NCID-0923
Adrienne Katner
Associate Professor
Louisiana State University School of Public Health
About
Dr. Adrienne Katner is an Associate Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health. Her academic training spans the fields of public health and environmental engineering. Dr. Katner has worked at the intersection of science and policy with the municipalities of New Orleans, LA, Tampa, FL, Jackson, MS, as well as with the NAACP and the RAND Corporation, to build the evidence base that stakeholders need to inform their interventions, policies, practices and planning. Dr. Katner's work has been highlighted in over 20 national media stories (including NBC, CBS, CNN, NPR, and PBS) and more than 50 local news stories. Her outreach and ongoing assistance to low-income and minority communities was recognized by local non-profits with a "Katrina Award for Environmental Justice"; a "Community Angel" award; and a "Community Hero" award. She is an elected member of the Delta Omega Public Health Honorary Society.
Current Work
Dr. Katner's research focuses on exposures to heavy metals in drinking water from corroding drinking water infrastructure; flood preparedness and recovery in well-reliant communities; efficacy of regulatory, technical and educational interventions to reduce exposures to water contaminants; and cumulative health risks faced by fence line communities from both industry- and transportation-associated pollutants. Her work throughout Louisiana raised awareness of inequitable access to clean drinking water in rural communities which is further aggravated by climate change; problems with regulatory water sampling practices, state oversight, and federal rules; and disproportionate environmental burdens borne by minority communities whose neighborhoods were selected for industry and highway development. Dr. Katner involves students at all levels from Elementary to Graduate schools to increase student interest in citizen science and participation in public discourse and policy development.