Back to top

Photograph of Gabriella Meltzer

View CV (PDF)

Gabriella Meltzer Joint Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science & Heath Studies CAS | Environmental Science

Additional Positions at AU
Assistant Professor in Department of Health Studies
Degrees
Post-Doc, The Collaborative for Women's Environmental Health, Columbia University

Post-Doc, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences T32 Combined Training Program, Columbia University

PhD, Public Health, New York University

BA, Health and Societies, University of Pennsylvania

Favorite Spot on Campus
Bridge Café
Bio
Dr. Gabriella Meltzer is an assistant professor with joint appointments in the Departments of Environmental Science and Health Studies at American University. An environmental epidemiologist by training, Dr. Meltzer’s research primarily examines how exposures related to climate change and other disasters influence health disparities at critical and sensitive periods of the life course, including pregnancy/in utero, infancy and childhood, adolescence, and older adulthood. She tackles these questions using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods and approaches her work through the lenses of environmental justice and community engagement. At AU, she directs the Climate Change, Health Inequities, and Life Course Lab (CHILL). Dr. Meltzer is passionate about teaching and mentoring the next generation of environmental health researchers and advocates.

Prior to arriving at AU, Dr. Meltzer was a postdoctoral research scientist at the Columbia University Collaborative for Women’s Environmental Health. She holds a PhD in public health from New York University’s School of Global Public Health, where she was trained in the Center for Public Health Disaster Science. She then completed NIEHS-funded postdoctoral training in environmental health sciences and epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She received her BA in Health and Societies from the University of Pennsylvania and was a global health research associate at the Council on Foreign Relations.
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request. Explore all AU Faculty Experts in our media guide.

Teaching

Fall 2025

  • ENVS-324 Environmental Health

Partnerships & Affiliations

  • Climate Justice & Health Lab at NYU School of Global Public Health
    Research Affiliate

  • Complex Public Health Disasters Lab at NYU School of Global Public Health
    Research Affiliate

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Selected Publications

Meltzer, G.Y., Anderson, G.B., Xie, X., Casey, J.A., Schwartz, J., Bell, M.L., Ornelas Van Horne, Y., Fox, J., Kioumourtzoglou, M., & Parks, R.M. (2025). Disruption to Test Scores after Hurricanes in the United States. Environmental Research: Health 3: 025003.

Meltzer, G.Y., Factor-Litvak, P., Herbstman, J.B., Wylie, B.J., & Hernández, D. (2024). Indoor Temperature and Energy Insecurity: Implications for Pregnancy Disparities in Extreme Heat Events. Environmental Health Perspectives 132(3).

Meltzer, G.Y. Merdjanoff, A.A., Gershon, R.R., Fothergill, A., Peek, L., & Abramson, D.M. (2024). Adverse effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill amid cumulative disasters: A qualitative analysis of the experiences of children and families. Journal of Child and Family Studies 3: 1995-2011.

Meltzer, G.Y., Merdjanoff, A.A., Xu, S., Gershon, R., Emrich, C., & Abramson, D.M. (2023). Examining the effects of cumulative environmental stressors on Gulf Coast child and adolescent health. Population and Environment 45: 21.

Meltzer, G.Y., Zacher, M., Merdjanoff, A.A., Pham, N.K., Do, M.P., & Abramson, D.M. (2021). The effects of cumulative natural disaster exposure on adolescent psychological distress. Journal of Applied Research on Children 12(1): Article 6.

Finlay, J., Meltzer, G., Cannon, M., & Kobayashi, J. (2021). Aging in Place During a Pandemic: Neighborhood Engagement and Environments Since the COVID-19 Pandemic Onset. The Gerontologist 62(4): 504-518.

Piltch-Loeb, R., Merdjanoff A., & Meltzer, G. (2021). Anticipated mental health consequences of coronavirus in a nationally-representative sample: context, coverage, and economic consequences. Preventive Medicine 145: 106441.