Wenhao Chen, Ph.D

Research Scientist, Indoor Air Quality Program, Environmental Health Laboratory Branch, CDPH
and
Adjunct Research Associate, Collage of Engineering and Computer Sciences, Syracuse University

Phone: (510) 620-2868 | E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Wenhao Chen is a research scientist with the California Department of Public Health. She has a bachelor's and master's degree in Civil Engineering from Tianjin University (in China) and doctorate from Syracuse University in Mechanical Engineering with emphasis on building energy and environmental system and indoor air quality. Dr. Chen's research focuses on how to apply and improve engineering methods for the control and removal of indoor gaseous (especially volatile organic compounds) and particulate contaminants. Her technical expertise includes material emissions, indoor air cleaning and integrated building environmental system design. Dr. Chen is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM), and Sigma Xi.

Kazukiyo Kumagai, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Eng.

Chief, Indoor Air Quality Program, Environmental Health Laboratory Branch, CDPH
and
Guest Professor, Research and Education Center for Carbon Resources, Kyushu University

Phone: (510) 620-2805  |  Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Kazukiyo Kumagai is currently the Chief of Indoor Air Quality Section of the California Department of Public Health and also a Guest Professor at Kyushu University in Japan. Dr. Kumagai is a member of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning and Engineers and other major organizations on indoor and outdoor atmospheric environment. Dr. Kumagai holds a B.Eng. and M.Eng. in Architectural Engineering from Tokyo University of Science, Japan, MPH in Environmental Health from the Institute of Public Health, Japan and PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Tokyo. Dr. Kumagai has worked for over 20 years in the field of environmental science, focused on air quality monitoring, human exposure to environmental and occupational pollution, participation in study exposure and/or effects of pollution on human health in indoor environment and controlled environments, and research driven by air quality policy. His recent research support is from Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan, Ministry of Economic, Trade and Industry, Japan and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan.

Janet M. Macher, Sc.D., M.P.H.

Air Pollution Research Specialist, Indoor Air Quality Program, Environmental Health Laboratory Branch, CDPH

Phone: (510) 620-2859  |  E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Janet Macher is an air pollution research specialist with the California Department of Public Health. She has a master's degree from the University of California and doctorate from Harvard University with emphasis on occupational health, public health, and microbiology. Dr. Macher studies engineering measures to control airborne infectious and hypersensitivity diseases, evaluates methods to collect and identify airborne biological material, and participates in epidemiological studies in the state of California. Dr. Macher is a member of the American Association for Aerosol Research, American Biological Safety Association, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the American Public Health Association, the American Society for Testing and Materials, California Public Health Association-North; Gesellshaft fur Aerosol Forschung; the International and Pan-American Associations for Aerobiology, and the Northern California American Society for Microbiology and Association of Public Health Microbiologists.

Mark J. Mendell, Ph.D.

Air Pollution Research Specialist, Indoor Air Quality Program, Environmental Health Laboratory Branch, CDPH
and
Staff Scientist/Epidemiologist, Indoor Environment Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Phone: (510) 620-2862  |  E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Mark Mendell, Ph.D., is currently an Air Pollution Research Specialist in the Indoor Air Quality Section of the California Department of Public Health and a Staff Scientist/Epidemiologist in the Indoor Environment Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. Dr. Mendell is on the editorial board of the journal Indoor Air and a member of the International Academy of Indoor Air Sciences. He holds a BA from Cornell University; a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Oregon; and a PhD in epidemiology from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Dr. Mendell has worked for over 20 years in the field of environmental epidemiology, focused on health effects related to indoor environments in buildings. His work includes field research to help understand relationships between specific factors and conditions in buildings and health effects in occupants, and critical reviews of the literature on specific environment/health relationships in buildings. His research interests include the causes and prevention of building-related symptoms (also called sick building syndrome) in offices; health risks, including asthma and allergies, associated with indoor environments, ventilation systems, moisture, microbial growth, and chemical emissions; and effects of school environments on the health and performance of students. His current or recent research support is from the California Energy Commission, the U.S. Green Building Council, the U.S. EPA, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. General Services Administration, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the National Center for Environmental Health, and the World Health Organization.

