Employee Spotlight: Faye Andrews

Meet former ORAU Employee Faye Andrews. While pursuing her doctoral degree in Environmental and Occupational Health at Oregon State University (OSU), Faye began working as an ORAU Student Services Contractor with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Corvallis, OR.

Faye contributed to Final Ecosystem Goods and Services (FEGS) research through reports and coordination of review for the National Ecosystem Services Classification System (NESCS). Ecosystem services are benefits supplied by nature to people. Faye’s goal was to identify and quantify metrics and indicators of FEGS at national and regional scales. Her experience taught her about the value of goods and services for activities in nature and how to apply those metrics and indicators to various scales. 

 “Through my career in public health, I have always been passionate about protecting community health and understanding how environmental contamination harms populations,” Faye said.

Background

After receiving a B.S. in Biology from St. Lawrence University and a M.P.H. in Environmental Health at Boston University School of Public Health, Faye held positions as a Health Inspector for a town outside of Boston and as an Environmental Analyst with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Currently, she is continuing to work on her Ph.D. at OSU.

During her program, Faye has developed research projects looking at the health effects of metals exposures on maternal and child health outcomes from a prospective birth cohort in Bangladesh. Specifically, her research seeks to characterize the relationships between metal mixtures (arsenic, lead, and manganese) during pregnancy and associations with maternal cardiovascular health, fetal/neonatal mortality, and children’s immune development.

Recently, Faye received the Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute (OCTRI) TL1 training award. The funding is provided through the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences to Oregon Health & Science University. She was selected from students throughout Oregon to help fund her living and education expenses through her dissertation research and engage in clinical and translational research experiences not offered at her home institution. Additionally, the program provides opportunities for professional and leadership development.

Outside of academia and research, Faye enjoys making pottery and going hiking with her dog and fiancé.