• Why Parkinson's disease is now the fastest-growing brain disease in the world.
• Why environmental toxins may play a much bigger role than genetics than most people realize.
• How pesticides, air pollution, and contaminated water may contribute to Parkinson's disease.
• The surprising ways Parkinson's may actually begin in the nose or the gut—years before it reaches the brain.
• Why losing your sense of smell or acting out your dreams during sleep could be important early warning signs.
• How scientists are uncovering different pathways that may explain why Parkinson's progresses differently from person to person.
• Why researchers believe prevention—not just treatment—may be the key to changing the future of this disease.
• The exciting science behind protecting your brain by reducing everyday environmental exposures and supporting lifelong brain health.
• Practical takeaways to help you make smarter choices for yourself, your family, and future generations.

RAY DORSEY, MD Dr. Ray Dorsey is the director of the Center for the Brain & the Environment at the Atria Health and Research Institute. The center's mission is to identify the root causes of brain diseases from autism to Alzheimer's so that we can prevent them. With his colleagues, he wrote Ending Parkinson's Disease and The Parkinson's Plan, which details a new path to preventing and treating this terrible disease. Ray previously directed the Center for Health + Technology at the University of Rochester, chaired the international Huntington Study Group, led the movement disorders division at Johns Hopkins, and consulted for McKinsey & Company. In 2015, the White House recognized Ray as a "Champion for Change" for Parkinson's disease.

In this episode, we discuss…

● How the brain controls reproductive hormones and communicates with the endocrine system. ● How endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) interfere with brain-hormone communication. ● What EDCs are and how they disrupt normal hormonal signaling. The endocrine system explained through a simple "lock-and-key" hormone model. ● How EDCs can mimic or block natural hormones in the body. ● How EDCs disrupt hormone production, regulation, and overall balance in the body. ● The rise of synthetic chemicals after World War II and links to increasing endocrine and neurological disorders. ● The accidental discovery that BPA leaching from plastic caused reproductive harm in laboratory mice. ● Why endocrine disruption challenged the traditional idea that "the dose makes the poison." ● How chemicals like BPA can affect multiple hormone receptors at very low doses.....and so much more!

Dr. Andrea Gore is Professor and Vacek Chair in Pharmacology at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research team is investigating fundamental mechanisms of how environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) perturb the developing brain; sex differences in EDC actions; and transgenerational epigenetic effects. Dr. Gore's research has been funded continuously by the NIH, NSF, and foundations since 1992. She has published 4 books and over 200 scientific papers. She was Editor-in-Chief of Endocrinology from 2013-2017 and was lead author of the Endocrine Society's two Scientific Statements on EDCs, and the Endocrine Society-IPEN Guides to EDCs, most recently in 2024. Dr. Gore is very active in advocacy for, mentorship of, and education of trainees. Over 150 undergraduates, graduate students, and fellows have conducted independent research in her laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Gore feels fortunate to have multiple passions beyond her research in environmental health: playing violin in an orchestra and string quartet; running a turtle and tortoise sanctuary; and her rescue dogs.

Andrea C. Gore, PhD Professor and Vacek Distinguished University Chair in Pharmacology

The University of Texas at Austin

[email protected]

http://sites.utexas.edu/gore/

In this episode, we discuss…

• Dr. Weil's background and early influences, and how his lifelong curiosity about healing helped shape the field of integrative medicine more than three decades ago

• What integrative medicine is, defined by the physician who helped pioneer this approach to health and healing

• Why early resistance from the medical community began to shift in the 1990s, as economic pressures and growing patient interest opened institutions to integrative care

• Dr. Weil's philosophy on medications, including how they should be used thoughtfully in patient care and why overuse can lead to harm and poorer long-term outcomes

• The concept of food as medicine, and why nutrition is foundational to health and healing despite being underemphasized in medical education

• Environmental health awareness, and how growing concerns about toxins underscore the role of environmental exposures in disease

