Misti Levy Zamora

Research Area(s) of Interest: Environmental Health & Engineering

Dr. Levy Zamora’s research interests are to investigate how modifiable factors, such as commute mode, exercise habits, or home address, influence personal exposures to ambient and indoor pollutants and the severity of subsequent health effects. Exposures between individuals often exhibit substantial variability since they can be strongly influenced by personal choices. I am chiefly interested in identifying effective ways individuals can reduce their exposure to pollution sources in order to prevent and/or mitigate negative health effects. Knowledge about what choices are most impactful will enable individuals to make lifestyle choices that can meaningfully reduce  their exposures. I am currently focusing on traffic-related air pollution (TRAP), which is a complex mixture of particulate and gaseous pollutants that vary spatially and temporally in an urban environment. There is increasing evidence that TRAP inflicts a broad range of deleterious health effects on both health-compromised and healthy individuals. I am also exploring how employing novel low-cost technology can lead to improved exposure estimates to traffic-related air pollution and inform how individuals can make realistic decisions to reduce their exposures. She is currently conducting a NIEHS funded study entitled, “Effects of Transportation Choices on Commuter Health (ETCH): Impacts of modifiable factors on personal exposures and acute health”. ​