Alexis J. Handal

Dr. Handal’s research interests include environmental and occupational epidemiology, reproductive epidemiology, and child health and development examined within social, political, and economic contexts and in global settings. Her research focuses on marginalized populations who are traditionally underrepresented in research, including Latinx and Indigenous populations in the U.S. and Latin America and those who are most exposed to hazardous work conditions and environmental toxins, such as farmworkers, with a particular focus on women and their children.
Her community-engaged research approach uses a health equity lens focusing on the interconnection between occupational stress, toxic exposures and difficult social environments, in the context of precarious employment, on maternal health and child development. Dr. Handal’s research interests also include examining the health impact of worker’s rights including an examination of worker protection legislation and the impact on pregnant employees, and the impact of occupational stress and gender discrimination on maternal and child health.