982
Post-doctoral Fellowship, Yale University, National Cancer Institute (1982-83)
Mid-career Fellow in Science, Technology, and Policy, Princeton University (1993-94)

Dr. Parkin's main research interests are environmental health risk perception and communication, environmental epidemiology, microbial risk assessment, drinking water contaminants, risk management and community-based research.

The theme of service -- to the public, to students, to professional organizations and to communities -- runs through Dr. Parkin's career. In the field, she has worked with citizens wrestling with challenging environmental health issues, applying lessons learned in that capacity to her service on numerous boards and committees. Dr. Parkin has provided expertise primarily to the National Research Council, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Institute of Medicine, focusing her attention on drinking water contaminants, airborne particulates, microbial risk assessment, water conservation, and immunization safety, among other issues. As well, she has been the American Public Health Association's liaison to the National Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention. In the post-9/11 environment, Professor Parkin has served on the U.S. GAO's expert panel on wastewater security; the Oak Ridge Affiliated Universities' Weapons of Mass Destruction Interagency Event Team; and the Arlington, Virginia Division of Public Health's Emergency Preparedness Planning Committee.