Rate My Professor Colleen Reid

Colleen Reid is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she also serves as Faculty Director of the Public Health Program. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences (2014) and a Master of Public Health (2007), both from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a B.S. in Environmental Science from Brown University (2000). Following her doctoral studies, Reid completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars program. She joined the University of Colorado Boulder as an Assistant Professor in Geography before being promoted to Associate Professor.

Reid's research examines the interactions between environmental and social exposures and their influence on health, with a particular emphasis on exposures driven by global climatic changes and societal responses. Her work focuses on the health impacts of wildfire smoke, extreme heat events, and urban green spaces. Current projects include assessing wildfire smoke's effects on air quality and children's health in schools and homes, evaluating the Marshall Fire's air quality and health consequences, and investigating how perceptions of green space affect mental health compared to objective proximity. Reid has authored numerous influential publications, such as "Critical Review of Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke Exposure" (Environmental Health Perspectives, 2016), "Extreme Weather and Climate Change: Population Health and Health System Implications" (Annual Review of Public Health, 2021), "Spatiotemporal Prediction of Fine Particulate Matter During the 2008 Northern California Wildfires Using Machine Learning" (Environmental Science & Technology, 2015), and "Perceptions of Green Space Usage... Associated with Better Mental Health During COVID-19" (PLoS One, 2022). She has received prestigious awards including the 2021 University of Colorado Boulder Provost’s Faculty Achievement Award, the 2020 American Association of Geographers Emerging Scholar Award in Health and Medical Geography, and the JPB Environmental Health Fellowship (2018-2021). Her research is supported by funding from the EPA, NSF, CDC, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and JPB Foundation, advancing knowledge on climate-health intersections and informing public health policy.