Center for Global Health Faculty

Associate Professor

Academic Degrees

• MD
• PhD

Departmental Affiliation

• Name:

  Environmental Health Sciences

  Affiliation Type:

  Primary

  Division:

  Occupational and Environmental Health

• Name:

  Epidemiology

  Affiliation Type:

  Joint

Departmental Address

Contact Information

Email:

anavas+jhsph.edu

Phone:

410 - 502 4267

Fax:

410 - 955 1811

Link:

Personal Website

Link:

SciVal Experts Research Profile

Research and Professional Experience

Ana Navas-Acien is a physician-epidemiologist with a specialty in Preventive Medicine and Public Health and with a long-term interest in the health consequences of widespread environmental exposures. Based on an epidemiologic approach, her research investigates chronic health effects of arsenic, selenium, lead, cadmium and other trace metals.

Given the paucity of epidemiologic data at low/moderate levels, the possible biological basis, and the controversy for current environmental standards, this challenging area of research is potentially relevant for public health. For exposures with large epidemiologic evidence of the adverse health effects, such as secondhand smoke, her interest is to conduct research in support of progressive policies to reduce involuntary exposure to environmental toxins.

Keywords

Environmental epidemiology, cardiovascular epidemiology, epidemiologic methods, systematic reviews, biomarkers, arsenic, heavy metals, secondhand smoke, tobacco, smoke-free environments

Honors and Awards

2010 Delta Omega Honor Society

2008-2009 Advising, Mentoring & Teaching Recognition Award (AMTRA)

2005 Phi Beta Kappa, Johns Hopkins University

2002-2004 Fulbright Scholar 

2001-2002 Dyar Memorial Award Fund

Selected Publications

See Dr. Navas-Acien's publications in Pubmed

See Dr. Navas-Acien's publications in Google Scholar

Selected publications:

METAL EXPOSURE AND CHRONIC DISEASES

Gribble MO, Howard BV, Umans JG, Shara NM, Francesconi KA, Goessler W, Crainiceanu CM, Silbergeld KE, Guallar E, Navas-Acien A. Arsenic exposure, diabetes prevalence and diabetes control in the Strong Heart Study. Am J Epidemiol. In press.

Scheer J, Findenig S, Goessler W, Francesconi KA, Howard BV, Umans JG, Pollak J, Tellez-Plaza M, Silbergeld EK, Guallar E, Navas-Acien A. Arsenic species and selected metals in human urine: validation of HPLC/ICPMS and ICPMS procedures for a long-term population-based epidemiological study. Analytical Methods 2012;4:406-413.

Navas-Acien A, Silbergeld EK, Pastor-Barriuso R, Guallar E. Arsenic exposure and prevalence of type 2 diabetes in US adults: Updated findings from the National Health Nutrition and Examination Survey, 2003-2006. [abstract] Epidemiology 2009;20:816-820.

Navas-Acien A, Umans JG, Howard BV, Goessler W, Francesconi KA, Crainiceanu CM, Silbergeld EK, Guallar E. Urine arsenic concentrations and excretion patterns in American Indian communities over a 10-year period - The Strong Heart Study. [pdf] Environ Health Perspect. 2009;117:1428-1433.

Navas-Acien A, Tellez-Plaza M, Guallar E, Muntner P, Silbergeld EK, Jaar BG, Weaver VM. Blood cadmium and lead and chronic kidney disease in US adults: a joint analysis. [pdf] Am J Epidemiol 2009;170:1156-1164.

Navas-Acien A, Silbergeld EK, Pastor-Barriuso R, Guallar E. Arsenic exposure and prevalence of type 2 diabetes in US adults [pdf] JAMA 2008;300:814-822.

Navas-Acien A, Guallar E. Measuring arsenic exposure, metabolism and biological effect: the role of urine proteomics [pdf] Toxicological Sciences 2008;206:1-4.

