Singer Distinguished Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, UNC-CH
CGS Faculty Research Director
Dr. Stewart develops novel techniques to detect and track pathogens in water. She is particularly interested in linkages between ecosystems and human health and well-being. Areas of specialty include water and shellfish quality. She is also interested in evaluating the impacts of non-point source pollution, and in evaluating the manner in which human activities (development, stormwater management) can affect their exposure to microbial contaminants. Overall, this research is leading to a greater understanding of how environmental conditions can affect human health and how humans themselves influence this process.
Dr. Stewart is committed to pursuing high impact, interdisciplinary research at the nexus of ecosystems and human health, and in bridging silos between traditional academic disciplines.She leads efforts to build the research enterprise across departments including leading faculty research directors from across campus to identify critical research questions and to work together to understand the complex interactions between people and the environment.
Research Projects
- Lessons from the Environmental Resistome in Galápagos: A One Health Perspective
- The Dual Burden of Disease in the Galápagos, Ecuador: An Interdisciplinary Study of Food and Water on Isabela Island
- Water, Food, and Health in San Cristóbal: The Healthy Family Study
- Water Quality Assessments on San Cristobal Island, Ecuador
Publications
- Grube AM, Stewart JR, Ochoa-Herrera V. (2020). The challenge of achieving safely managed drinking water supply on San Cristobal island, Galápagos. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 228:113547.
- Houck KM, Terán E, Ochoa J, Zapata GN, Gomez AM, Parra R, Dvorquez D, Stewart JR, Bentley ME, Thompson, AL. (2019). Drinking water improvements and rates of urinary and gastrointestinal infections in Galápagos, Ecuador: Assessing household and community factors. American Journal of Human Biology, e23358.
- Gerhard WA, Choi WS, Houck KM, Stewart JR. (2017). Water quality at points-of-use in the Galapagos Islands. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. 220(2, Pt B): 485- 493.
- Overbey KN, Hatcher SM, Stewart JR. (2015). Water quality and antibiotic resistance at beaches of the Galápagos Islands. Frontiers in Public Health. 3(64).