Birgit Claus Henn
Profiles

Birgit G. Claus Henn, ScD

Associate Professor, Environmental Health - Boston University School of Public Health

(617) 358-2459
bclaus@bu.edu
Talbot
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Biography

Birgit Claus Henn is an environmental epidemiologist who seeks to define the impacts of environmental exposures on maternal and child health. Her research focuses on chemical mixtures and their effects on child growth, neurodevelopment, and the health of pregnant and reproductive-aged women. She has examined exposure to metals, pesticides, and endocrine disrupting chemicals and associations with neurodevelopment in multiple pediatric cohorts worldwide, spanning critical periods of development from the prenatal period through adolescence. A central component of her work is estimating health effects of environmental mixtures using state-of-the-art statistical approaches.

Other research interests include the development and use of novel exposure science methods to incorporate exposure timing in epidemiologic studies, and the role of nutritional, social, and other factors in modifying and/or mediating chemical toxicity.

Dr. Claus Henn was the PI of an NIEHS K99/R00 Career Development Award to utilize novel statistical approaches for analyzing metal mixtures and neurodevelopment and is the MPI or co-investigator on multiple NIH R01s on environmental mixtures. She is also the PI of an NIEHS T32 Predoctoral Training Program and serves as the director of the PhD program in Environmental Health at BUSPH.

Education

  • Harvard School of Public Health, SD Field of Study: Epidemiology
  • University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, MPH Field of Study: Environmental Health
  • University of California, Berkeley, BA Field of Study: Environmental Science

Websites

Classes Taught

  • SPHEH730
  • SPHEH980

Publications

  • Published on 4/25/2025

    Geller RJ, Wesselink AK, Claus Henn B, Upson K, Vinceti M, Harmon QE, Baird DD, Wegienka G, Wise LA. A Prospective Ultrasound Study of Whole Blood Metals and Incidence of Uterine Leiomyomata. Environ Health Perspect. 2025 Apr; 133(3-4):47012. PMID: 40063901.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/1/2025

    Schildroth S, Claus Henn B, Geller RJ, Wesselink AK, Upson K, Vines AI, Vinceti M, Harmon QE, Baird DD, Wegienka G, Wise LA. A prospective study of a whole blood metal mixture and depressive symptoms among Black women from Detroit, Michigan. Neurotoxicology. 2025 Mar 01; 108:94-104. PMID: 40032041.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 12/2/2024

    Schildroth S, Wesselink AK, Bethea TN, Claus Henn B, Friedman A, Fruh V, Coleman CM, Lovett SM, Vines AI, Sjodin A, Botelho JC, Calafat AM, Wegienka G, Weuve J, Baird DD, Wise LA. A prospective cohort study of persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals and perceived stress. Am J Epidemiol. 2024 Dec 02; 193(12):1729-1740. PMID: 38803157.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 10/9/2024

    Claus Henn B, Leonard ER, Doherty BT, Byrne S, Hartmann N, Ptolemy AS, Ayanian S, Crawford KA. Serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) levels and health-related biomarkers in a pilot study of skiers in New England. Environ Res. 2024 Dec 15; 263(Pt 2):120122. PMID: 39389198.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 8/30/2024

    Wesselink AK, Claus Henn B, Fruh V, Geller RJ, Coleman CM, Schildroth S, Sjodin A, Bethea TN, Noel NL, Baird DD, Wegienka G, Wise LA. Persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals and incident uterine leiomyomata: A mixtures analysis. Sci Total Environ. 2024 Nov 15; 951:175871. PMID: 39216750.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 7/17/2024

    Fruh V, Babalola T, Sears C, Wellenius GA, Webster TF, Mann KK, Harrington J, Tjønneland A, Raaschou-Nielsen O, Claus Henn B, Meliker JR. Dietary Minerals and Incident Cardiovascular Outcomes among Never-Smokers in a Danish Case-Cohort Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Jul 17; 21(7). PMID: 39063508.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 7/16/2024

    Friedman A, Schildroth S, Fruh V, Krengel MH, Tripodis Y, Placidi D, White RF, Lucchini RG, Smith DR, Wright RO, Horton MK, Claus Henn B. Sex-specific associations of a ferroalloy metal mixture with motor function in Italian adolescents. Environ Epidemiol. 2024 Aug; 8(4):e321. PMID: 39022189.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 6/24/2024

    Wise LA, Coleman CM, Schildroth S, Geller RJ, Lovett SM, Claus Henn B, Calafat AM, Botelho JC, Marsh EE, Noel N, Wegienka GR, Bethea TN, Harmon QE, Baird DD, Wesselink AK. Associations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances with uterine leiomyomata incidence and growth: a prospective ultrasound study. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2024 Jun 24. PMID: 38914782.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/27/2024

    Renzetti S, van Thriel C, Lucchini RG, Smith DR, Peli M, Borgese L, Cirelli P, Bilo F, Patrono A, Cagna G, Rechtman E, Idili S, Ongaro E, Calza S, Rota M, Wright RO, Claus Henn B, Horton MK, Placidi D. A multi-environmental source approach to explore associations between metals exposure and olfactory identification among school-age children residing in northern Italy. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2024 Jul; 34(4):699-708. PMID: 38802534.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/27/2024

    Schildroth S, Geller RJ, Wesselink AK, Lovett SM, Bethea TN, Claus Henn B, Harmon QE, Taylor KW, Calafat AM, Wegienka G, Gaston SA, Baird DD, Wise LA. Hair product use and urinary biomarker concentrations of non-persistent endocrine disrupting chemicals among reproductive-aged Black women. Chemosphere. 2024 Aug; 361:142442. PMID: 38810806.

     Read At: PubMed

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