Navas-Acien A, Schwartz BS, Rothenberg SJ, Hu H, Silbergeld EK, Guallar E. Bone lead levels and blood pressure endpoints: a meta-analysis [pdf] Epidemiology 2008;19:496-504.

Tellez-Plaza M, Navas-Acien A, Crainiceanu CM, Guallar E. Cadmium exposure and hypertension in the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Environ Health Perspect 2008;116:51-56. [abstract] [pdf]

Navas-Acien A, Bleys J, Guallar E. Selenium intake and cardiovascular risk: what is new? Curr Opin Lipidol 2008;19:43-49. [abstract] [pdf]

Bleys J, Navas-Acien A, Guallar E. Serum selenium and diabetes in US adults. Diabetes Care 2007;30:829-834. [abstract] [pdf]

Navas-Acien A, Guallar E, Silbergeld EK, Rothenberg SE. Lead exposure and cardiovascular disease – a systematic review. Environ Health Perspect 2007. [pdf]

Navas-Acien A, Silbergeld EK, Streeter RA, Clark JM, Burke TA, and Guallar E. Arsenic exposure and type 2 diabetes: a systematic review of the experimental and epidemiological evidence. Environ Health Perspect 2006;114:641-648. [abstract] [pdf]

Navas-Acien A, Sharrett AR, Silbergeld EK, Schwartz BS, Nachman KE, Burke TA, Guallar E. Arsenic exposure and cardiovascular disease: a systematic review of the epidemiological evidence. Am J Epidemiol 2005;162:1037-49. [abstract] [pdf]

Navas-Acien A, Silbergeld EK, Sharrett AR, Calderon-Aranda E, Selvin E, Guallar E. Metals in urine and peripheral arterial disease. Environ Health Perspect 2005; 113:164-169. [abstract] [pdf]

Navas-Acien A, Selvin E, Sharrett AR, Calderon-Aranda E, Silbergeld E, Guallar E. Lead, cadmium, smoking, and increased risk of peripheral arterial disease. Circulation 2004;109:3196-3201. [abstract] [pdf]

SECONDHAND TOBACCO SMOKE EXPOSURE

Jones MR, Wipfli H, Shahrir S, Avila-Tang E, Samet JM, Breysse PN, Navas-Acien and the FAMRI Bar Study Investigators. Secondhand tobacco smoke: an occupational hazard for smoking and non-smoking bar and nightclub employees. Tobacco Control. Epub Jan 24 2012.

Apostolou A, Garcia-Esquinas E, Fadrowski JJ, McClain P, Weaver VM, Navas-Acien A. Secondhand tobacco smoke: a source of lead exposure in US children and adolescents. Am J Public Health 2012;102:714-22.

Shahrir S, Wipfli H, Avila-Tang E, Breysse P, Samet J, Navas-Acien A and the FAMRI Bar Study Investigators. Tobacco sales and promotion in bars, cafes and nightclubs from large cities around the world. Tobacco Control 2011;20:285-290.

Jones MR, Navas-Acien A, Yuan J, Breysse PN. Secondhand smoke exposure in motor vehicles. Tobacco Control. [pdf] 2009;18:399-404.

Barnoya J, Mendoza-Montano C, Navas-Acien A. Secondhand smoke exposure in public places in Guatemala: comparison with other Latin American countries. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16:2730-5. [abstract] [pdf]

Stillman F, Navas-Acien A, Ma J, Ma S, Avila-Tang E, Breysse P, Yang G, Samet J. Second-hand tobacco smoke in public places in urban and rural China. Tob Control 2007;16:229-34. [abstract] [pdf]

Navas-Acien A, Peruga A, Breysse P, Zavaleta A, Blanco-Marquizo A, Pitarque R, Acuna M, Jimenez-Reyes K, Colombo VL, Gamarra G, Stillman F, Samet J. Secondhand tobacco smoke in public places in Latin America, 2002-2003. JAMA 2004;291:2741-5. [abstract] [pdf]