PEHSU Region 2

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Service area: New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands 

The Region 2 PEHSU, founded in 1999, is based in New York City at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and serves New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  

Academic Affiliation: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Environmental Medicine

Hospital Affiliation: The Mount Sinai Hospital 

Based in New York City, New York.
Services
Faculty & Staff
What’s New
Resources
PEHSU region 2 map
EXAMPLE RESOURCE

Prescriptions for Prevention

 

Our environmental pediatricians and partners created “Prescriptions for Prevention” for health professionals to provide actionable messages to families on to address common environmental health concerns in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

visit Rx for Prevention to download, print, and share the prescriptions in English and Spanish.
Region 2

Specialties & comprehensive services

The Region 2 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) provides evidence-based messages and resources on common environmental exposures where children live, learn, and play. Our PEHSU provides health professionals, families, and communities with information necessary to navigate differing environments in safe and healthy ways.  

Visit our website for more

Faculty & staff

Cassie Bernardi, MPH

Cassie Bernardi, MPH

Program Manager

Charles (Chase) Moon, MD

Charles (Chase) Moon, MD

Environmental Health Fellow

Emma Holland MPH, RN

Emma Chang MPH, RN

Environmental Health Scholar

Gredia Huerta-Montanez, MD

Gredia Huerta-Montanez, MD

Puerto Rico Pediatric Consultant

Hannah Thompson, MD

Hannah Thompson, MD

Childhood Cancer & the Environment Champion

Jennifer Acevedo, MD

Jennifer Acevedo, MD

Data Coordinator

Lauren Zajac, MD, MPH

Lauren Zajac, MD, MPH

Medical Director

Maida Galvez, MD, MPH

Maida Galvez, MD, MPH

Region 2 Co-Director, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Nadya Rivera-Rivera, MPH

Nadya Rivera-Rivera, MPH

Caribbean Coordinator

Perry Sheffield MD, MPH

Perry Sheffield MD, MPH

Region 2 Co-Director, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Childhood Cancer & the Environment Champion

Ronke Akinkugbe, BDS, MPH, PhD

Ronke Akinkugbe, BDS, MPH, PhD

NIEHS K12 Pediatric Reproductive Environmental Health Scholar

Sarah Evans, PhD, MPH

Sarah Evans, PhD, MPH

Community Education Lead

Sarah McCuskee, MD, MPhil

Sarah McCuskee, MD, MPhil

NIEHS K12 Pediatric Reproductive Environmental Health Scholar

Sofía Curdumí Pendley, PhD, MPH

Sofía Curdumí Pendley, PhD, MPH

Evaluation Lead

Cassie Bernardi, MPH

Cassie Bernardi, MPH

Program Manager

Cassie Bernardi, MPH, is Program Manager of the Region 2 PEHSU at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the Department of Environmental Medicine. She has worked with the PEHSU program for 10 years and oversees R2 PEHSU finances, contracts, reporting, and program deliverables. She has an interest in how nutrition influences environmental health and vice versa and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in environmental nutrition.

Charles (Chase) Moon, MD

Charles (Chase) Moon, MD

Environmental Health Fellow

Charles (Chase) Moon, MD, FAAP is an Environmental Health Fellow in the Departments of Environmental Medicine and Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is the Co-Chair of AAP District II Chapter 3’s Committee on Environmental Health and Climate Change and Co-Chair of Chapter 3’s Committee on Public Policy and Advocacy. His work focuses on building climate education in graduate medical education settings and general pediatric environmental health in New York City and New York State.

Emma Holland MPH, RN

Emma Chang MPH, RN

Environmental Health Scholar

Emma Chang MPH, RN is an environmental health fellow in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, as well as a NYSCHECK Scholar. Emma manages the Region 2 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit consultation service and is learning about science translation and risk communication under Dr. Zajac. Her work focuses on optimizing consult processes, developing website content, and expanding information networks. Emma is also a clinical nurse in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory of New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Gredia Huerta-Montanez, MD

Gredia Huerta-Montanez, MD

Puerto Rico Pediatric Consultant

Gredia Huerta-Montanez, MD, is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is a pediatrician based in Puerto Rico and leads the Region 2 PEHSU’s PR activities and partnerships, including pediatric educational initiatives and community outreach.

Hannah Thompson, MD

Hannah Thompson, MD

Childhood Cancer & the Environment Champion

Hannah Thompson, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine & Climate Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a NYSCHECK Scholar. She works with the Region 2 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) consultation service. She is also board certified in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. She is interested in research and has a focus on pediatric and adult cancer and the environment, and she has been working on the PEHSU’s Childhood Cancer and the Environment Initiative.