• Healthy aging versus anti-aging, and why the focus should be on maintaining function and compressing decline rather than trying to stop the aging process

• Mental health and alternative approaches, including why psychiatry often relies heavily on medication and how lifestyle, breathing techniques, and other non-drug therapies can be effective

Andrew Weil, M.D., is a world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine. Combining a Harvard education and a lifetime of practicing natural and preventive medicine, he is the founder and director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, where he is a clinical professor of medicine and professor of public health. A New York Times best-selling author, Dr. Weil is the author of 15 books on health and wellbeing, including Mind Over Meds: Know When Drugs Are Necessary, When Alternatives Are Better, and When to Let Your Body Heal on Its Own; Fast Food, Good Food; True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure; Spontaneous Happiness; Healthy Aging; and Eight Weeks to Optimum Health. He is the editorial director of DrWeil.com, the leading online resource for healthy living based on the philosophy of integrative medicine. Dr. Weil is the Founder and Chairman of the Weil Foundation, a nonprofit organization which makes grants to support and advance integrative medicine. He is also a founder and partner in the growing family of True Food Kitchen restaurants.

In this episode, we discuss…

• What science really is, both as body of knowledge and a constantly evolving process

• Why one study is never enough and the importance of multiple methods, reproducibility, and scientific consensus over time

• When "gold standard" research falls short and why fields like nutrition require more flexible, creative approaches

• Science's built-in caution and how new ideas face a high bar of proof, slowing acceptance but strengthening reliability

• How doubt is manufactured, from the tobacco era to climate science, using fringe voices to challenge strong consensus

• The role of ideology, and how "freedom" narratives can shape public resistance to scientific evidence

• Acting without certainty and why we must make public health decisions even when data isn't 100% complete

• AI and misinformation and the promise and risk of tools like OpenAI in shaping how we consume science

Naomi Oreskes Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences ON LEAVE SPRING 2026 email[email protected] Faculty Assistant: Yaz Alfata

Primary Areas of Research: Agnotology; the Political Economy of Scientific Knowledge; History and Philosophy of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Science and Technology Studies (STS); the History of Climate Change Disinformation

Secondary Areas of Interest: Science Policy, Science and Religion, Women and Gender Studies

Naomi Oreskes is Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. A world-renowned earth scientist, historian and public speaker, she is the author of the best-selling book, Merchants of Doubt (2010) and a leading voice on the role of science in society, the reality of anthropogenic climate change, and the role of disinformation in blocking climate action.

Oreskes is author or co-author of 9 books, and over 150 articles, essays and opinion pieces, including Merchants of Doubt (Bloomsbury, 2010), The Collapse of Western Civilization (Columbia University Press, 2014), Discerning Experts (University Chicago Press, 2019), Why Trust Science? (Princeton University Press, 2019), and Science on a Mission: American Oceanography from the Cold War to Climate Change, (University of Chicago Press, 2021). Merchants of Doubt, co-authored with Erik Conway, was the subject of a documentary film of the same name produced by participant Media and distributed by SONY Pictures Classics, and has been translated into nine languages. A new edition of Merchants of Doubt, with an introduction by Al Gore, was published in 2020. Her latest book, with Erik Conway, is The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loath Government and Love the Free Market, which has been translated to French and Italian.

Oreskes wrote the Introduction to the Melville House edition of the Papal Encyclical on Climate Change and Inequality, Laudato Si, and her essays and opinion pieces on climate change have appeared in leading newspapers around the globe, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, the Times (London), and Frankfurter Allegemeine. Her numerous awards and prizes include the 2019 Geological Society of American Mary C. Rabbitt Award, the 2016 Stephen Schneider Award for outstanding Climate Science Communication, the 2015 Public Service Award of the Geological Society of America, the 2015 Herbert Feis Prize of the American Historical Association for her contributions to public history, and the 2014 American Geophysical Union Presidential Citation for Science and Society. She is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the Geological Society of America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. In 2018, she was named a Guggenheim Fellow, and in 2019 she was awarded the British Academy Medal. In 2024, she was awarded the Nonino Foundation "Maestro del Nostro Tempo" award. And in 2025, she was awarded the Volvo Environment Prize for her contributions in "shaping our understanding of how scientific knowledge is collectively constructed and addressing the challenges of misinformation in public discourse."

