Profiles

Dr. Margolis is a chronic disease and environmental epidemiologist, nationally and internationally recognized for her expertise and research on health impacts of climate change-mediated stressors, with a focus on implications for clinical practice and population health, as well as her expertise on children’s environmental health. She has particular expertise on the health effects of heat stress and air pollution, and the pathophysiology/mechanisms and influence of environmental factors on the natural history of chronic diseases (respiratory, cardiovascular, metabolic, immunologic, and neurologic). Prior to and overlapping her UCD Faculty appointment, Dr. Margolis had a distinguished 20-year career as a California State government-based scientist and policy analyst, holding a number of leadership positions. The mission of her current research and its translation is to reduce health and social inequities and tackle ethical issues in local-to-global health, and the challenges of healthcare access that are long-standing and are now being amplified by climate change. Central to the research is conceptualization and implementation of multiple determinants of health/health disparities models that holistically consider biological, environmental, behavioral, and socioeconomic factors at individual- and community-levels and assess vulnerability across the life-span. Dr. Margolis is committed to translating complex interdisciplinary science to actionable knowledge for diverse professional and lay audiences, especially community groups; she shares that knowledge through numerous invited lectures and community engagement.

Dr. Margolis is a dedicated mentor and educator, with a special interest in the integration of clinically-relevant and population health-relevant climate change topics into medical school curricula. Key among her teaching objectives is to foster students’ skills and comfort with systems thinking and collaborating within transdisciplinary/transprofessional teams.