Wendy Heiger-Bernays
Profiles

Wendy J Heiger-Bernays, PhD

Emeritus Clinical Professor, Environmental Health - Boston University School of Public Health

whb@bu.edu
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Biography

Wendy Heiger-Bernays is emerita clinical professor in the Department of Environmental Health at the BU School of Public Health. She continues to apply her training in molecular toxicology to practical questions about the impact of industrial chemicals, consumer products and pharmaceuticals in water and waste streams on people’s health.

Dr. Heiger-Bernays' work focuses on technology and information transfer of the science to multiple audiences, including environmental regulatory and health agencies as well as with advocacy groups and community groups. Heiger-Bernays’ overall objective is to engage communities in their understanding and mitigation of environmental health risks.

She currently serves as a member of the USEPA Science Advisory Board, the Science Advisory Board for the Toxics Use Reduction Institute and is Chair of her local board of health. In 2015-2016, she was a AAAS Science and Technology Fellow hosted in the Office of Science Coordination and Policy at the US EPA, working in the Endocrine Disrupting Screening Program.

Education

  • University of Nebraska, PhD Field of Study: Biochemistry
  • University of Connecticut, BS Field of Study: Biology

Websites

Classes Taught

  • SPHEH750
  • SPHEH866
  • SPHPH510
  • SPHPH845
  • SPHPH870

Publications

  • Published on 5/14/2025

    Pennoyer EH, Fillman T, Heiger-Bernays W, Attfield KR, Baek HG, Gao S, Smith S, Park JS, Wu N, Webster TF. Exposure to Legacy Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Diet and Drinking Water in California Adults, 2018-2020. Environ Sci Technol. 2025 May 27; 59(20):9896-9906. PMID: 40365998.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 4/10/2025

    Ianniello CF, Beery G, Chen TD, Deyle E, Heiger-Bernays W, Motter I, McAlister JS, Rotjan RD. Stress in the City: Disentangling multi-stressor effects on an urbanized coral in a changing ocean. Mar Pollut Bull. 2025 Jul; 216:117918. PMID: 40215950.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/15/2025

    Schlezinger JJ, Bello A, Mangano KM, Biswas K, Patel PP, Pennoyer EH, Wolever TMS, Heiger-Bernays WJ, Bello D. Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in circulation in a Canadian population: their association with serum-liver enzyme biomarkers and piloting a novel method to reduce serum-PFAS. Environ Health. 2025 Mar 15; 24(1):10. PMID: 40089764.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 3/1/2025

    Nielsen G, Gondim DD, Cave MC, Heiger-Bernays WJ, Webster TF, Schlezinger JJ. Perfluorooctanoic acid increases serum cholesterol in a PPARa-dependent manner in female mice. Arch Toxicol. 2025 May; 99(5):2087-2105. PMID: 40021516.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 1/6/2025

    Ruyle BJ, Pennoyer EH, Vojta S, Becanova J, Islam M, Webster TF, Heiger-Bernays W, Lohmann R, Westerhoff P, Schaefer CE, Sunderland EM. High organofluorine concentrations in municipal wastewater affect downstream drinking water supplies for millions of Americans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Jan 21; 122(3):e2417156122. PMID: 39761386.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 12/6/2024

    Schlezinger JJ, Biswas K, Garcia A, Heiger-Bernays WJ, Bello D. An oat fiber intervention for reducing PFAS body burden: A pilot study in male C57Bl/6 J mice. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2025 Feb; 495:117188. PMID: 39647509.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/20/2024

    Wu P, Foley C, Heiger-Bernays W, Chen C. Chemical mixtures of mercury, PCBs, PFAS, and pesticides in freshwater fish in the US and the risks they pose for fish consumption. Environ Res. 2025 Feb 01; 266:120381. PMID: 39577725.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/22/2024

    Haley BM, Sun Y, Jagai JS, Leibler JH, Fulweiler R, Ashmore J, Wellenius GA, Heiger-Bernays W. Association between Combined Sewer Overflow Events and Gastrointestinal Illness in Massachusetts Municipalities with and without River-Sourced Drinking Water, 2014-2019. Environ Health Perspect. 2024 May; 132(5):57008. PMID: 38775485.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/15/2023

    Hall SM, Tikku V, Heiger-Bernays WJ. Potential Policy and Community Implications of Equitable Organic Waste, Compost, and Urban Agricultural Systems in the United States. Environ Health Perspect. 2023 Nov; 131(11):115001. PMID: 37966215.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 6/10/2023

    Friedman A, Boselli E, Ogneva-Himmelberger Y, Heiger-Bernays W, Brochu P, Burgess M, Schildroth S, Denehy A, Downs T, Papautsky I, Clauss Henn B. Manganese in residential drinking water from a community-initiated case study in Massachusetts. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2024 Jan; 34(1):58-67. PMID: 37301899.

     Read At: PubMed

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