Project Team 

Lieutenant and Paramedic San Francisco Fire Department  United Fire Service Women (UFSW) President www.ufsw.org

Heather joined the SFFD in 1997 after running fire crews for a local youth conservation corps.  She cross trained as a firefighter/paramedic in 2002, and promoted to Lt in 2010.  Heather is a co-primary investigator of WFBC and current president of UFSW.  Heathers interest in health and wellness coupled with her grave concern regarding the staggering breast cancer rates among her firefighter community became the catalyst for a fundraising campaign that raised over $40K  and helped fund San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation and a local breast cancer advocacy group that supports African American women.

The UFSW is an employee advocacy group that is committed to being directly involved in recruitment, retention, promotion and education of women in the San Francisco Fire Department.

Professor, UC Berkeley School of Public Health and Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management

Rachel Morello-Frosch is an environmental health scientist whose research examines the combined effects of environmental chemicals and chronic stress on human health.  Much of her work has examined this environmental justice question by using community-based participatory research approaches for data collection and risk communication.  In collaboration with advocates, scientific colleagues, and regulatory scientists, she has worked to develop scientifically valid and transparent tools for assessing the cumulative impacts of chemical and non-chemical stressors to improve regulatory decision-making and policy in ways that protect community health and advance environmental justice.

Research director, Silent Spring Institute www.silentspring.org
Ruthann Rudel is the research director at Silent Spring Institute, where she leads major exposure and toxicology research programs focusing on hormonally active chemicals and biological mechanisms by which chemicals may influence breast cancer. Her innovations in “breast cancer toxicology” include major peer-reviewed articles that identify chemicals that cause breast tumors or alter breast development in animal models, and she is developing a database of methods for measuring these chemicals in women. Rudel leads a program to develop breast cancer-relevant chemical safety tests for green chemistry. She also directs the Institute’s Household Exposure Study, which has been described as the “most comprehensive analysis to date” of exposures in homes and is widely cited. She has served on the U.S. National Toxicology Program Board of Scientific Counselors and is an adjunct Research Associate in the Brown University School of Medicine.

 

Retired Captain with 28 years of service, San Francisco Fire Department

Chairman/Founder, San Francisco Firefighter Cancer Prevention Foundation www.sffcpf.org

In 2006, Captain Stefani founded the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation (SFFCPF). The SFFCPF is dedicated to the early detection and prevention of Cancer in both active and retired San Francisco Firefighters. Captain Stefani has also been an advocate supporting legislation on both the State and National level to reduce toxic chemical exposures to firefighters and the population in general.

Captain Stefani received has received numerous awards for his work, including the 2010 San Francisco General Hospital Foundation “Heroes and Hearts” award; the 2010 Phoenix Society of San Francisco Award, in recognition of professional excellence and dedicated service in the San Francisco Fire Department; and the 2012 Greater Geary Boulevard Merchants Association Award 2012, for exemplary dedication to the community outreach and support through the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation.

Dept of Laboratory Medicine, UC San Francisco

Dr. Gerona received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he worked on synaptic vesicle exocytosis with Thomas Martin. He then trained as Post-Doctoral Fellow with Alan Wu at San Francisco General Hospital- University of California, San Francisco under a COMACC- accredited program in Clinical Chemistry and Pharmacogenomics. Dr. Gerona’s work during his fellowship focused on the clinical applications of liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry with emphasis on developing methods to support emergency intoxication testing. Dr. Gerona is currently running his own laboratory at the Department of Laboratory Medicine, UCSF where he is actively pursuing work in clinical toxicology, environmental toxicology, and metabolomics. He is pioneering the use of high resolution mass spectrometry as a platform for non-targeted testing of environmental chemicals in various biological matrices and developing quantitative methods for the analysis of various classes of endocrine disrupting chemicals including environmental phenols, phthalates, flame retardants and perfluorinated compounds. His other major research interest is the analysis of designer drugs as they relate to the clinical presentation of the intoxications they cause.

Retired Lieutenant, San Francisco Fire Department

Member (and Past President) of United Fire Service Women (USFW)

Karen Stone provides overall coordination of interface with the San Francisco Fire Department as a dedicated SFFD Staff Liaison. She brings her healthcare research background, 18 years working for the SFFD and her personal experiences and passion to the project.

Lieutenant, San Francisco Fire Department

Karen is seen as a leader among the firefighters and is advising the study on strategy and communication to firefighters.

 

Firefighter/Paramedic, San Francisco Fire Department

Lisa joined the SFFD in 1999. She assists the study team in their understanding of the unique operational and cultural aspects of the SFFD and is a liaison between the team and fire department personnel.

Lieutenant San Francisco Fire Department

United Fire Service Women Steering Committee

Julie assists the study team with input into planning and organizational aspects of the biomonitoring project.  She is concerned for the welfare of her co-workers and the high incidence of breast cancer among female firefighters.

Captain, Engine 32, San Francisco Fire Department

Tasha has been a member of the San Francisco Fire Department since 1997. She has dual bachelor’s degrees in biological sciences and psychology, and is a member of the United Fire Service Women, Black Firefighters Association and Local 798. Tasha advises the study on communication with firefighters and technical aspects of the fire service.

Director, Biomonitoring Resource Center, Commonweal www.commonweal.org

Commonweal is a nonprofit health and environmental research institute in Bolinas, California. Commonweal conducts programs that contribute to human and ecosystem health through a program focus in four areas: Healing; Environment and Health [www.healthandenvironment.org]; Education; Justice.  Sharyle directs the Commonweal Biomonitoring Resource Center has worked with  government agencies and community  groups across the country and internationally to design and implement biomonitoring projects with the purposes of informing improved chemicals regulatory discussions,  focusing chemicals research, and raising public awareness.  Her specialty has been the conveyance of study results to biomonitoring study participants and to the general public. She co-chairs the WFBC communications, education and policy implications team.

Senior Policy Strategist, Breast Cancer Fund

Nancy works with Congress advocating for federal policies that protect the public from toxic chemicals. Her current policy focus is strengthening the country’s broadest law governing synthetic chemicals – the Toxic Substances Control Act – and advocating for federal resources to support environmental health programs at the CDC and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Nancy brings over twenty years of advocacy experience and a commitment to coalition building on issues ranging from employment discrimination to environmental health. As part of the WFBC team, she brings her policy strategy expertise to ensure that the results of the study are translated into policies at the local, state and federal level to better protect firefighters from toxic exposures.

The Breast Cancer Fund works to prevent breast cancer by eliminating our exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation linked to the disease. Connie’s work at the Breast Cancer Fund focuses on translating science to policymakers and the public in ways that are clear, relevant and engaging. She has created programs that use cutting edge technology to explore and explain the science and policy around breast cancer and the environment. She earned her Ph.D. in 2010 from Arizona State University’s School of Social Transformation, where she studied the juncture of science and advocacy in the environmental breast cancer movement. She co-chairs the WFBC communication, education and policy implications team.