Curriculum Vitae

Select Publications

• The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loath Government and Love the Free Market, 2023 (Bloomsbury Press)
• Science on a Mission, 2021 (University of Chicago Press)
• Why Trust Science?, 2019 (Princeton University Press)
• Science and Technology in the Global Cold War, 2014 (MIT Press)
• The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View from the Future, 2014 (Columbia University Press) Collapse of Western Civilization Home Page
• Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming, 2010. (New York: Bloomsbury Press.) Merchants of Doubt Home Page Merchants of Doubt at the 52nd New York Film Festival, October 8, 2014
• Models in Environmental Regulatory Decision Making, Whipple, Chris et al. (fourteen additional authors), 2007. (Washington DC: National Academy of Sciences National Research Council, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology), 287 pp.
• The Rejection of Continental Drift: Theory and Method in American Earth Science, 1999. (New York: Oxford University Press)

In the Media

Testimony Before the US Senate Budget Committee, Twitter, June 22, 2023 Science Isn't Always Perfect - But We Should Still Trust It, TIME, October 2019 Climate Change Will Cost Us Even More Than We Think, New York Times, October 2019 Escaping Extinction, World Economic Forum, January 2019 Yes, ExxonMobil Misled the Public, LA Times, September 2017 What Exxon Mobil Didn't Say About Climate Change, The New York Times, August 2017 Assessing ExxonMobil's Climate Change Communications (177-2014), Environment Research Letters, August 2017 Scientists Dive Into the Political Fray, PBS Newshour, April 2017 How to Break the Climate Deadlock, Scientific American, November 2015 What Did Exxon Know?, On The Media, November 2015 The Pope and the Planet, The Open Mind, November 2015 Exxon's Climate Concealment, New York Times, October 2015 Naomi Oreskes, a Lightning Rod in a Changing Climate, New York Times, June 2015 A Chronicler of Warnings Denied, New York Times, October 2014 Merchants of Doubt, Documentary from Sony Pictures Classics, 2014 "Why We Should Trust Scientists," TED Talk, June 2014

The 2014 Vatican Environmental Summit:

• Can a Pope Help Sustain Humanity and Ecology?, New York Times
• Interview for Cosmologics Magazine

Prof. Oreskes discusses her book, "The Collapse of Western Civilization..."

• Naomi Oreskes - The Collapse of Western Civilization, Inquiring Minds Podcast
• "A View From the Climate Change Future," National Public Radio via Boston's WBUR

Edited Volumes

• Oreskes, Naomi, ed., with Homer E. Le Grand, 2001. Plate Tectonics: An Insider's History of the Modern Theory of the Earth (Boulder: Westview Press), paperback edition February 2003.

Edited Journal Volumes

• Oreskes, Naomi and James R. Fleming, eds. 2000. "Perspectives on Geophysics," Special Issue of Studies in the History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 31B, September 2000.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why women's health needs a full-body reset, moving beyond "bikini medicine" to include brain, heart, immune, and metabolic health.
• How gaps in anatomy education leave women uninformed, even at advanced education levels, limiting body literacy and self-advocacy.
• Why women normalize serious symptoms like pain, heavy bleeding, and fatigue, and how this delays diagnosis and care.
• How to be heard in a short doctor visit by prioritizing and clearly reporting symptoms in advance.
• Why medical language still reflects gender bias, and how updating anatomical terms can improve understanding and care.
• What most UTI advice gets wrong, and why effective options like vaginal estrogen remain underused.
• The difference between screening and prevention in breast health, and why understanding lifetime risk matters beyond mammograms.
• How male-centered research has shaped women's medicine, and what new science is revealing about female-specific health differences.
• Why pushing through pain can worsen outcomes, increasing pain sensitivity and delaying proper treatment.
• How pain management in gynecology is finally changing, with growing recognition that procedures should not require suffering.

