Faculty Spotlight: Lesliam Quirós-Alcalá
Before joining EHE, Lesliam Quirós-Alcalá was faculty at the University of Maryland's Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health Department.
Meet Lesliam Quirós-Alcalá
Hometown: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Fun fact: Forget beaches! One summer, my office was a steel platform miles out at sea. I lived and worked on offshore oil rigs, monitoring occupational hazards. Imagine trading your commute for a helicopter or boat ride, and spending your days ensuring worker safety amidst the ocean—not your average summer intern job! I'm grateful to have had that amazing experience!
What are your research and teaching interests?
My work focuses on protecting vulnerable populations, particularly children, women, and occupational populations from historically understudied backgrounds. In my line of work on children’s environmental health, I focus on how chemical exposures from everyday consumer products or in the environment impact health, including exacerbating pre-existing conditions like asthma among children of color in low-income communities, neurodevelopment, and other adverse health outcomes. I also study how chemical exposures at the workplace can impact health, including among and other worker populations in the U.S. and Latin America.
Why is this work important?
This work is crucial as it is being conducted in historically understudied and underrepresented populations in public health. Findings from this work will help inform public policies to protect the health of the most vulnerable and improve resilience of vulnerable communities while advancing health equity and work towards disease prevention. This work is also critical for safeguarding future generations and promoting environmental justice, making it an exciting and impactful field with far-reaching consequences for vulnerable communities not only in our nation, but also globally.
"I am continually challenged and never bored, while also making a meaningful impact on vulnerable populations."
Why did you choose this field?
I chose this field because I want to make a difference and address environmental health disparities. This field offers me the chance to engage in a dynamic and diverse environment, ensuring that I am continually challenged and never bored, while also making a meaningful impact on vulnerable populations.
Tell us about something you’re proud of accomplishing.
In 2019, I was recognized with the , which recognizes outstanding contributions to the science of human exposure analysis by a young scientist.
What drew you to EHE?
The opportunity to work alongside brilliant minds in science and the community across diverse fields.
What’s something your colleagues/students might be surprised to learn about you?
I lived in Venezuela for seven years while growing up and loved it! I got to travel all over the country with my family, including visiting picturesque and beautiful mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and the jungle.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I like dancing, Latin music, and hiking.
Environmental Health and Engineering is a cross-divisional department spanning the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Whiting School of Engineering. This hybrid department is uniquely designed to lead pioneering research and prepare the next generation of scholars and professionals to solve critical and complex environmental issues. Learn more about our  programs.