Research Summary

Kaitlyn G. Lawrence, Ph.D., is a staff scientist in the Chronic Disease Epidemiology Group in the Epidemiology Branch, where she helps lead the Gulf Long-Term Follow-up Study, a prospective cohort study of oil spill cleanup workers and nonworkers enrolled following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Lawrence’s research is aimed at determining impacts of environmental/occupational exposures and social factors on chronic disease health outcomes. Her dissertation and post-doctoral research focused on characterizing the short- and long-term impacts of oil spill cleanup work-related exposures on respiratory health endpoints including pulmonary function measures and asthma. She is currently working to better understand epigenetic biomarkers of aging in relation to oil spill exposures and other environmental factors including extreme heat events. She is also evaluating how epigenetic biomarkers of aging relate to neighborhood social factors.

Lawrence received her Bachelor of Arts in biochemistry from Oberlin College and her M.S.P.H. and Ph.D. in environmental health sciences from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She completed her pre- and post-doctoral fellowships in the Epidemiology Branch at NIEHS. Her work has received numerous awards, including a NIH Fellow Award for Research Excellence (2020), an NIH Matilda White Riley Award (2021) and an NIMHD Coleman Research Innovation Award (2023).

Studies

• Gulf Long-Term Follow-up Study

Selected Publications

1. Lawrence KG, Niehoff NM, Keil AP, Braxton Jackson W 2nd, Christenbury K, Stewart PA, Stenzel MR, Huynh TB, Groth CP, Ramachandran G, Banerjee S, Pratt GC, Curry MD, Engel LS, Sandler DP. 2022. Associations between airborne crude oil chemicals and symptom-based asthma. Environ Int, 2022:167:107433.
2. Lawrence, KG, Werder, EJ, Sandler, DP. 2021. Association of neighborhood deprivation with pulmonary function measures among participants in the Gulf Long-Term Follow-up Study. Environmental Research, 202:111704.
3. Lawrence KG, Kresovich JK, O'Brien KM, Hoang TT, Xu Z, Taylor JA, Sandler DP. Association of Neighborhood Deprivation With Epigenetic Aging Using 4 Clock Metrics. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Nov 2;3(11):e2024329. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.24329. PMID: 33146735; PMCID: PMC7643028. [Abstract Lawrence KG, Kresovich JK, O'Brien KM, Hoang TT, Xu Z, Taylor JA, Sandler DP. Association of Neighborhood Deprivation With Epigenetic Aging Using 4 Clock Metrics. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Nov 2;3(11):e2024329. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.24329. PMID: 33146735; PMCID: PMC7643028.]
4. Gam KB, Kwok RK, Engel LS, Curry MD, Stewart PA, Stenzel MR, McGrath JA, Jackson WB 2nd, Jensen RL, Keil AP, Lichtveld MY, Miller AK, Sandler DP. Lung Function in Oil Spill Response Workers 1-3 Years After the Deepwater Horizon Disaster. Epidemiology. 2018 May;29(3):315-322. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000808. PMID: 29381492; PMCID: PMC5882518. [Abstract Gam KB, Kwok RK, Engel LS, Curry MD, Stewart PA, Stenzel MR, McGrath JA, Jackson WB 2nd, Jensen RL, Keil AP, Lichtveld MY, Miller AK, Sandler DP. Lung Function in Oil Spill Response Workers 1-3 Years After the Deepwater Horizon Disaster. Epidemiology. 2018 May;29(3):315-322. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000808. PMID: 29381492; PMCID: PMC5882518.]
5. Gam KB, Kwok RK, Engel LS, Curry MD, Stewart PA, Stenzel MR, McGrath JA, Jackson II WB, Jensen RL, Lichtveld MY, Miller AK. 2018. Exposure to oil spill chemicals and lung function in Deepwater Horizon disaster response workers. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 60(6):e312-e318.
6. Gam KB, Engel LS, Kwok RK, Curry MD, Stewart PA, Stenzel MR, McGrath JA, Jackson II WB, Lichtveld MY, Sandler DP. 2018. Association between Deepwater Horizon oil spill response and cleanup work experiences and lung function. Environment International, 121:695-702.

*Lawrence previously published under the name Gam.