Meghan Rabbitt is an award-winning journalist and author of The New Rules of Women's Health: Your Guide to Thriving at Every Age. She specializes in writing about women's health and wellness, and her work has appeared in many national publications, including Women's Health, Oprah Daily, Prevention, Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper, and more. She's known for translating complex medical and scientific topics into clear, actionable information—and for telling stories that help readers better understand their bodies, their health, and themselves.

Important links: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Substack | Book

Press Kit: Here

Ashley Koff, RD is the founder of The Better Nutrition Program (BNP), the Nutrition Course Director for UC Irvine's Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute's Integrative and Functional Medicine Fellowship, and a faculty member at the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy (IFNA), where she teaches "An Integrative and Functional Nutrition Approach to Obesity and Weight Management." She is also the author of the upcoming book, Your Best Shot (Harper One, January 6, 2026). A practitioner for over 25 years, Koff is leading a transformative movement in personalized nutrition, turning "better, not perfect" choices into practical, sustainable strategies that deliver real health outcomes. Through patient stories and personal experience, she shows that optimal health is not just possible—it's essential to living your fullest life. Koff has been recognized as one of CNN's Top 100 Health Makers, featured in InStyle as "Hollywood's Leading Dietitian," and has been selected as Westin's Global Nutrition Ambassador.

In this episode of The Smart Human Podcast, host Aly welcomes Dr. Robin Mesnage, a toxicologist and research fellow at King's College London, to discuss the toxicology and pharmacology of glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup. The conversation delves into the effects of glyphosate on the microbiome and cellular health, vulnerable periods of exposure, and ways to reduce exposure. Dr. Mesnage also shares insights from a significant 2025 rat study highlighting the carcinogenicity of glyphosate. The discussion extends to the broader implications of pesticide use on human health, food safety, and agricultural practices. Practical tips for reducing exposure to glyphosate and other chemicals at home are also provided.

00:00 Introduction to the Smart Human Podcast 00:50 Meet Dr. Robin Mesnage: Toxicologist and Research Fellow 01:31 Groundbreaking Glyphosate Study 02:27 Study Design and Findings 03:36 Implications of Glyphosate on Human Health 10:20 Glyphosate in Agriculture and Its Widespread Use 17:04 Glyphosate's Impact on the Gut Microbiome 20:58 Daily Exposure to Glyphosate 24:06 Protecting Vulnerable Populations 26:21 Environmental and Airborne Exposure 29:33 The Glyphosate Controversy: Legal Battles and Health Concerns 32:34 The Impact of Glyphosate on Agriculture and Sustainability 36:24 Organic Farming and Certification Standards 39:14 Practical Tips to Reduce Glyphosate Exposure 51:59 The Importance of Healthy Lifestyle and Vulnerable Populations 53:54 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

🔹 What glyphosate is and why Roundup matters 🔹 How widely glyphosate is used in farming and gardening 🔹 Air, water, and environmental impacts 🔹 How glyphosate works at the cellular level 🔹 Its effect on the gut microbiome 🔹 Links to cancer and other health concerns 🔹 Highlights from a major new glyphosate study 🔹 Where it appears in food and drinking water 💦 🔹 How to reduce everyday exposure 🔹 Why organic farming and USDA certification matter 🔹 How healthy habits support detoxification

Robin Mesnage Scientific Director at Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinics, The Fasting Experts

Research Fellow in the Department of Nutrition, King's College London Scientific Director, Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinics

