MELISSA J. PERRY

Dr Perry came to the Occupational Health Program in 1997 bringing research interests in agricultural health and preventive intervention research. Over the past seven years she has conducted behavioral epidemiology and preventive intervention studies targeting a number of health endpoints including HIV infection, alcohol and illicit drug use, breast and lung cancer and occupational injury and disease.

She is currently conducting a six-year study of farm based preventive interventions to reduce hazardous exposures to pesticides among farmers and their families. Through both self-reported data and urinalysis from farm pesticide applicators, this study has shown that dermal and inhalation pesticide exposures are frequent and use of the required personal protective equipment necessary to reduce exposure is far from routine. This study is devising interventions to change knowledge, risk perceptions, and self-efficacy beliefs about pesticide exposure to increase safe handling practices and to reduce personal exposures among farmers and other farm setting members.

She is currently serving as a consultant epidemiologist to the Ministries of Health in Albania and in Kosova.