Recent graduates of the PhD in Environmental Health program continue to translate their training into impactful work addressing some of today’s most pressing public health challenges. Dr. Yashan Wang and Dr. Samantha Ammons exemplify how rigorous, interdisciplinary research conducted during doctoral training can inform and shape careers at the forefront of environmental health science and practice.
During her time in the program, Dr. Yashan Wang focused on the intersection of agriculture, infectious disease, and antimicrobial resistance. Her dissertation, Agriculture-driven Human Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance: A One Health Analysis of Bacterial and Fungal Threats, examined how modern agricultural practices contribute to the emergence and spread of resistant pathogens across human, animal, and environmental systems. Through a series of studies integrating genomic and epidemiologic approaches, she investigated zoonotic contributions to Escherichia coli infections and identified environmental reservoirs of antifungal resistance, including triazole-resistant Aspergillus tubingensis in California. Her work, including a recent publication in JAMA Network Open, highlights the growing importance of a One Health framework in understanding and responding to global infectious disease threats.
Now a Postdoctoral Associate at the George Washington University, Dr. Wang is building on this foundation by examining how climate change and agricultural antifungal use are reshaping the epidemiology of pathogenic fungi. Reflecting on her doctoral experience, she points to the program’s emphasis on interdisciplinary training as central to her work. “The PhD in Environmental Health program emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to public health problems,” she notes. “It allowed me to work at the intersection of epidemiology, microbiology, bioinformatics, and environmental science to investigate infectious diseases from multiple perspectives.”
Dr. Samantha Ammons’ doctoral research similarly reflects the breadth of environmental health science, with a focus on cancer epidemiology and environmental exposures. Her dissertation investigated how non-lifestyle environmental factors, such as air pollution and drinking water contaminants, contribute to the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers. Drawing on multiple methodological approaches, including systematic review, meta-analysis, and analyses within large prospective cohorts, her work provides important evidence on environmental determinants of gynecologic cancers.
Throughout her PhD, Dr. Ammons was also a participant in the National Institutes of Health’s Graduate Partnerships Program, conducting research at the National Cancer Institute. Her publications and presentations, including studies on nitrate ingestion from drinking water and long-term air pollution exposure, have contributed to a growing understanding of environmental risk factors for cancer.
Today, Dr. Ammons serves as Director of Research at the nonprofit Cancer Support Community, where she leads patient-centered and psychosocial oncology research. Her work focuses on understanding the experiences of cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers, with particular attention to disparities in access to care and supportive services. Using survey-based and mixed-methods approaches, she translates patient perspectives into insights that inform clinical practice, supportive care delivery, and policy.
Looking back on her time in the program, Dr. Ammons describes it as both challenging and formative. Her doctoral training, combined with her experience at the National Cancer Institute, provided a strong foundation for her current work advancing patient-centered cancer care. She also emphasizes the importance of mentorship and collaboration, encouraging prospective students to seek out opportunities, build supportive networks, and remain connected to the broader impact of their research.
Together, Dr. Wang and Dr. Ammons illustrate how doctoral training in environmental health can prepare researchers to address complex, real-world problems—from antimicrobial resistance to cancer disparities—while bridging disciplines and translating research into meaningful public health impact.