FEATURED AUTHOR

Sara Brenner

Asst Vice President for NanoHealth Initiatives; Asst Professor of Nanobioscience
SUNY College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering

The Brenner Research Team focuses on Occupational & Environmental Health and Safety of Engineered Nanomaterials. This interdisciplinary team is led by Dr. Sara Brenner, a preventive medicine physician, and includes staff, graduate and undergraduate students with a variety of backgrounds including physics, environmental health, industrial hygiene, and toxicology.

Subjects: Biomedical Science, Environmental Science, Healthcare, Medicine, Nanoscience & Technology, Occupational Health & Safety, Public Administration & Public Policy

Biography

Dr. Brenner's research and initiatives aim to develop novel nanotechnology applications in the life sciences, including medicine and public health. She is also leading health and safety research initiatives related to nanoparticle and nanomaterial exposures in the workplace, consumer marketplace, and environment. Dr. Brenner is addressing gaps in our understanding of the safety and risk associated with the unique characteristics of nanoscale materials by incorporating theory from many disciplines such as physics, engineering, biology, genetics, medicine, public health, epidemiology, and environmental science. As part of these efforts, she is advancing risk assessment and reduction strategies for occupational exposures, monitoring of materials that may impact population health and public safety, and the development of industrial practice standards for product safety. Dr. Brenner is working proactively with collaborators and partners to develop monitoring and surveillance techniques to assess the environmental and ecological impact as well as the biopersistence of engineered nanomaterials in the Capital District. Her team is building a framework to employ custom-tailored strategies to mitigate potential risks associated with nanotechnology-based products that are currently on the market as well as those under development.