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)

Perspectives and Needs of Caregivers in Protecting Their Child With Asthma From Wildfire Smoke.
(2026 Apr)
Pediatr Pulmonol 61(4): e71606
Lau JJ, Tokareva K, Cogen JD, Karr CJ, Crocker ME
Indoor and outdoor fine particulate matter and carbon monoxide concentrations in homes of infants in Nairobi, Kenya.
(2026)
PLOS Glob Public Health 6(4): e0006202
Kipter VK, Were FH, Gatari MJ, Zuidema C, Seto EYW, Stampfer OD, Richardson BA, Makau B, Edemba PW, Adhiambo E, Marshall JD, Larson TV, Karr CJ, Maleche-Obimbo E, Benki-Nugent S, Riederer AM
Filtering facepiece respirator use among farm youth in the US: A review.
(2026 Mar)
J Occup Environ Hyg 23(3): 178-190
Gibbs JL, Vollmer B, Sheridan CE, Pinkerton K, Anthony RT, Holm S, Karr C, Proctor A, Swenson A
Association of Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy With Childhood Blood Pressure and Hypertension in the ECHO Cohort.
(2026 Feb 17)
Circulation 153(7): 536-539
Shorey-Kendrick LE, Ladd-Acosta C, Zhao H, Aschner JL, Breton CV, Camargo CA Jr, Cassidy-Bushrow AE, Colicino E, Dabelea D, Dunlop AL, Farzan SF, Ferrara A, Gern JE, Hertz-Picciotto I, Karagas MR, Karr CJ, Lester B, Leve LD, Moore BF, Neiderhiser JM, Oken E, O'Shea TM, Sanderson K, Stanford JB, Trasande L, Weiss ST, Wright RJ, Zhao Q, Zhu Y, McEvoy CT, Spindel ER, ECHO Cohort Consortium
Residential mobility during pregnancy and birth outcomes in the United States: The environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort (2010-2019).
(2026 Mar)
Ann Epidemiol 115(): 15-22
D'Adamo A, Kress AM, Habre R, Towe-Goodman N, Desjardins MR, Alshawabkeh A, Aris IM, Camargo CA Jr, Carroll KN, Cassidy-Bushrow AE, Chu SH, Civil Y, Craft AL, Croen LA, Deoni S, Dsa V, Dunlop AL, Elliott AJ, Ferrara A, Ganiban JM, Ghassabian A, Hartert T, Watts DJ, Karagas MR, Karr CJ, Koinis-Mitchell D, Kramer M, McEvoy CT, Mirzakhani H, O'Connor TG, Perng W, Schmidt RJ, Shah U, Tung I, Wright RJ, Knapp EA, ECHO Cohort Consortium
Show complete publication list