Marie Pedersen

Contribution to science My motivation for conducting cutting edge research on early-life environmental epidemiology is that I aim to provide new and useful information needed for risk assessment and for implementation of cost-effective preventive actions aimed at reducing harmful environmental exposures. Most recently I published findings from a nationwide study on early life exposure to air pollution and asthma onset (Pedersen et al. 2023). This study utilized a state-of-the-art exposure assessment, detailed, high-quality data on asthma, and advanced statistical methods. The success of this study was the results from collaboration, infrastructure, and skills I have developed over the past decade. The findings strengthen existing evidence, and the paper complements my other studies on lung function, traditional and novel asthma-related biomarkers in children (Tingskov Pedersen et al. 2023) and asthma incidence in adults (Liu et al. 2021). My ERC funded research aims to develop and apply biomarker-based methods for improvement of the exposure assessment of prenatal exposure to acrylamide from diet (Pedersen et al. 2022). Finally, I have contributed to several influential environmental papers on birth weight, most recently on nitrate in drinking water (Coffman et al. 2021) that has inspired me to further investigate the health effects of agricultural exposures in early life. Pedersen et al. 2023. Early life exposure to ambient air pollution from multiple sources and asthma incidence in children – a nationwide birth cohort study from Denmark. Environ Health Perspect. 131(5):57003. Tingskov Pedersen et al. 2023. Prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution is associated with early life immune perturbations. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 151(1):212-221. Liu et al. 2021. Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and road traffic noise and asthma incidence in adults: The Danish Nurse cohort. Environ Int. 152:106464. Pedersen et al. 2022. Hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide in human blood – what has been done and what is next? Food and Chemical Toxicology. 161:112799. Coffman et al. 2021. Prenatal Exposure to Nitrate from Drinking Water and Markers of Fetal Growth Restriction: A Population-Based Study of Nearly One Million Danish-Born Children. Environ Health Perspect. 129:27002. Education and scientific degree: • Leading Research, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Denmark, 2023 • University Pedagogy, UCPH, Denmark, 2016 • Occupational Hazards and Reproductive Health, NIVA, Espoo, Finland, 2014 • European Educational Programme in Epidemiology, Florence, Italy, 2013 • Leading for Success in Science, Team Leadership & Management Skills, Spain, 2012 • PhD, Department of Public Health (IFSV), UCPH, Denmark, 2010 • Master’s degree in Science, Department of Biology, UCPH, Denmark, 2005 Current and most recent employment: • Associate Professor, Section of Epidemiology, IFSV, UCPH, Denmark, 2018 – now • Researcher, Statens Serum Institut (SSI), Epidemiology, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2020 – now • Associate Professor, Section of Epidemiology and Screening, IFSV, UCPH, Denmark, 2015 – 2018 • Researcher, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2014 – 2019 • Post doc, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Barcelona, Spain, 2010 – 2014 • Post doc, The National Institute of Health and Medical Research, Grenoble, France, 2010 – 2014 Societal impact contributions, innovation activities, science communications, etc I am active in science communication and policy support regarding air pollution. For instance, I am an adviser of the science communication on adverse health effects of air pollution in collaboration with environmental and health NGOs such as Asthma & Allergy Denmark: Der er noget i luften (noget-i-luften.dk). I consult as expert member on consultation on air pollution and health for the City of Copenhagen. I am frequently being interviewed by the news medias in Denmark and abroad. The Danish Health Authority has recently invited me to write an article on the new WHO air quality guidelines for regulators (https://www.sst.dk/da/udgivelser/2023/Miljoe-og-sundhed-2023-nr-1). Previously, I have served as consultant for the Danish Health Authority on human biomonitoring and I aim to contribute to development of innovative biomarkers that can be applied to archived neonatal blood spots. Teaching, supervision and mentoring summaries • Lecture in Climate change and Epidemiology, Medicine, 2023 • Course leader of Occupational health, IFSV, UCPH, master and PhD students, 2022 • Ad hoc lecturing on Environmental Epidemiology courses, IFSV, UCPH, 2018-2023 • Mentor of 6 Postdocs, 2 PhD students, 2 research assistants, 2 data managers, 2 Erasmus students, 3 student assistants, 8 Master students, 22 Bachelor students, 2018-2023 Grants, awards and honors incl. prizes 2018-2023 • ERC Starting grant, the European Research Council, (my role: PI), 2018 • Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award, the Health Effects Institute, US, PI, 2018 • Sapere Aude Starting grant, the Danish Independent Research Fund, PI, 2018 (declined) • NIH R01 on nitrates in drinking and birth outcomes, US, co-investigator, 2018 • Lifecycle (Early-life stressors and LifeCycle health), EU, co-investigator, 2018 • Best Paper of the Year 2017 in the journal of Environmental Research, 2018 • NIH 1-year research support for Vanessa Coffman, US, mentor, 2020 • Top peer-reviewer for the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, 2020 & 2021 • Lifecycle research 10-m exchange stay grant for Tim Cadman, EU, mentor, 2021 • Athlete (Advancing Tools for Human Early Life Course Exposome Research and Translation), Human exposome collaboration, EU, co-investigator, 2021 • NIH K-award for Vanessa Coffman, US, mentor, 2021 (declined) • Marie Curie postdoc grant for Tim Cadman, EU, co-mentor, 2022 • Pregnant at work, the Danish working environment research fund, co-investigator, 2023 International relations All my research is entirely based on international multidisciplinary collaborations, and I am fortunate to lead and participate in several international, multicentered research projects with closest collaboration with colleagues in Sweden, Spain, the Netherland, and US. I have contributed the organizations of international seminars at IFSV as well as preparing and chairing of international meetings abroad. I have worked abroad several times. Spring 2023, I was on a 6-month sabbatical in Rome, Italy. I highly value my international collaborations and I believe that these are crucial for the creative thinking and broad expertise needed for conducting innovative epidemiological research. Current or recent membership of Editorial Boards and peer-review • Editorial Review Board Member of the journal Environmental Health Perspective • Editor of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health • Frequent peer-reviewer for multiple international journals and for the Health Effects Institute, US • Invited reviewer of competitive research grants e.g., the European Council of Research, the Welcome Trust, the Swedish Research Council, the Belgium Research Council • Ad hoc reviewer and chair at the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology Meetings Plenary lectures, keynote talks and invited talks at international or national meetings • Invited talk at international RespiraMI meeting on air pollution, Milan, Italy, 2024 • Invited talk at international on Climate change and health meeting, Stockholm, Sweden, 2023 • Invited talk at international meeting, the Department of Epidemiology, Turin, Italy, 2023 • Invited talk at international meeting, the Department of Epidemiology, University of Lund, 2023 • Invited talk at international RespiraMI meeting on air pollution, Milan, Italy, 2022 • Invited panel debate member, ISGlobal summer school on global health, Spain, 2022 • Invited talk at international epidemiology meeting, SSI, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2021 • Invited talk at the Bridge Translate Exellence Program, UCPH, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2019 • Invited talk at international annual Health Effect Institute meeting, Seattle, US, 2019