People

Principal Investigator

Sung Kyun Park, Sc.D., M.P.H.

Sung Kyun is Professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and Affiliate Faculty of the Kresge Hearing Research Institute at Michigan Medicine. He is a Co-Director of the Integrated Health Science Core of the Michigan Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease (M-LEEaD). He is also a core faculty of the Center for Lifecourse Epidemiology and Aging Research (CLEAR). He received his M.P.H in Environmental Health from Seoul National University in 2000 and a doctoral degree (Sc.D.) in Environmental Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2005. Since he joined as the core faculty of the Center for Midlife Science, the predecessor to CLEAR, Sung Kyun founded his research team, the Michigan Multi-Pollutant Epidemiology Group (MPEG) that focuses on health effects of various environmental pollutant exposures, such as air pollution, heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants (e.g., PFAS), and non-persistent chemicals (e.g., phenols, parabens and phthalates), through four NIH-funded R01 projects (SWAN Multi-Pollutant Study and the Study of the Environment and Alzheimer's Disease and related Dementia (SEAD)).

Research Staff

Victoria Zhang, M.P.H

Victoria is a data analyst in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She received her MPH in General Epidemiology from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2023. Her research focuses on the effects of environmental chemicals on women's health during midlife, particularly examining how these exposures may influence chronic disease risk and other health outcomes.

Email: wenzhiyz@umich.edu

Erika Walker

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Postdoctoral Fellows

Heeseon Jang, Ph.D.

Heeseon Jang is a Research Assistant Professor at Yonsei University College of Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in Public Health from Yonsei University in 2021, specializing in Epidemiology. Her research primarily investigates the effects of environmental risk factors, such as air pollution, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), on brain health across the continuum from preclinical to clinical stages, encompassing structural brain changes (e.g., morphology) and neurodegenerative processes. She also examines the impact of environmental exposures on women's health, particularly during midlife.

Email: heeseon@umich.edu

Steve Broll

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Email: sbroll@umich.edu

Ph.D. Students

Jiaxin Wu, M.P.H.

Jiaxin is a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She received her M.P.H. in General Epidemiology from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2023. Her research primarily focuses on the potential impacts of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on women's health, particularly during midlife. Additionally, she explores the roles of social determinents may play in such associations.

Email: jiaxinw@umich.edu

Laura Arboleda-Merino, M.P.H.

Laura is a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She received her MPH in Global Health Epidemiology from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2017. Laura's research is driven by a commitment to understanding and addressing health disparities throughout the lifecourse, with a special focus on aging populations. Currently, her work centers on exploring the ways in which social vulnerability influences the relationship between neurotoxic heavy metal exposures, such as cadmium, and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD).

Email: larb@umich.edu
Laura's Google Scholar

Ben Kessler, MPH

Ben is a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He received his MPH in Environmental Health Epidemiology at the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health in 2024. His research investigates the effects of environmental mixtures on metabolic health in order to contribute to precision medicine and public health. This molecular epidemiologic work spans exposomics, longitudinal untargeted metabolomics, high-dimensional mediation analysis, and prediction modeling.

Email: bekessle@umich.edu

Rachael Brooks, MPH

Rachael is a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She received her MPH in Global Health Epidemiology from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2024. Her research examines the impacts of endocrine disrupting chemicals on women's health outcomes during midlife and cognitive outcomes as women age.

Email: rachabr@umich.edu

Masters Students

Tristan Cruz

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Ella Stage

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Undergraduate Students

Visiting Scholars

Yoon-Hyeong Choi, Ph.D.

Professor, School of Health and Environmental Science, College of Health Science, Korea University

Email: yoonchoi@umich.edu

2026 ISEE, Munich, Germany

MPEG 2026 celebration, April 2026

End of year celebration, Dec 2025

Wayne State CURES Symposium, Nov 2025

Walker lab visit (Emory), Aug 2025

2025 ISEE, Atlanta, USA

MPEG Summer party, July 2025

2025 SER, Boston, USA

Laura's Rising Star award, Apr 2025

OEE Social, Feb 2025

Environ Affinity group 2025

End of year celebration, Dec 2024

MPEG 2024 kickoff, Oct 2024

2024 ISEE, Santiago, Chile

MPEG celebration, May 2024

Epid vs Biostat cornhole, April 2024

Yanelli's defense, April 2024

UMAging Symposium, March 2024

Amelia Grant-Alfieri's defense, April 2023

Epidemiology Poster Day, Nov 2022

2022 ISEE, Athens, Greece

MPEG picnic, August 2022

MPEG picnic, July 2021

Ning Ding's defense, Feb 2020

2019 ISEE, Utrecht, the Netherlands

OEE Picnic, Sep 2019

2019 SPH graduation

OEE graduation party, 2019

2018 End of year dinner

Exposome Symposium, New York, Nov 2018

2018 ISEE, Ottawa, Canada

Weiye Wang's defense August, 2018

2017 ISEE, Sydney, Australia

NIEHS Mixture Workshop, July, 2015

OEE Social, Nov 2015

OEE Picnic, June 2015

MPEG, May 2015

Alumni

Postdoctoral Fellows

Yanelli Carmona, Ph.D., Cadmium and incident Alzheimer's disease and dementia, 2024-2026.
Sung-Hee Seo, Ph.D., Dialkyl phosphate exposure assessment, 2022-2023.
Habyeong King, Ph.D., Epidemiologic research of PFAS and metals. 2020-2022.
Ning Ding, Ph.D., PFAS and Reproductive and Metabolic Outcomes in the SWAN. 2020-2022.
Seulbi Lee, Ph.D., Phenols and Parabens and Metabolic Outcomes in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). 2019-2021.
Sunghee Lee, Ph.D., Mercury and Hypertension. 2011-2012.
Aimin Zhang, M.D., Cumulative Lead Exposure, Genes and Cardiovascular Disease. 2008-2011.

