Dr. Mary Northridge earned a BA in chemistry with a specialty in biochemistry at the University of Virginia, an MPH in environmental health at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/Rutgers University, and a PhD in epidemiology at Columbia University. Upon the completion of a post-doctoral fellowship at the Environmental and Occupational Health Science Institute in Piscataway, NJ, Dr. Northridge continued her research and academic career at the Harlem Health Promotion Center, where she now serves as the deputy director. Her research to date has centered on environmental racism and asthma, and reporting findings from the Harlem Household Survey--a population-based survey of Central Harlem adults.

PhD, Columbia University, 1993

MPH, UMDNJ/Rutgers University, 1988

BA, University of Virginia, 1980

Mailman School Affiliations:

• Harlem Health Promotion Center  Investigator
• Columbia Center for Environmental Health in Northern Manhattan  Investigator
• Columbia Center for Homelessness Prevention Studies Investigator

Additional Affiliations:

• Editor-in-Chief, American Journal of Public Health

• Anna Gelman Award for Excellence in Epidemiology, 1994
• Distinguished Alumna Award, UMDNJ School of Public Health, 2005
• NIH Blue Ribbon Panel Member, 2008

ElderSmile
For more than four years, ElderSmile at Columbia's College of Dental Medicine has been providing much-needed dental care to older persons living in Upper Manhattan communities. ElderSmile is staffed by experienced dental school faculty and is assisted by students, who work together to provide care to patients. Those who need more in-depth dental care are referred to ElderSmile treatment centers. During summers, a mobile dental van visits senior centers to provide additional patient education and screening. ElderSmile provides important care to an often underserved population more vulnerable to serious dental conditions and related diseases such as diabetes, heart and lung diseases, and stroke.