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Heather M. Stapleton

Stapleton

Ronie-Richele Garcia-Johnson Distinguished Professor

Professor Heather Stapleton is an environmental chemist and exposure scientist in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.  Her research interests focus on identification of halogenated and organophosphate chemicals in building materials, furnishings and consumer products, and estimation of human exposure, particularly in vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children.  Her laboratory utilizes mass spectrometry, including targeted and nontargeted approaches, to characterize chemical burdens in both environmental samples and biological tissues to support environmental health research. Currently she serves as the Director for the Duke Superfund Research Center, and Director of the Duke Environmental Analysis Laboratory, which is part of NIH’s Human Health Environmental Analysis Resource.

 

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Ronie-Richele Garcia-Johnson Distinguished Professor
  • Professor
  • Member of the Duke Cancer Institute

Contact Information

  • Office Location: 9 Circuit Drive, Box 90328, LSRC Room A207, Durham, NC 27710
  • Office Phone: +1 919 613 8717
  • Email Address: heather.stapleton@duke.edu
  • Websites:

Education

  • Ph.D. University of Maryland, College Park, 2003
  • M.S. University of Maryland, College Park, 2000
  • B.S. Long Island University, Southhampton College, 1997

Research Interests

  • Human exposure in indoor environments
  • Use of silicone wristbands to measure human exposure
  • Chemical exposures and cancer risk
  • Targeted & Nontargeted mass spectrometry methods applied to environmental samples
  • Effects of halogenated organic contaminants (e.g. BFRs, PFAS) on thyroid hormone regulation

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Environment. Clarivate. 2021
  • Thomas Langford Lectureship Award. Duke University. 2020
  • Highly Cited Researcher. Clarivate. 2019
  • Best Paper of the Year Award. Environmental Science & Technology. 2011

Courses Taught

  • ENVIRON 899: Master's Project
  • ENVIRON 898: Program Area Seminar
  • ENVIRON 780: Environmental Exposure Analysis
  • ENVIRON 593: Independent Studies and Projects
  • ENVIRON 540: Chemical Fate of Organic Compounds
  • ENVIRON 393: Research Independent Study
  • ENVIRON 360: Environmental Health: Pollutant Chemistry and Toxicology
  • CEE 563: Chemical Fate of Organic Compounds

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Reddam, A; Herkert, N; Stapleton, HM; Volz, DC, Silicone wristbands reveal ubiquitous human exposure to ortho-phthalates and non-ortho-phthalate plasticizers in Southern California., Environmental research, vol 258 (2024) [10.1016/j.envres.2024.119465] [abs].
  • Hoxie, T; Zhang, S; Herkert, NJ; Bauer, RA; Guo, Y; Bhattacharya, A; Carignan, CC; Hoffman, K; Higgins, CP; Stapleton, HM, Silicone Wristbands as a Personal Passive Sampler to Evaluate Indoor Exposure to Volatile and Non-volatile PFASs., Environmental science & technology, vol 58 no. 37 (2024), pp. 16316-16326 [10.1021/acs.est.4c05707] [abs].
  • Herkert, NJ; Getzinger, GJ; Hoffman, K; Young, AS; Allen, JG; Levasseur, JL; Ferguson, PL; Stapleton, HM, Wristband Personal Passive Samplers and Suspect Screening Methods Highlight Gender Disparities in Chemical Exposures., Environmental science & technology, vol 58 no. 35 (2024), pp. 15497-15510 [10.1021/acs.est.4c06008] [abs].
  • Fowler, CH; Reuben, A; Stapleton, HM; Hoffman, K; Herkert, N; Barakat, L; Gaffrey, MS, Children's exposure to chemical contaminants: Demographic disparities and associations with the developing basal ganglia., Environmental research, vol 263 no. Pt 1 (2024) [10.1016/j.envres.2024.119990] [abs].
  • Hickman, E; Frey, J; Wylie, A; Hartwell, HJ; Herkert, NJ; Short, SJ; Mills-Koonce, WR; Fry, RC; Stapleton, HM; Propper, C; Rager, JE, Chemical and non-chemical stressors in a postpartum cohort through wristband and self report data: Links between increased chemical burden, economic, and racial stress., Environment international, vol 191 (2024) [10.1016/j.envint.2024.108976] [abs].

Affiliate Topics in Materials Research