PA Environment Digest Blog: Physicians For Social Responsibility-PA Establishes Scientific Advisory Board To Advise The Group On Scientific Issues

On March 19, the Physicians for Social Responsibility-Pennsylvania announced it has established its first Scientific Advisory Board, a multidisciplinary group of scientists, clinicians, and technical experts that will provide independent guidance regarding the scientific foundation of its work.

The organization’s regular board of directors–many of whom are physicians—helps steer the overall direction of PSR PA, while members of the new scientific advisory board can be called upon to advise the group on specific scientific topics.

“The Scientific Advisory Board's expertise is a powerful resource to help us as we continue to launch new programs and advocate for a cleaner, safer environment for communities across Pennsylvania,” said Tonyehn Verkitus, Executive Director of PSR-PA. “At a time when public health research is being challenged by those who prefer to base health policies on political ideology, we are doubling down on science.”

PSR PA works to protect the health of Pennsylvania communities by advancing socially and environmentally just policies.

As environmental health challenges grow more complex, strong scientific guidance is essential to ensure that health advocacy and community action are grounded in the best available evidence.

The Scientific Advisory Board will provide strategic insight on emerging environmental and public health issues and help inform research priorities that support healthier communities across the state.

Most importantly, the Scientific Advisory Board will support PSR PA’s commitment to translating science into action by helping ensure that research findings inform policies and solutions that protect health, advance environmental justice, and empower communities.

The board will serve in an advisory capacity and reflects PSR PA’s commitment to collaboration, scientific rigor, and transparency in advancing a healthier future for Pennsylvania.

Scientific Advisory Board Members

-- Nicole Deziel, PhD, MHS: Dr. Deziel obtained a Master’s of Industrial Hygiene and Doctorate in Environmental Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research is focused on applying statistical models, biomonitoring techniques, and environmental measurements to provide comprehensive and quantitative assessments of exposure to traditional and emerging environmental contaminants in population-based studies. Her research uses a combination of large, administrative datasets and detailed community-focused studies to advance understanding of environmental exposures to chemicals, particularly carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.

-- Megan Hunter, Esq: Ms. Hunter is an Earthjustice Senior Attorney working to stop further oil and gas development in Appalachia and prevent further petrochemical buildout planned for the Ohio River Valley. She has an MS in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University and received her JD and Master of Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law and Graduate School.

-- Clifford Lau, PhD: Dr. Lau is a scientist concerned about the fate of our Spaceship Earth. He earned his PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from The Ohio State University. He has worked as an industrial chemist for 30 years, holding several patents and publishing journal articles on polymer chemistry. He teaches chemistry and environmental science at several local universities and for the past 7 years has been working with environmental groups concerning the petrochemical buildout in Southwestern PA.

-- Lauren Minsky, PhD: Dr. Minsky is on the health studies faculty of Haverford College and is also founder and director of the People's Cancer Incidence Screening Tool. From wheat and rice fields to shale gas wells, incinerators, and data centers, her work centers the relationship between flows of energy and waste and the spatial and social distribution of disease.

-- Pouné Saberi, MD, MHS: Pouné Saberi, MD, MPH is a board-certified physician in occupational and environmental medicine whose work focuses on climate change, environmental exposures, worker health, and environmental justice.

She serves as Occupational and Environmental Medicine Clinical Lead for Veterans Integrated Service Network 4 and as Section Chief of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, where she oversees employee health, environmental medicine exposure consults, and related clinical programs across the region.

Dr. Saberi is also adjunct faculty at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, where she teaches topics including health and climate change.

A longtime leader in Physicians for Social Responsibility, she has served as board president of both the Pennsylvania and National organizations.

Her publications, teaching, and invited presentations have addressed fracking, air pollution, extreme heat, climate-related workplace risks, and the health benefits of clean energy.

Dr. Saberi is also the founder of EnviroMedSphere, an organization that aims to advance education and clinical practice in environmental medicine.

-- John Stolz, PhD: Professor Stolz is an environmental microbiologist with a BS degree in biology from Fordham University and a PhD in microbial ecology and evolution from Boston University.

He was an NRC Post doctoral fellow at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Department of Geology and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, and an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Plant Biology in the Biochemistry Department at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

He joined the faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences at Duquesne University in 1990 and served as Director of the Center for Environmental Research and Education (2009-2024) and interim chair of the Department of Environmental and Energy Engineering in 2025.

Dr. Stolz is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and has published 108 peer-reviewed articles, 48 book chapters, and co-author/edited three books.

-- Kimberly Terrell, PhD: Dr. Terrell is a Research Scientist at Environmental Integrity Project, a non-profit that investigates environmental problems and fights for average people facing David-vs-Goliath odds against industrial polluters.

She provides technical support to communities that are impacted by heavy industry, and her research focuses on racial disparities and health impacts associated with industrial pollution.

Prior to joining EIP, Dr. Terrell was a research scientist at Tulane University’s Environmental Law Clinic.

A recipient of the Columbia Academic Freedom Award and the American Association of Law Schools Pro Bono Award, Dr. Terrell is a nationally recognized researcher who has broad expertise related to environmental health, including air monitoring, epidemiology, and statistics.

Physicians for Social Responsibility-Pennsylvania, founded in 1961, is a public health, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to champion the health of all communities by advocating for socially and environmentally just actions.

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-- DEP Posted 64 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 21 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

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