Faculty

Catherine Karr

Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology
Professor, Pediatrics - General Pediatrics
Professor, Env. and Occ. Health Sciences
Director of the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, Env. and Occ. Health Sciences

206-616-4355

Education

PhD Epidemiology, University of Washington, 2004
MD Medicine, University of Washington, 1999
MS Toxicology, University of Washington, 1989

Contact

206-616-4355

UW DEOHS, 4225 Roosevelt Way NE, Suite 301
Seattle, WA 98105

Bio

Catherine Karr MD PhD (she/her) is an environmental epidemiologist and pediatric environmental medicine specialist. She has a primary appointment in the University of Washington Department of Pediatrics, Joint in Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, and Adjunct in Epidemiology. Her studies focus largely on low resourced communities in the U.S. as well as other low and middle income nations (Kenya). Her work represents methods comprising merging of large datasets on environmental factors and pediatric health outcomes as well as small in depth research using community engaged research practice. Indoor and outdoor air pollution, lead and pesticide exposures are focus areas of her expertise. She also maintains a general pediatric practice at the UW Pediatric Clinic at Roosevelt and directs a UW based regional outreach and consultation service, the NW Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU).

Research Areas

Research Interests

Clean Air, Clean Water, Sustainable Communities, Agricultural health and safety, Chemical hazards, Children's Health, Community-engaged Research, Environmental Health, Environmental Justice, Pesticides, Pollution, Wildfires

DEOHS Biography

Recent Publications (PubMed)

Pre- and postnatal exposure to PM(2.5) and NO(2) and blood pressure in children: Results from the ECHO Cohort.
(2025 Dec 23)
Environ Res 292(): 123529
Ni Y, Law A, Gao X, Szpiro AA, Loftus CT, Jones M, Dearborn LC, Hazlehurst MF, Sherris AR, Ilango S, LeWinn KZ, Bush NR, Zhao Q, Trasande L, Flynn JT, Enquobahrie DA, Nguyen RHN, O'Connor T, Vyas AK, Zhang M, Mirzakhani H, Hipwell A, Starling A, Peterson AK, Ghassabian A, Ferrara A, Aschner J, Collingwood S, Karagas MR, Katzow M, Stroustrup A, Haktnair M, Hartert TV, Snyder BM, Jan S, Singh AM, Dabelea D, Malek AM, Straughen JK, Camargo CA Jr, Buxton MA, Wright R, Carroll K, Sanderson K, Mitchell DK, D'Sa V, Hockett C, Dunlop AL, Farzen SF, Mumford SL, Alshawabkeh AN, Santos HP Jr, Zhang X, Niu Z, Ji N, Breton C, Liang D, Karr CJ, ECHO Cohort Consortium
Gestational fine particulate matter exposure and perinatal outcomes in the ECHO cohort: Associations across pregnancy windows.
(2025 Dec 22)
Environ Res 292(): 123587
Nzegwu AW, Dickerson AS, Miller K, Szpiro A, Hipwell AE, Elliot AJ, Padula AM, Dunlop AL, Starling AP, Ferrara A, Breton CV, Loftus CT, McEvoy CT, Dabelea D, Koinis-Mitchell D, Liang D, Oken E, Barrett ES, Volk H, Gern JE, Stanford JB, Herbstman JB, Wu J, Lyall K, Trasande L, Leve LD, Karagas MR, Pini N, Wright RJ, Nguyen RHN, Schantz SL, O'Connor TG, Sathyanarayana S, Karr CJ, Enquobahrie DA, ECHO Cohort Consortium
Educational attainment and self-reported environmental exposures of pregnant women living in Nairobi, Kenya.
(2025)
PLOS Glob Public Health 5(11): e0005453
Zuidema C, Edemba PW, Riederer AM, Kipter VK, Sherris AR, Olweywe L, Adhiambo J, Isavwa B, Wetzler EA, Richardson BA, Kinuthia J, Gatari MJ, Maleche-Obimbo E, Seto E, Karr CJ, Benki-Nugent S, Were FH
Wildfire-specific fine particulate matter and preterm birth: a US ECHO Cohort analysis.
(2025 Dec)
Lancet Planet Health 9(12): 101324
Sherris AR, Dearborn LC, Goin DE, Loftus CT, Szpiro AA, Casey JA, Ilango SD, Angal J, Bennett DH, Buxton MA, Camargo CA Jr, Carroll KN, Childs ML, Cioffi C, Croen LA, Dabelea D, Eick SM, Farzan SF, Ferrara A, Garcia E, Gemmill A, Gilliland F, Habre R, Hertz-Picciotto I, Hipwell AE, Hirtz D, Karagas MR, Koinis-Mitchell D, Kress AM, Leve LD, Liang D, Lyall K, McCormack LA, McEvoy CT, Mirzakhani H, Morello-Frosch R, Niu Z, O'Connor TG, Peterson AK, Schmidt RJ, Karr CJ, Padula AM, ECHO Cohort Consortium
Prenatal exposure to environmental phenolic compounds and their association with childhood atopic dermatitis, asthma, and allergic rhinitis in the ECHO cohort.
(2025 Nov)
Environ Int 205(): 109883
Miller RL, Wang Y, Aalborg J, Alshawabkeh AN, Braun JM, Breton CV, Carignan CC, Dabelea D, Dunlop AL, Ferrara A, Gao G, Gaylord A, Geiger SD, Gold DR, Abul MH, Hartert TV, Herbstman J, Hoepner LA, Karagas MR, Karr CJ, Kelly RS, Khatchikian CE, Liu M, Lyall K, Meeker JD, Morello-Frosch R, O'Connor TG, Oh J, Sathyanarayana S, Sordillo JE, Trasande L, Woodruff TJ, ECHO Cohort Consortium
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