Mia V. Gallo

Dr. Mia Gallo, a research scientist, is the Associate Director for Operations and Research and co-investigator at the Center for the Elimination of Health Disparities (CEMHD) and a senior member of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the State University of New York’s University at Albany.  

She was recently appointed as a committee member on the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology for the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. She also holds a position as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology.  

She has a diverse background in the fields of biological and medical anthropology, epidemiology, and toxicology, and her research incorporates concepts of physical and biomedical anthropology to study the relationship between environmental factors and human health.

With expertise in environmental toxicology and a focus on how pollution affects human populations, Dr. Gallo has been a co-investigator on three U.S. National Institutes of Health funded projects conducted in collaboration with the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation using the principals of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) allowing all stakeholders, including the Tribal Council, the health service providers, and community members, to offer their expertise and partake in the decision-making process.  

Her research began with a focus on the effects of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and heavy metals on children’s growth and development, endocrine disruption, and thyroid function, and has expanded to include women’s reproductive function and the role of persistent organic pollutants in the development of cardiovascular disease and autoimmune diseases.