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Chalupka named a Visiting Scientist at the Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies

Continuing her work to prevent health risks to children and the underserved, Dr. Stephanie M. Chalupka (Nursing) has been named a Visiting Scientist at the Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies and the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment (MACCHE [1]).  The Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment is one of ten Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU [2]s) in the U.S., The Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment serves Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs) are a source of medical information and advice on environmental conditions that influence reproductive and children’s health. PEHSUs are academically based, typically at university medical centers, and are located across the United States and Canada. These PEHSU form a network that is capable of responding to requests for information throughout North America and offering advice on prevention, diagnosis, management, and treatment of environmentally-related health effects in children.

Environmental factors have a variety of impacts on the health of children and reproductive age adults, therefore, the PEHSU network has experts in pediatrics, allergy/immunology, neurodevelopment, toxicology, occupational and environmental medicine, nursing, reproductive health and other specialized areas.  Dr. Chalupka specializes in children’s and reproductive environmental health.

Dr. Chalupka is a professor of Nursing at Worcester State University. She also holds an appointment as a Visiting Scientist [3] in Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Chalupka was honored earlier this year by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the American Nurses Foundation with the 2018 Certified Nurse Award [4] for Public Health Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Prior to joining the faculty a Worcester State University, she was a Professor of Nursing and Director of the Undergraduate Nursing Program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Dr. Chalupka also served as the Associate Director, Center for Health and Disease Research/Division of Preventative Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Dr. Chalupka has worked for more than two decades to reduce and prevent harmful exposures and health risks to children and underserved, disproportionately impacted low income, minority, and tribal communities, and support community efforts to build healthy, sustainable green neighborhoods. She was the recipient of the 2004 University of Massachusetts President’s Award for Public Service in recognition of her work with refugee and immigrant populations.

Dr. Chalupka is the author of over 100 publications in environmental and occupational health. She has presented papers on environmental health at numerous national and international nursing, occupational health, and public health conferences.