Katrina Smith Korfmacher, Ph.D.

Community Outreach and Education
The COEC maintains two-way links between environmental health research and the information needs of the community. My primary focus is addressing environmental health information and policy needs of the communities in and around Rochester. I participate in many local partnerships relating to environmental health including the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning, the Rochester Healthy Homes Partnership, the Water Education Collaborative and the Center for Environmental Information.

Childhood lead poisoning remains one of the most significant childhood environmental health risk in the Rochester area. I have been an active member of the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning since 2001, serving on its Governmental Relations Subcommittee and Executive Committee. I focus on translating environmental health information into relevant policy at the local, state, and federal levels.

Building on community partnerships established through the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning, I have worked with several community groups to develop education and outreach programs related to healthy homes.

We have also initiated outreach programs related to other EHSC research programs and in response to community needs, including risks from consuming Lake Ontario fish, concerns about air quality, the environmental contributors to obesity, and groundwater contamination.

As a policy scientist, most of my research has addressed on the role of science in the policy process. I focus on the role of community groups in the policy process, and particularly on how these groups generate, access, and use information.