Marilyn Howarth, adjunct associate professor of emergency medicine and systems pharmacology and translational therapeutics in the Perelman School of Medicine and director of community outreach and engagement at Penn’s Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET), was honored by the community organization Chester Environmental Partnership at their recent annual awards dinner for her long-standing involvement with its efforts to protect the environment and safeguard the health of members of the Chester community.

Chester has a number of environmental problems stemming from numerous current and abandoned industrial sites, two major chemical manufacturers, municipal and infectious medical-waste treatment facilities, a trash-to-steam incinerator and heavy automobile and truck traffic.

Dr. Howarth was recognized for providing environmental health expertise on a range of health and environmental justice issues to the Partnership, meeting with industry and regulatory agencies on setting permit standards for emissions and working with medical providers on advising patients on how to avoid exposures to toxicants. She also emphasizes the importance of social factors such as poverty, crime and housing quality in affecting health.

Dr. Howarth is a founding professor of Penn’s Master in Public Health environmental and occupational-health track and provides educational sessions on environmental health topics to community and employee groups.