Related Publications

Jennifer Acevedo, MD

Jennifer Acevedo, MD

Data Coordinator

Jennifer Acevedo, MD is a Project Coordinator for the Department of Environmental Medicine & Climate Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS). Her role focuses on quality-improvement in healthcare, leveraging technology to improve patient care and community health, and also registry development. Dr. Acevedo manages the medical electives for Children’s Environmental Health and Addressing the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) in the Era of COVID-19 for medical students and visiting residents.

Lauren Zajac, MD, MPH

Lauren Zajac, MD, MPH

Medical Director

Lauren Zajac, MD, MPH is the Medical Director for the Region 2 PEHSU and an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She serves as the Clinical Director for the New York City Children’s Environmental Health Center as part of the NYSCHECK network. She is a pediatrician and Director of Environmental Asthma Program at Mount Sinai. She directs a Children’s Environmental Health clinical elective program and is faculty in the MPH graduate program. Dr. Zajac is the chairperson of the AAP’s Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change (COEHCC).

Related Publications

Maida Galvez, MD, MPH

Maida Galvez, MD, MPH

Region 2 Co-Director, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Maida Galvez, MD, MPH is the Co-Director of the Region 2 PEHSU at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) and Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Galvez is Co-Director of the NYSCHECK Coordinating Center and practices General Pediatrics. She is the Director of Community Engagement for the NIEHS P30 Center for Health and Environment Across the Lifespan at Mount Sinai and is a member of the CDC/APHA National Environmental Health Partnership Council as well as the New York City Board of Health.

Related Publications

Nadya Rivera-Rivera, MPH

Nadya Rivera-Rivera, MPH

Caribbean Coordinator

Nadya Rivera-Rivera, MPH, is the Caribbean Coordinator for the Region 2 PEHSU at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS). They are based in Puerto Rico, which allows them to work with PR DOH, EPA and CDC and other non-governmental organizations providing support for their Caribbean initiatives, especially at the community level. They also provide technical assistance and coordination for the Rx for Preventions.

Perry Sheffield MD, MPH

Perry Sheffield MD, MPH

Region 2 Co-Director, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Perry Sheffield MD, MPH is the Co-Director of the Region 2 PEHSU at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) and Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Sheffield is a pediatrician, environmental health researcher, and Co-Director of the NYSCHECK Coordinating Center. She completed her fellowship in Pediatric Environmental Health at Mount Sinai.

Related Publications

Ronke Akinkugbe, BDS, MPH, PhD

Ronke Akinkugbe, BDS, MPH, PhD

NIEHS K12 Pediatric Reproductive Environmental Health Scholar

Ronke Akinkugbe, BDS, MPH, PhD, is an NIEHS K12 Pediatric Reproductive Environmental Health Scholar. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.  She is a member of the Mount Sinai Institute for Exposomic Research and its NIEHS-funded Center on Health and Environment Across the LifeSpan (HEALS). Her research explores psychosocial and environmental determinants of poor oral and systemic health outcomes across the lifecourse, including the role of prenatal exposures on children’s oral health.

Sarah Evans, PhD, MPH

Sarah Evans, PhD, MPH

Community Education Lead

Sarah Evans, PhD, MPH is the Community Education Lead for the Region 2 PEHSU and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and a member of the Institute for Exposomics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Evans’ expertise focuses on the impacts of early life environmental exposures on nervous system development and child behavior. She is a trusted voice on the health effects of toxic chemicals and what individuals can do to protect their own health in their local communities.

Related Publications

Sarah McCuskee, MD, MPhil

Sarah McCuskee, MD, MPhil

NIEHS K12 Pediatric Reproductive Environmental Health Scholar

Sarah McCuskee, MD, MPhil, is an NIEHS K12 Pediatric Reproductive Environmental Health Scholar. As a physician-scientist, she is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Global Health & Health Systems Design. She is a member of Mount Sinai’s NIEHS-funded Center on Health and Environment Across the LifeSpan, and her work focuses on climate and environmental events and integration and analysis of routine data. 

Sofía Curdumí Pendley, PhD, MPH

Sofía Curdumí Pendley, PhD, MPH

Evaluation Lead

Sofía Curdumí Pendley, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Pendley is a public health scientist with expertise in disasters and public health emergencies. Her training is in global community health, behavioral science, and evaluation, and serves as the Evaluation Lead for the Region 2 PEHSU. She has extensive experience working directly with diverse communities to implement and evaluate programs with the aim of improving health.

