Ana Navas-Acien

Last updated
Ana Navas-Acien
Born
Almería
Alma mater University of Granada
Johns Hopkins University
Scientific career
Institutions Hospital Universitario La Paz
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins University
Thesis A prospective study of low arsenic exposure, type 2 diabetes and fatal myocardial infarction in Washington County, Maryland  (2005)

Ana Navas-Acien is a Spanish physician-epidemiologist who is the Leon Hess Professor and Chair of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. She looks to improve the quality of drinking water for American Indian communities.

Contents

Early life and education

Navas-Acien grew up in Almería, a desert-like part of Spain with scarce access to drinking water. Her parents relied on aljibe, a rainwater collection system. [1] She earned her undergraduate degree in medicine at the University of Granada.[ citation needed ] She moved to the Hospital Universitario La Paz for her specialty training, and eventually to Johns Hopkins University for a doctoral degree. In Madrid, she became interested in environmental risk and how to support communities. [1] Her doctorate focused on arsenic exposure and how it impacts public health, specifically type 2 diabetes and myocardial infarction. [2] As a doctoral researcher she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. [3]

Research and career

Navas-Acien works on environmental exposures, molecular pathways and effective interventions for improving public health. [4] She has studied risk factors for cardiovascular and kidney disease in minority communities. She has explained that exposures to metals is commonplace in everyday society, [5] and whilst some are essential for physiological functioning, some are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. [1] Navas-Acien has explored concentrations of arsenic in American drinking water, and showed the contaminant was present in significant amounts in Hispanic communities and in the Southwest. [6] She has shown that arsenic contamination is linked to the development of type 1 diabetes. [7]

In 2016, Navas-Acien joined the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. [5] She was appointed by Joe Biden to serve on the National Cancer Institute Advisory Board in 2023.[ citation needed ] That year she was named the Senior Mentor of the Year by the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. [8] She was named the Leon Hess Professor in 2024. [9] In April 2025, she joined a group of environmental health scientists to launch an educational video series about why environmental health is important for everyone's lives. [10] [11]

Selected publications

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Scientific journeys: From preventive medicine to environmental health sciences". National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  2. ↑ "A prospective study of low arsenic exposure, type 2 diabetes and fatal myocardial infarction in Washington County, Maryland | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  3. ↑ "Ana Navas-Acien, MD, PhD, MPH". Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  4. ↑ "Ana Navas-Acien | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health". publichealth.jhu.edu. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  5. 1 2 Wilke, Carolyn (2025-01-07). "Heavy Metal". Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  6. ↑ "Study Uncovers Hotspots of Arsenic in Drinking Water". Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  7. ↑ "Link Between Arsenic Exposure and a Cause of Type 1 Diabetes". Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. 2016-11-11. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  8. ↑ "Mentor of the Year Award". Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  9. ↑ "Ana Navas-Acien Is Named Next Chair of Environmental Health Sciences". Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. 2024-03-11. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  10. ↑ "Environmental Health Scientists at Leading Universities Launch Video Series". Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. 2025-04-22. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  11. ↑ "Environmental Health Works (#EHWorks)". YouTube. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
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