Jalonne White-Newsome

Jalonne White-Newsome, PhD

Jalonne White-Newsome

Ph.D.

Professorial Lecturer

Part-time Faculty


School: Milken Institute School of Public Health

Department: Environmental and Occupational Health

Dr. Jalonne L. White-Newsome is currently an Environmental Justice Policy Analyst for WE ACT for Environmental Justice, a Harlem, New York community-based environmental advocacy group, with a new office in Washington, D.C. She was the inaugural post-doctoral Kendall Fellow in Climate change and Public Health with the Union of Concerned Scientists, also in DC, where she is still conducting her research on understanding local adaptation to extreme heat events, and assisting with media and outreach on climate change and public health issues. Her dissertation, from the University of Michigan School of Public Health - Environmental Health Sciences Department, focused on understanding exposures, vulnerability and behaviors during heat waves. Always possessing a passion for people and the environment, Dr. White-Newsome has had a variety of professional experiences, in the private, government and non-profit sector. A native Detroiter, Dr. White-Newsome's main objective is to ensure that everyone - regardless of race, income or geography - has the right to live in a healthy, safe environment.


Bachelor of Science (Chemical Engineering), Northwestern University, 1999
Master of Science (Environmental Engineering), Southern Methodist University, 2003
Doctor of Philosophy (Environmental Health Sciences), University of Michigan, 2011

Dr. White-Newsome's research interests include studying how vulnerable populations are impacted by extreme heat events, including the costs and benefits of community level adaptation practices. She has conducted both quantitative and qualitative research, using survey methodology, epidemiological methods and GIS.

  • Climate change and health: indoor heat exposure in vulnerable populations
    White-Newsome JL, Sanchez BN, Jolliet O, Zhang Z, Parker EA, Dvonch JT, O'Neill MS. 2011. Climate change and health: indoor heat exposure in vulnerable populations. Environ. Res. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2011.10.008.
  • Assessing heat-adaptive behaviors among older, urban-dwelling adults
    White-Newsome JL, Sanchez BN, Parker EA, Dvonch JT, Zhang Z, O'Neill MS. 2011. Assessing heat-adaptive behaviors among older, urban-dwelling adults. Maturitas, 70:85-91.
  • Geostatistical exploration of spatial variation of summertime temperatures in the Detroit metropolitan area
    Zhang K., Oswald E., Brown DG, Brines SJ, Gronlund CJ, White-Newsome JL, Rood RB, O'Neill MS. Geostatistical exploration of spatial variation of summertime temperatures in the Detroit metropolitan area. Environmental Research, Volume 111, Issue 8, November 2011, Pages 1046-1053.
  • Preventing cold-related morbidity and mortality in a changing climate
    Conlon KC, Rajkovich NB, White-Newsome JL, Larsen L, O'Neill MS. Preventing cold-related morbidity and mortality in a changing climate. (2011) Maturitas. 69 (3): 197-202.