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)

Gestational PFAS concentrations in association with maternal depression and perceived stress during pregnancy and postpartum in the ECHO cohort.
(2025 Oct 1)
Environ Res 286(Pt 3): 122997
Mitro SD, Yang W, Ferrara A, Hedderson MM, Aung M, Suthar H, Raghunathan RS, Zhu Y, Peterson AK, Reynolds M, Kannan K, Oken E, Karagas MR, Hipwell AE, O'Connor TG, Carignan C, Breton CV, Bastain TM, Karr C, Lyall K, Avalos LA, ECHO Cohort Consortium
Barriers and Facilitators to Early-life Wildfire Smoke Protection in a Rural Population: The Role of Community in Research and Public Health Practice.
(2025 Sep 22)
Res Sq
Silva J, Andrade-Torres A, Schuster C, Black J, Tavira J, Yelechin V, Villa A, Tom K, Clark S, Karr CJ, Loftus CT
Wildfire smoke exposure is associated with decreased sperm concentration and total motile sperm count.
(2025 Oct 1)
Fertil Steril
Lindell LX, Holt SK, Petersen E, Gunaje N, Amighi A, Haack A, Bui A, Nasseri R, Crisostomo-Wynne T, Karr CJ, Muller CH, Walsh TJ, Nicholson TM
Associations of maternal blood biomarkers of prenatal APAP exposure with placental gene expression and child attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
(2025 Mar)
Nat Ment Health 3(3): 318-331
Baker BH, Bammler TK, Barrett ES, Bush NR, Collett BR, Derefinko KJ, Enquobahrie DA, Karr CJ, LeWinn KZ, Liu J, Loftus CT, MacDonald JW, Swan SH, Zhao Q, Paquette AG, Sathyanarayana S
Air pollution exposures and adverse childhood experiences in relation to sleep health in middle childhood.
(2025 Aug)
Int J Hyg Environ Health 269(): 114638
Hash JB, Dearborn LC, Loftus CT, Karr CJ, Szpiro AA, Barrett ES, LeWinn KZ, Nguyen R, Moore PE, Collett B, Noroña-Zhou AN, Bush NR, Sathyanarayana S
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