Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, MPH, the former EPA scientist and Alison S. Carlson Endowed Professor who has led the UC San Francisco Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE) since 2007, is leaving for Stanford University, where she will launch a new research and policy group focused on toxic chemicals. She will be departing PRHE after February 1, 2026.
Continuing and expanding on PRHE’s great work
Amy M. Padula, PhD, MSc, faculty member in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and leading PRHE researcher for the past 10 years, will serve as PRHE’s interim director. Dr. Padula was named one of 20 Pioneers under 40 in Environmental Health by the Collaborative on Health and the Environment and received a National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Outstanding New Environmental Scientist (ONES) R01 Award for her work on wildfire smoke and preterm birth. Dr. Padula is supported by the dedicated Executive Leadership team, most of whom have been with tPRHE for over a decade and will continue to guide its impactful work alongside longstanding staff, faculty and collaborators committed to PRHE’s mission.
“It has been inspiring to be part of PRHE, and I am excited to lead this accomplished team,” Dr. Padula said. “We all wish Tracey the best of luck at Stanford and are committed to continuing and expanding on PRHE’s great work. I’m honored to step into this leadership role at such a critical moment for environmental and reproductive health.”
Influential force on toxics policy
PRHE grew significantly under Dr. Woodruff’s direction, becoming an influential force on toxics policy and holding EPA accountable for chemical risk evaluations. During her tenure, PRHE changed the way chemicals are evaluated, making the process more transparent and consistent with the development of the Navigation Guide, a method that has been adopted nationally and internationally. PRHE also conducted science that guided EPA actions to better protect people from deadly methylene chloride, toxic PFAS and TCE, and other harmful chemicals. And Dr. Woodruff testified multiple times before Congress to defend science and on the chemical lobby’s efforts to weaken the Toxic Substances Control Act.
Scientific breakthroughs
PRHE researchers made numerous scientific breakthroughs during Dr. Woodruff’s tenure, including identifying health harms of microplastics, discovering new previously unidentified toxic chemicals in pregnant women, the first to use the Navigation Guide to demonstrate that PFAS increased the risk of low birthweight, and found links to gestational diabetes, and depression.
Science Action Network and the EaRTH Center
In 2016, PRHE launched the Science Action Network (SAN) to engage scientists from across the country in chemical policy. The SAN developed recommendations on using science in decision-making, how to ensure scientific integrity, and reduce corporate influence in government decision-making.
In 2020, Dr. Woodruff spearheaded a collaborative effort to launch the Environmental Research and Translation for Health (EaRTH) Center at UCSF, which will become a multi-institutional collaboration as the UCSF/Stanford EaRTH Center. In 2024, Dr. Woodruff helped to launch the Center to End Corporate Harm and in 2025, she was named a member of the National Academies of Medicine.
“It has been an extraordinary honor to work with our fantastic PRHE team and collaborators and funders over the past 18 years. It is only because of our extraordinary team that we could accomplish so much,” Dr. Woodruff said. “With the unprecedented attacks on science and the environment, I look forward to launching a new initiative to advance science, defend scientific integrity and protect health.”
REACH fellow becomes PRHE interim director
Dr. Padula received her PhD in epidemiology from UC Berkeley and was a postdoctoral scholar and Instructor at Stanford University in pediatrics and neonatology. She was a PRHE REACH fellow who worked with EPA to strengthen air pollution policy. In addition to PRHE, Dr. Padula serves as a scientific advisor for the California Biomonitoring Program and leads the UC San Francisco EaRTH Center’s Postdoctoral Training Program.
Leading scientist on how climate and chemicals impact pregnancy and child development
Dr. Padula has led research that has delivered breakthroughs in understanding how climate and chemicals harm pregnancy and child development. She plans to continue to lead research on the harmful reproductive health effects of environmental chemicals in the air, water and everyday products we all encounter. Her currently funded research includes expansion of the Chemicals in our Bodies pregnancy cohort study of multiple chemical exposures, impacts of wildfire smoke on fertility and birth defects, report back of individual results of endocrine disrupting chemicals found in pregnant women, extreme heat during pregnancy, and community-based interventions to reduce exposures.
“Meaningful change for the people and communities we serve.”
“The future of environmental reproductive health research lies in our ability to move from documentation to prevention—working alongside communities most impacted by environmental hazards to co-create solutions that protect health,” says Dr. Padula. “I’m energized to work with PRHE’s exceptional team to push our science toward action, ensuring our research translates into meaningful change for the people and communities we serve.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.