‘ risk factors ’

Dr. Patricia Larkin's career is dedicated to policy and regulatory assessments, focusing on the intersection of social determinants of health and health equity. Her expertise lies in managing human health and environmental risks, particularly in energy, water resources, and climate change. Patricia's research explores Canadian innovation in energy regulatory decision-making and its impact on risk management. She has led interdisciplinary international research projects, addressing risk management in public decision-making and environmental issues like carbon capture and storage. As Chair of the Applied Risk Management Specialty Group of the Society for Risk Analysis, she continues to contribute to this field.

Dr. Cote boasts over 35 years of expertise in public health risk assessment and environmental management. She advises governments and industries on chemical exposure risks and risk assessment implementation. An adjunct professor at the University of Colorado, she educates on environmental health, risk assessment, and public policy. Dr. Cote also teaches risk assessment at Rutgers University. Her research focuses on cancer, respiratory diseases, and enhancing risk assessment methods. She spent 27 years at the US Environmental Protection Agency, serving in roles like Senior Science Advisor, Division Director, and Associate Laboratory Director. Dr. Cote's influence extends globally, advising organizations like the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health.

With 45 years of experience in exposure and risk assessment, Dr. Paul Price has worked with diverse organizations, including the U.S. EPA and Dow Chemical. Specializing in mixture risk assessments, he is an adjunct professor at the University of Iowa and serves on the European Food Safety Authority’s committee on combined exposures. A prolific author, Dr. Price is currently focused on publications concerning mixture risk assessment and the Mixture Adjustment Factor.

RSI investigators propose fundamental principles of risk decision-making, and explore their application in a range of real-world risk decision-making contexts. These ten principles will provide valuable guidance on addressing current and future risk issues facing civil societies worldwide.

Dr. Al-Zoughool has maintained a long-standing relationship with Risk Sciences International, both as a scientific collaborator and as a co-investigator on complex international projects. His work with RSI focuses on high-level public health risk modeling, mechanistic data analysis, and toxicological risk assessment of major environmental contaminants in air, soil, and water, including formaldehyde, lead, and 1,4-dioxane. His research also extends to methodological innovation and the development of evidence-based strategies for environmental and occupational health policy.

Dr. Shintaro Hagiwara is a Risk Analyst and Statistician at Risk Sciences International (RSI), where he contributes cutting-edge statistical insight to risk assessments, particularly in chemical safety and public health. Since joining RSI’s technical team in 2018 and transitioning to a full-time role in 2023, he has applied his deep quantitative knowledge to building theoretical foundations and developing statistical software. Notably, he created the database-calibrated assessment process (DCAP) and the enhanced value-of-information (VOI) framework to aid in evidence-based regulatory decision-making, both of which have been reviewed by the board of scientific counselors (BOSC). His applied statistical work provides assessments and tools to derive PODs for chemicals such as inorganic arsenic and fluoride to support both Canadian and international regulatory bodies.