Associate Specialist
rhweldon@hawaii.edu | (808) 956-5775 | Biomed D-104U
Academic Degrees
- PhD (Environmental Health Sciences), University of California, Berkeley
- MPH (Environmental Health Sciences), University of California, Berkeley
- BA (Human Biodynamics), University of California, Berkeley
Research Interests
My research interests and expertise are in exposure assessment and environmental epidemiology with particular focus on children and male and female reproduction. During my career in public health I have worked on various large-scale, federally-funded studies to assess associations between chemical exposures, including pesticides, benzene, PFAS, persistent organic pollutants, and phthalates, and health outcomes. My recent work at the University of Hawai‘i has included a needs assessment project with the Hawai‘i Department of Education to address student health needs in Hawai‘i public schools so that students have the best chance at success. My current projects include examining restricted use pesticide data across the state, health effects from the Maui wildfires, and the Red Hill water crisis of 2021. As the Director of the Red Hill Registry, I provide strategic leadership of multiple University of Hawai‘i units and external partners in the successful operation of the Registry.
Selected Publications
Phillips MM, Weldon RH, Maniar A, Patil U, Kostareva U, Agner J, Finn J, Sentell T. Social Networks, Health Information Sharing, and Pandemic Perceptions among Young Adults in Hawai’i during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 15;19(24):16833. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416833. PMID: 36554713; PMCID: PMC9779529.
Mondal, D, Weldon RH, Armstrong B, Gibson L, Lopez-Espinosa MJ, Shin HM, Fletcher T. Breast-feeding: a potential excretion route for mothers and implications for infant exposure to Perfluoroalkyl acids. Environmental Health Perspectives February 2014. 122(2):187-92. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1306613. Epub 2013 Nov 26. PMID: 24280536
Schmid, TE, Grant PG, Marchetti F, Weldon RH, Eskenazi B, and Wyrobek AJ. Elemental composition of human semen is associated with semen quality and genomic sperm defects among older men. Human Reproduction. January 2013. 28(1). doi:10.1093/humrep/des321.
Schmid , TE, Eskenazi B, Marchetti F, Young S, Weldon RH, Baumgartner A, Anderson D, Wyrobek AJ. Micronutrients intake is associated with improved sperm DNA quality in older men. Fertility & Sterility. November 2012. 98(5):1130-1137. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2012.07.1126.
Ji, Z, Weldon RH, Marchetti F, Chen H, Li G, Xing C, Kurtovich E, Young S, Schmid TE, Waidyanatha S, Rappaport SM, Zhang L, Eskenazi B. Comparison of aneuploidies of chromosomes 21, X, and Y in the blood lymphocytes and sperm cells of workers exposed to benzene. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis, Apr 2012. 53(3):218-26. doi: 10.1002/em.21683.
Marchetti, F, Eskenazi B, Weldon RH, Li G, Zhang L, Rappaport SM, Schmid TE, Xing C, Kurtovich E, and Wyrobek AJ. Occupational exposure to benzene and chromosomal structural aberrations in the sperm of Chinese men. Environmental Health Perspectives, Feb 2012. 120(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1103921.
Weldon, RH, Barr DB, Trujillo C, Bradman A, Holland N, and Eskenazi B. Pesticides and PCBs detected in the milk of women residing in urban and agricultural communities of California. Journal of Environmental Monitoring. Oct 2011. 13: p. 3136. doi 10.1039/C1EM10469A.
Weldon, RH, Webster M, Harley KG, Bradman A, Fenster L, Davis MD, Hubbard A, Barr DB, Holland N, and Eskenazi B. Serum persistent organic pollutants and duration of lactation among Mexican-American women, Journal of Environmental and Public Health, Volume 2010, Article ID 861757, 11 pages.
Xing, C, Marchetti F, Li G, Weldon RH, Kurtovich E, Young S, Schmid TE, Zhang L, Rappaport S, Waidyanatha S, Wyrobek AJ, Eskenazi B. Benzene exposure near the US permissible limit is associated with sperm aneuploidy. Environmental Health Perspectives, Jun 2010. 118(6): p. 833–839.
