I am a professor in the Department of Public Health in the School of Applied Sciences at the University of Mississippi. I am a community-based/field-based researcher using diverse equipment and technology.
Research Interests
- Exposure to air pollution (coal ash, particulate matter) collected by PMIs on polycarbonate filters in the homes of children with several associated health outcomes
- Heavy metals analyzed by ICP-MS from biomarkers (toenails) and children’s neurobehavioral conditions
- Multiple air pollutants and metals exposure on children’s mental health
- Cognitive and neurobehavioral conditions from lead exposure
- Alternative tobacco products, behaviors, and health outcomes in youth
- Tap water and surface water sampling in communities living near farmlands
Biography
Dr. Kristina Zierold is a professor in the Department of Public Health in the School of Applied Sciences at the University of Mississippi. I earned a PhD in epidemiology and environmental health sciences from the University of Illinois School of Public Health and an MS in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University. Upon finishing my PhDs, I was selected into a prestigious CDC fellowship program called the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS). The EIS is a two year applied epidemiology program that is purposely designed to utilize public health methods for real-world situations throughout the world. This fellowship paved the way for the methods I utilize in my research.
Education
Ph.D. Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago (2001)
M.S. Chemical Engineering, Vanderbilt University (1996)
B.S. Chemical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1994)