Related Publications

What’s new

07/11/2026

The Thinking About Kids and Heat Has Flipped

The Atlantic

Region 2
Extreme Weather
04/30/2026

EPA and Partners Teach Construction and Disaster Recovery Workers in Puerto Rico How to Properly Manage Lead

EPA

Region 2
Lead
River in Virginia
04/22/2026

Pollution & Children’s Health: Why Kids Need a Clean Environment

healthychildren.org

Region 2
Air Quality| Healthy Homes

Regional resources

Artificial Turf and Health Impacts: Science Explainer

In this 13-minute video, Dr. Sarah Evans from Region 2 PEHSU explains the health risks and concerns associated with artificial turf, especially for…

Region 2
Extreme Weather| Microplastics

Artificial Turf and Health Impacts: Science Snippet

In this short video, Dr. Sarah Evans from Region 2 PEHSU explains the health risks and concerns associated with artificial turf, especially for chi…

Region 2
Extreme Weather| Microplastics

Smoke from Wood-Burning

Smoke created by burning wood contains gases and particles that can harm your health when you breathe them.

Region 2
Air Quality| Extreme Weather

Tenant Rights: Home Heat

Space heaters cause an average of 1,700 fires and 80 deaths each year. If you are using a space heater for extra heat, it is important to use it sa…

Region 2
Extreme Weather| Healthy Homes
space heater safety

Space Heater Safety

Space heaters cause an average of 1,700 fires and 80 deaths each year. If you are using a space heater for extra heat, it is important to use it sa…

Region 2
Extreme Weather| Healthy Homes

Cold Weather Safety

Outdoor winter play can be healthy and fun. Learn how to keep your family safe outdoors in cold weather.

Region 2
Extreme Weather

Green Cleaning

Routine cleaning can reduce dust, allergens, and chemicals in your home. When cleaning, use safer products, which are better for your health and th…

National PEHSURegion 2
Cleaning and Sanitizing| Healthy Homes

Safer Disinfection

Disinfecting high-touch surfaces can help to reduce spread of some kinds of infection but some disinfecting chemicals can harm health and make asth…

National PEHSURegion 2
Cleaning and Sanitizing| Healthy Homes
Gas exhaust from car

What are Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?

Carbon monoxide can build up quickly in enclosed spaces, even with windows and doors open. Learn more about symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning i…

Region 2
Air Quality
featured image

Cancer Environment CME 2025

Dr. Hannah Thompson spoke to an in-person audience of 50 health professionals at the Cancer and Environment CME event in November 2025, hosted by C…

Region 2
Childhood Cancer| Reproductive Health

Outdoor Air Quality Prescription for Prevention

Region 2
Air Quality

Sun Safety

Region 2
Extreme Weather

Rx for Prevention: Safer Pest Control

Region 2
Healthy Homes| Pesticides & Pests

Rx for Prevention: Mold

Region 2
Mold

Rx for Prevention: Lead Paint

Lead paint dust in older homes is the main way children are exposed to lead. Even low levels of lead can affect a child’s learning and behavi…

Region 2
Lead
Extreme Heat Safety for athletes (Español Cuidados en los Días de Calor Extremo para atletas)

Extreme Heat Safety for Athletes

View the full resource by clicking on View Resource to the right.

Region 2
Extreme Weather

Extreme Heat Safety during Pregnancy

It is harder for pregnant women to stay cool during hot days. Overheating – especially during the first trimester – can have health eff…

Region 2
Extreme Weather| Reproductive Health
Extreme Heat Safety for children (Español Cuidados en los Días de Calor Extremo para niños)

Extreme Heat Safety for Children

Extreme heat days are becoming more common. When it’s hot, children are more in danger than adults of becoming dehydrated.

Region 2
Extreme Weather
Extreme Heat Safety for babies (Español Cuidados en los Días de Calor Extremo para bebés)

Extreme Heat Safety for Babies

Extreme heat days are becoming more common. When it’s hot, babies are more in danger than adults of becoming dehydrated. View the full resource by …

Region 2
Extreme Weather
Vape

Vaping & E-Cigarettes

Region 2
Air Quality
Child breaking cigarette

Smoking

Region 2
Air Quality
Cigarettes in ashtray

Secondhand Smoke

Region 2
Air Quality
Kitchen

Indoor Air Pollution

Did you know…People spend about 90% of their time indoors where the air is usually 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air.

Region 2
Air Quality
Child eating at high chair

Heavy metals in baby foods and fruit juices

Reports of heavy metals in baby foods and fruit juices have been featured in news headlines across the United States, leaving families concerned ab…

Region 2
Heavy Metals| Lead
Asbestos factsheet (Prescription for Prevention)

Asbestos

Region 2
Healthy Schools