Doctoral Students

Yanelli Carmona, Nutrition and Epidemiology (UM SPH), “Exploring the interactions between metal and dietary exposures on inflammatory biomarkers and telomere length: Insights from Mexican adolescent and US adult populations” Co-Chair (w/ Baylin), 2022-2024.
Amelia Grant-Alfieri, EHS (UM SPH), “Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Development of Type 2 Diabetes in Midlife Women” Co-Chair (w/ Batterman), 2019-2023.
Mia Peng, Epidemiology (UM SPH), "Phthalates and Obesity: Examining the Metabolism-Disrupting Chemical Hypothesis in Midlife Women", Chair 2018-2022.
Ning Ding, Epidemiology (UM SPH), “Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Women’s Health: A Possible Etiology for Earlier Menopause and Accelerated Reproductive Aging”, Chair, 2016-2020.
Xin Wang, Epidemiology (UM SPH), “Urinary Metals and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus”, Chair, 2016-2020.
Weiye Wang, Epidemiology (UM SPH), “Associations of Environmental Risk Factors with Age-related Cataract and Glaucoma”, Chair, 2014-2018.
Zishaan Farooqui, EHS (UM SPH), “Lead and Alzheimer’s Disease: Gene-Environment Interaction”, Co-Chair (w/ Dr. Dana Dolinoy), 2012-2015.
Min A Jhun, Epidemiology (UM SPH), “Effects of Gene by Environment Interaction on Pulse Pressure and Coronary Artery Calcification”, Co-Chair (w/ Dr. Pat Peyser), 2012-2015.
Yoon-Hyeong Choi, EHS (UM SPH), 'Noise- and Metals-induced Hearing Loss', Co-Chair (w/ Dr. Howard Hu), 2007-2011.

Masters Students

Andrew Hoover, EHS, MS thesis chair, 2023-2025. 'Associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) perceptions and PFAS-related consumer behaviors across university students and Facebook users in five Michigan communities'
Emily Zheutlin, EHS, MS thesis chair, 2020-2021.
Josh Bosman, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2021
Nivea Brown, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2021
Peidi Zhou, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2021
Wan-Chi Chen, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2020
Chunyu Guo, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2020
Jinru Li, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2020
Inkyu Park, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2020
Ruochen Wang, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2020
Jarrod Eaton, EPID (Global Health Epidemiology), 2019
Gaorui (Gary) Guo, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2019
Dehua Han, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2019
Madeline Levasseur, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2019
Keith Murphy, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2019
Xiaoran Yang, EPID (Global Health Epidemiology), 2019
Alex Zheutlin, MS in Clinical Research (MSCR), ‘Cumulative lead and resistant hypertension’, 2017-2018.
Weiya Xu, EPID (OEE), 2018.
Jelena Verkler, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2018.
Douglas Kim, EPID (OEE), 2017.
Ning Ding, EPID (EMA), 2016.
Xin Wang, EPID (EMA), 2016.
Yiqing Qian, EPID (Global Health Epidemiology), 2016
Xiaoxu Chen, EPID (OEE), 2015
Ye Yuan, EPID (OEE), 2015.
Qing Peng, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2014.
Weiye Wang, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2014.
Manpreet Kaur, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2014.
Samantha Louzon, EPID (OEE), 2013.
Julie Longo, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2013.
Alyssa Yang, EPID (OEE), 2013.
Travis Hughes, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2013.
Erin Wickerham, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2012
Zeeshan Ahmad, EPID (Hospital Molecular Epidemiology), 2012.
Glendale Lim, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2012.
Jannet Park, EPID (General Epidemiology), 2012.
Yun-Yun Jiang, EHS (Human Nutrition), masters thesis committee member, 2010-2011.
Yu-Han Huang, EHS (Human Nutrition), masters thesis committee member, 2010-2011.
Stacy Endres, EHS (OEE), Capstone advisor, 2010.
Monica Silver, EHS (OEE), Capstone advisor, 2010.
Hua Zhong, EHS (OEE), Capstone advisor, 2008.
Pheba Alexander, EHS (OEE), Capstone advisor, 2007.
Brad Lampe, EHS (OEE), Capstone advisor, 2007.
Troy Meisner, EHS (OEE), Capstone advisor, 2007.

Undergraduate Students

Jessica Hsu, 'Perception and behavior of personal care product use in college students'
Alex Zheutlin, Honors Thesis, ‘Carbon Dioxide emission and Obesity and Type-2 diabetes in US’, 2012-2014.

Visiting Scholars

Byungmi Kim, PhD. 'PFAS and incident breast cancer in SWAN', 2025-2026.
Kyeongmin Kwak, M.D., Ph.D. 'Pollutant mixtures and oxidative stress and cardiovascular endpoints', 2024-2025.
Sinhye Kim, MD, PhD. ‘Environmental exposure and obesity in children’, 2021-2022.
Sundong Lee, Ph.D., ‘Cardiovascular effects of heavy metals: KNHANES’, 2009-2010.
Seung-Baik Han, M.D, ‘Air pollution and emergency room visit’, 2007.

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