Audrey Yang

After collaborating with and learning from grassroots organizations dedicated to improving water access, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) in rural regions of Uganda, I developed an unwavering commitment to championing sustainable environmental health practices in underrepresented communities. This passion led me to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) from UCSD, where I sought experiences centered on local and global WaSH issues. This included projects on occupational hazards faced by migrant farmworkers and on the relationship between gender equity and WaSH outcomes.

During my PhD in Environmental Health Sciences, I have studied various environmental exposures in all-woman populations under the guidance of Dr. Melissa Furlong.  I have worked with a large dataset (Az-PEARS) that utilizes innovative methods to measure maternal pesticide exposures, and I am currently investigating biological aging in women firefighters. With my current clinical interest in orthopedic surgery, I hope to study how environmental exposures affect the biological aging of the female musculoskeletal system in the context of reproductive outcomes, such as parity and menopause. 

My current pursuit of a dual MD-PhD degree is driven by my desire to provide the utmost care to my future patients. I firmly believe that environmental health is not just a vital component of medicine; environmental health is the field of medicine. Truly understanding a patient’s needs and developing an appropriate treatment plan requires an understanding of their past, present, and potential environmental exposures. In my future work, I am committed to building the bridge between these two fields.

I am endlessly grateful to my many mentors who continue to encourage and support me throughout all of my endeavors.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2910-2823

Updated: March 2026