Unleash the self-healing abilities of your body with fasting! I am the scientific director of the Buchinger Wilhelmi clinic, which specializes in therapeutic fasting. I oversee the research and development activities to scientifically document the health effects of fasting, develop new therapeutic strategies, and most importantly empower our patients to live healthy and fulfilling lives. With over 10 years of experience in molecular biology and bioinformatics, I have the ability to leverage data to optimize fasting protocols, monitor patient outcomes, and identify novel biomarkers for personalized healthcare. Research at King's College London I also collaborate with the Department of Nutrition at King's College London, where I hold a visiting research fellow position. I work with Dr. Ana Rodriguez-Mateos to investigate the role of the gut microbiome in the health benefits of plant foods and phytochemicals. Scientific Editor I am a keynote speaker, regularly offering lectures on scientific topics. I have served as an expert on the regulation of human health effects of chemical pollutants for the French government and occasionally for the European Parliament. My research has resulted in the publication of over 100 scientific articles, cited more than 8,000 times. I have authored and edited the book Herbicides: Chemistry, Efficacy, Toxicology, and Environmental Impacts which offers a comprehensive overview of herbicide toxicology presented by internationally recognized experts. Altogether, I am among the top 1 percent of cited scientists worldwide for my work on the health effects of pollution.

Studies PDFs:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12150505/pdf/12940_2025_Article_1187.pdf

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8883356/pdf/kfab143.pdf

#GutHealth #microbiome #CleanEating, #OrganicFood, #PublicHealth

In this episode, we discuss:

●How sleep and diet directly influence each other. ●How specific dietary patterns and specific nutrients can improve sleep, and how processed foods may worsen it. ●Ways you can restore the body through REM support for memory and learning. ●How aging and menopause influence sleep ●How light exposure therapy works and how light at night (LAN) can disrupt sleep cycles ●How common disorders like sleep apnea disrupt sleep cycles and how they can be managed effectively. ●How consistent routines, stress reduction, and a healthy environment improve sleep quality. ●If naps are a good idea….and under which circumstances you can maximize their benefits? ●How adequate sleep quality & quantity supports weight regulation, metabolism, and overall heart health.

Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Ph.D, CCSH, FAHA Professor of Nutritional Medicine Director, Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Irving Medical Center Address: 622 West- 168 th Street, PH9-103H New York, NY 10032 E-mail: [email protected]

Dr. St-Onge is the founding Director of the Center of Excellence for Sleep Circadian Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The overall focus of her research is the study of the impact of lifestyle, specifically sleep and diet, on cardio-metabolic risk factors. Dr. St-Onge has been NIH-funded since 2008, conducting innovative, cutting-edge clinical research combining her expertise on sleep, nutrition, and energy balance regulation to address questions related to the role of circadian rhythms, including sleep duration and timing as well as meal timing and eating patterns, on cardiometabolic risk. She has strong expertise in the conduct of controlled inpatient and outpatient studies of sleep and dietary manipulations. Dr. St-Onge was Center Director for the American Heart Association funded Go Red for Women Strategically Focused Research Center, aimed at determining the causality of the relation between sleep and cardiovascular disease and the specific role that sleep plays in the health of women throughout the life cycle. She is a pioneer in this field, having chaired the first scientific statements endorsed by the AHA on sleep and cardiometabolic health as well as meal timing and frequency and cardiovascular disease risk prevention. She is the recipient of an NHLBI Outstanding Investigator Award and a standing member of the Human Studies of Diabetes and Obesity Study Section at the NIH.

​In this interview, we cover:

🔹What is herbal medicine, and how has its use influenced human healing

🔹The basic tenets of herbal medicine…can its use be integrated safely and effectively into conventional medical care

🔹Any risks when considering the use of herbal medicine…herb-drug interactions?

