Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (UCSF)

05/19/2026

Extreme heat is one of the deadliest public health threats — and not everyone has equal access to potentially life-saving information. Our new blog post highlights the "How to Survive a Heatwave" resource, now available in Arabic.

Extreme heat is now one of the deadliest weather-related public health threats in the United States, contributing to thousands of emergency department visits and preventable deaths each year. Longer heat waves, higher temperatures, and more frequent extreme weather events are placing growing strain....

05/04/2026

PRHE correspondent Ari Eastburn McCormick is on the ground in Sacramento today for the Fund California Science rally—where scientists, clinicians, educators, public servants, and community members are calling for funding for life-saving research.

Ari says: “Everyone here has a story about how they’ve been impacted by loss of funding. There’s not a life untouched when research and science are negatively impacted.” 🔬

04/30/2026

This , we stand with every worker who deserves better protections from chemical exposures — and all other hazards — in the workplace. No one should risk their health or life just to do their job. We also stand for the right to organize and thank every person who makes their voice heard on . 💪

04/29/2026

Congratulations to our long-time collaborator Rachel Morello-Frosch on becoming the first-ever associate provost for energy, climate, and environment at UC Berkeley! We're so proud to see her work recognized at this level. 🌱

The public health expert and Berkeley professor will unite scholars across campus to address crucial environmental challenges.

04/21/2026

PRHE is back in action! Our staff gathered this week for a strategic planning retreat — coming together to reflect, align, and map out what's next. Big things are on the horizon. 🔭

04/16/2026

New blog post: A major study of 20,000+ pregnancies found that wildfire smoke exposure — especially multi-day smoke events — is linked to increased risk of preterm birth. Timing during pregnancy matters too.

As wildfire seasons grow longer and more intense across the United States, a major new study reveals important findings about how smoke exposure affects pregnant women and their babies. The growing threat Wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change, exposing millions of Ame...

03/17/2026

Dr. Amy Padula spoke at CVAQ's Annual Clean Air Action Day in Sacramento last week. Don't miss her impactful speech on the PRHE blog.

On March 11th, Dr. Amy Padula spoke at the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition‘s 23rd Annual Clean Air Action Day rally at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The following is her full speech. My name is Dr. Amy Padula and I’m a scientist. I study how the air we breathe impacts our bodi...

03/12/2026

03/09/2026

"When we look more comprehensively, we see that babies are exposed to far more chemicals before birth than we previously realized..."

Babies are exposed to many more 'forever chemicals' before they're born than previously thought, new research suggests, as the potential harms of these substances continue to be investigated.

03/05/2026

You've heard of the pesticides chlorpyrifos and malathion, but have you heard of naled? UCSF Robinson Lab postdoc Lin Li, MD, PhD, explains how naled might affect placental health in our latest blog post. ⬇️

Pregnancy depends on a healthy placenta, but how environmental chemicals affect placental development is still poorly understood. Growing evidence suggests that exposure to common pesticides may increase the risk of pregnancy complications. In our new study examining pregnancy risks from pesticides,...