Robert Miller, B.Sc.

Supervising Chemist, Indoor Air Quality Program, Environmental Health Laboratory Branch, CDPH

Phone: (510) 620-2860  |  Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Robert Miller is a Supervising Chemist in the Indoor Air Quality Section of the Environmental Health Laboratory. Mr. Miller holds a BS in Chemistry from California State University, Sacramento. He has worked in analytical chemistry for over twenty years. Since 2001, he has focused on volatile chemical emissions from building materials and in the built environment. Mr. Miller is a member of the American Chemical Society.

Jed Waldman, Ph.D.

Chief, Environmental Health Laboratory Branch, CDPH

Phone: (510) 620-2864  |  E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Dr. Jed Waldman is Branch Chief of the California Department of Public Health's Environmental Health Laboratory (EHL) in Richmond. EHL programs include Biomonitoring, Indoor Air Quality, Outdoor Air Quality, and Emergency Preparedness & Response. Previously, he headed the EHL's Indoor Air Quality Program, which is responsible for research, training and public outreach on the full range of IAQ issues. He has served on advisory panels for the California Energy Commission, Air Resources Board, Health Effects Institute, and others. He served for six years as a member on U.S. EPA's Science Advisory Board's Integrated Human Exposure Committee. As a visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley School of Architecture, he designed and co-taught "Healthy Building Design" (ARCH 249x). Dr. Waldman has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida, a M.S. in Environmental Engineering Science and a Ph.D. related to atmospheric chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Prior to coming to CDPH, he was an associate professor of Environmental & Community Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey. His research and teaching has focused on human exposure measurement and assessment, and he has received funding from U.S. EPA, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), State of New Jersey and State of California agencies.

Kunning Zhu, Ph.D.

Research Scientist, Indoor Air Quality Program, Environmental Health Laboratory Branch, CDPH

Phone: (510) 620-2872  |  E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Kunning Zhu, Ph.D., is currently a Research Scientist in the Indoor Air Quality Section of the California Department of Public Health. Dr. Zhu is a member of the International Society of Exposure Science, American Association of Aerosol Research, and American Public Health Association. He holds a BS in Environmental Science from Nanjing University, China, and a PhD in Environmental Science from joint program of Rutgers University and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Dr. Zhu has worked for over 10 years in the field of environmental science, focused on air quality monitoring, human exposure to environmental and occupational pollution, participation in study exposure and/or effects of pollution on human health in indoor environment and controlled environments, and research driven by air quality policy. His current or recent research support is from New Jersey Department of Environment Protection, U.S. Department of Defense, California Air Resource Board, California Waste Management Board, and U.S. EPA.

Research Assistants

2011 - Current: Agatha Chang (Epidemiology / Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley)

2011 - Current: Alexandra Rodionova (Environmental Health Sciences and Industrial Hygiene, University of California, Berkeley)

2010 - Current: Priscilia Tanbun (Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley)

2011 - Current: Kristine Tjung (Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley)

Alumni

2011

Research Assistant: Kristan Anderson (Environmental Management, University of San Francisco) 

Research Assistant: Karda Ahmed (Infectious Disease, University of California, Berkeley)

Research Assistant: Rachel Ely (Public Health, University of California, Berkeley)

Research Assistant: Scott Ho (General Biology, University of California, San Diego)

Research Assistant: Andrew Li (American Highschool of Fremont)

Research Assistant: Hahn Lu (Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley)

2010

Research Assistant: Kaveh Hemati (Public Health, University of California, Berkeley)

Research Assistant: Elisa Lee (Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley)

Research Assistant: Hahn Lu (University of California, Berkeley)

Research Assistant: Marvin So (Public Health, Ecosystem Biology, University of California, Berkeley)

Research Assistant: Genie Tang (Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley)

Research Assistant: Albert Tjoeng (Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley)