Dr. Ruth A. Etzel, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Ruth A. Etzel

Dr. Ruth Etzel is the Director of the Office of Children’s Health Protection.

Dr. Etzel is a pediatrician and specialist in preventive medicine and public health. She came to EPA in 2015. During her career, which spans over 30 years, she has worked at the tribal, national and international level to protect children from hazards in the environment.

Dr. Etzel has received numerous awards, including:

• the Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Public Health Service,
• the Don C. Mackel Memorial Award from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
• the Arthur S. Flemming Award, and
• the Clinical Society Award from the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Officers Association.

Dr. Etzel received an M.D. from the University of Wisconsin and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

She is the founding editor of the popular book Pediatric Environmental Health and the co-editor of the Textbook of Children’s Environmental Health.