News
Dr. Beate Ritz awarded the Kenneth Rothman Career Accomplishment Award
Society for Epidemiological Research Annual Conference
June 2022
OBM Geriatrics, Vol 4, Issue 3: Parkinson's
paper by recent graduate Dr. Aline Duarte Folle
makes it onto front page of journal.
October 2020
The American Journal of Epidemiology and the
Society for Epidemiologic Research select
paper by Dr. Beate Ritz and Dr. I-Fan Shih
on how physical activity and inflammation
affect older Mexican-Americans as one of
their 10 Articles of the Year.
May 2020
Tomorrow Edition: Interview with Environmental Epidemiologist
Dr. Beate Ritz February 10 2018
SPECTRUM: Why autism seems to cluster in some immigrant groups by Emily Sohn | November 29 2017
Reuters Health News: Parental exposure to hazardous agents tied to eye tumors in offspring by Mary Gillis | November 7 2017
Study by Drs. Beate Ritz, Yu-Hsuan Chuang and Kimberly Paul outlines potential
role of DNA methylation in Parkinson’s disease diagnosis
PRESS RELEASE | Sept 05 2017
Publication by Dr. Beate Ritz Reaches Top 10% Most Cited on PLOS ONE Network
PRESS RELEASE | July 10 2017
International Business Times: Head Injuries And Pesticides:
A Recipe For Parkinson's Risk
by Roxanne Palmer | November 12 2012 6:45 PM
Las Cruces Sun-News: Researchers find a link between pesticides and
Parkinson's disease; local group seeks action
by Andi Murphy | October 10 2013 9:18 AM
Neurology Review: Regular NSAID Use May Lower Risk for Parkinson's Disease
by Janis Kelly | December 2007
Parkinson's Disease Foundation: The Big Picture - Studying Populations
to Understand Parkinson's
by Dr. Beate Ritz | Winter 2013
Pesticides News: Pesticides in well water increase risk of Parkinson’s
disease
by Dr. Nicole Gatto | December 2009
Scientific American: How Pesticides Can Cause Parkinson's
by Melinda Wenner Moyer | July 19 2013
Sierra Magazine: Parkinson's Alley
by Joy Horowitz | Jan/Feb 2012
Visalia-Times Delta: Parkinson's Disease - Researchers seek Valley
volunteers
by Laura A. Maldonado | April 8 2003
About
Our Mission
Our team works at the intersection of Epidemiology, Environmental Health Sciences, and Medicine to address occupational and environmental health issues related to the use of pesticides; from air pollution or exposure to chemical toxic agents; as well as psychosocial factors.
We investigate ubiquitous and complex exposures in communities and at work places. We strive to be innovative and we stretch our scientific tools, methodologies, and resources. We rely on both original data collection and electronic data linkage projects. We draw on genetic and ‘omics’ tools and also conduct very data-intensive exposure modeling.
A focus of this lab is to attract, train, and support the next generation of scientist in a multi-disciplinary environment. Our lab collaborates broadly with other disciplines and supports collaborative research projects to answer environmental and occupational health questions.
Our Research Team
Is comprised of a diverse group of faculty members, post-doctorate scholars, graduate and undergraduate students and staff from the UCLA Jonathan & Karin Fielding School of Public Health.
Dr. Beate Ritz
Dr. Beate Ritz
M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Dr. Ritz holds co-appointments in Environmental Health Sciences and Neurology at the UCLA, School of Medicine.
Her primary research interests are the effects of occupational and environmental exposures (air pollution and pesticides) on neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases; reproductive outcomes and cancers. Her lab has developed Geographic Information System (GIS) based tools to assess effects of long-term pesticide and air pollution exposures in California.
She serves as co-director of the UCLA Center for Studies of Parkinson’s Disease (CSPD). In the past two decades, she served on numerous National Academy of Sciences/Institute of Medicine (IOM) committees including on Gulf War Illness and on Risk Assessment in the 21st Century. She is the 2009 award recipient for Excellence in Research from the American Parkinson’s Disease Association and the 2007 Robert M. Zweig M.D. Memorial Award (Clean Air Award) from the California South Coast Air Quality Management District.
She currently serves as a member of Cal-EPA Scientific Review Panel on Toxic Air Contaminants. Dr. Ritz is the 2017/18 President-Elect/President of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE).
