Shakira Franco Suglia

professor, medicine, public health, Boston University

Shakira Franco Suglia is an Assistant Professor at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston University School of Public Health. She received her Sc.D. in epidemiology and environmental health from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Franco Suglia's research interests are multidisciplinary, and include the effects of the social and physical environment on children's psychological and physical health. One focus of her work is the role of domestic and community violence -- conceptualized as a chronic stressor -- on the development of a number of child outcomes (i.e., asthma, obesity, cognitive deficiencies and behavioral problems). Her work also examines the impact of environmental factors (i.e., poor quality built environment and traffic related pollutants) predominant in urban communities which may interact with other social factors and affect children's health.