🔹Which conditions might be contraindicated in with the use of herbal medicine

🔹Why might someone seek out an herbal medicine doctor…what are the benefits/limitations 🔹Finding a reputable herbal medicine practitioner

🔹Most commonly used, safe herbs used for the most common conditions

🔹Which herbs are David's favorites ….and SO MUCH more! 🤩

David Winston is an Herbalist and Ethnobotanist with 56 years of training in Chinese, Western/Eclectic and Southeastern herbal traditions. He has been in clinical practice for 49 years and is an herbal consultant to physicians, herbalists and researchers throughout the USA, Europe and Canada. David is the founder/director of the Herbal Therapeutics Research Library and the dean of David Winston's Center for Herbal Studies, a two-year training program in clinical herbal medicine. He is an internationally known lecturer and frequently teaches at medical schools, professional symposia and herb conferences. He is the president of Herbalist & Alchemist, Inc. a manufacturer that produces herbal products that blend the art and science of the world's great herbal traditions.

In addition, David is a founding/professional member of the American Herbalist Guild, and he is on the American Botanical Council and the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia Advisory Boards. He was a contributing author to American Herbalism, published in 1992 by Crossings Press, and the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP) , 2000-2018, the author of Saw Palmetto for Men & Women, Storey, 1999 and Herbal Therapeutics, Specific Indications For Herbs & Herbal Formulas, HTRL, 2024 (14th edition) and the primary -author of Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief, Healing Arts Press, 2007 & 2019 2nd Ed, and Winston and Kuhn's Herbal Therapy and Supplements; A Scientific and Traditional Approach, Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott, 2008. David has also published hundreds of articles in medical and botanical medicine journals and conference proceedings. He is also a member of the AHPA Expert Advisory Council that created the second edition of the Botanical Safety Handbook, CRC Press, published in 2013 (3rd edition in press). In 2011 David along with 9 other members of the Botanical Safety Handbook expert advisory committee were recipients of the AHPA Herbal Insights award. In 2013 he received the Natural Products Association Clinicians award and was awarded a fellowship by the Irish Register of Herbalists. In 2018 he was the Mitchell visiting scholar at Bastyr University, in 2019 he was awarded an honorary DSc degree from the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, OR, in 2023 he was awarded the AHPA Herbal Insight award recognizing his over 50 years of educating people about herbal medicine and in 2024 he was given the American Botanical Council's Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder award.

#herbal #botany #medical

Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S. is the former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health, and the National Toxicology Program (NTP). After retirement, she was granted scientist emeritus status and still maintains a laboratory. As a board-certified toxicologist, Birnbaum served as a federal scientist for 40 years. Prior to her appointment as NIEHS and NTP Director in 2009, she spent 19 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she directed the largest division focusing on environmental health research. Birnbaum has received many awards and recognitions. In 2016, she was awarded the North Carolina Award in Science. She was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, one of the highest honors in the fields of medicine and health. She was also elected to the Collegium Ramazzini, an independent, international academy comprised of internationally renowned experts in the fields of occupational and environmental health and received an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Rochester and a Distinguished Alumna Award from the University of Illinois. She has also received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Rhode Island, Ben-Gurion University, Israel, and Amity University, India; the Surgeon General's Medallion 2014; and 14 Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards, which reflect the recommendations of EPA's external Science Advisory Board, for specific publications. Dr. Birnbaum recently received the Winslow Award, the highest honor from the Yale School of Public Health and was elected an AAAS Fellow. She has also received numerous awards from professional societies and citizen's groups. Birnbaum is an active member of the scientific community. She was vice president of the International Union of Toxicology, the umbrella organization for toxicology societies in more than 50 countries, and former president of the Society of Toxicology, the largest professional organization of toxicologists in the world. She is the author of more than 1000 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, abstracts, and reports. Birnbaum's own research focuses on the pharmacokinetic behavior of environmental chemicals, mechanisms of action of toxicants including endocrine disruption, and linking of real-world exposures to health effects. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland in Australia, the School of Public Health of Yale University, the Gillings School of Global Public Health, the Curriculum in Toxicology, and the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as in the Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program at Duke University where she is also a Scholar in Residence. A native of New Jersey, Birnbaum received her M.S. and Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.