Photo of Douglas M. Brugge, Ph.D., M.S.

Douglas M. Brugge, Ph.D., M.S.

Professor and Chair, Department of Public Health Sciences
Health Net, Inc. Endowed Chair in Community Medicine
Academic Office Location:
Public Health Sciences
UConn Health
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-6325
Phone: 860-679-8814
Website(s):

Public Health Sciences

Dr. Brugge became chair of the department at the end of March 2019. Prior to that he was a public health professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He did his undergraduate education at Washington University in St. Louis majoring in biology and chemistry. His Ph.D. is in biology from Harvard University and he has an MS in industrial hygiene from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Education
DegreeInstitutionMajor
B.A.Washington UniversityBiology and Chemistry
Ph.D.Harvard UniversityCellular and Developmental Biology
M.S.Harvard School of Public HealthIndustrial Hygiene

Awards
Name of Award/HonorAwarding Organization
The Zucker Family Prize, Awarded Annually to a Member of the TUSM Faculty for Outstanding Research
Honorable Mention, Community-Campus Partnerships for Health Annual Award for the Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health Study
Tufts Community Research Center Annual Award, for the Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health StudyTufts University
Finalist, Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty AwardCampus Compact
Certificate of AppreciationMassachusetts Institute for Community Health Leadership
Honorable Mention, Community-Campus Partnerships for Health Annual AwardNavajo Uranium Miner Oral History and Photography Project
Environmental Merit AwardU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New England
Recognition, 25th Anniversary BanquetChinese Progressive Association
Certificate of RecognitionCommittee for Boston Public Housing
RecognitionU.S. Congressional Record
Certificate of AppreciationEastern Navajo Din­é Against Uranium Mining & S.W. Research & Info. Center
Certificate of MeritAlternatives for Community and Environment
Certificate of AppreciationBoston Hispanic Sub-Parent Advisory Council

Dr. Brugge's teaching is in the areas of occupational and environmental health and community engagement in research.

Name & DescriptionCategoryRoleTypeScopeStart YearEnd Year
International Society of Environmental EpidemiologyProfessional/Scientific JournalMemberInternational
Dean's CouncilAdvisory CommitteeMemberUConn HealthUniversity
Senior Appointments and Promotion CommitteeOtherSecondary memberUniversity
Community Research Alliance, Hartford, Ct.Community ServiceMemberLocal
SCOTUS affirmative action committeeAdvisory CommitteeUniversity
American Public Health AssociationProfessional/Scientific OrganizationNational

Dr. Brugge directs the Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health (CAFEH), a set of studies about ultrafine particles from traffic and their association with cardiovascular health risk (funded by NIEHS, NHLBI, EPA, HUD, and the Kresge Foundation). Additional research has been on housing conditions and child asthma, second hand smoke exposure, asthma in Chinese and black immigrant communities, health communication, uranium mining in Native American and other populations, and research ethics. Most of his work uses a community-based participatory research approach. He has over 160 publications and has a deep commitment to seeing research translated into policy and practice. 

Many of Dr. Brugge's research projects have opportunities for students. In the past students at all leavels, from high school to post docs have worked on projects he directs.

Journal Articles

Books

  • Brugge D, Datesman A Nuclear Power and Climate Change: Dirty Secrets and Unknown Problems 2023 Jun;

Book Chapters

  • Planning to Reduce Traffic-related Air Pollution in Boston Chinatown
    Brugge D, Lowe L, Martinez PB, Ondras M, Pantoja J. IDEA CITY How to Make Boston more Livable, Equitable and Resilient 2023 Mar;
  • Health Literacy and Broadly-Engaged Team Science: How one study team used plain language principles to share findings with affected communities.
    Kurtz-Rossi S, Brugge D, Baedorf Kassis S. Broadly Engaged Team Science in Clinical and Translational Science 2022 Apr;
  • Brugge D, Fuller C eds., Ambient Combustion Ultrafine Particles and Health. Nova Science Publishers. 2021 Feb;
  • A scoping review of published research on ultrafine particle exposure and health outcomes.
    Berklein F, Finley A, Zamore W, Brugge D, Chung M. In, Brugge D, Fuller C eds., Ambient Combustion Ultrafine Particles and Health. Nova Science Publishers. 2021 Feb;
  • Exposure assessment methods for ultrafine particle health research.
    Lane JK and Brugge D. Brugge D, Fuller C eds., Ambient Combustion Ultrafine Particles and Health. Nova Science Publishers. 2021 Feb;
  • Environmental Justice: Disproportionate impacts of transportation on vulnerable communities.
    Fuller C, Brugge D. Traffic-Related Air Pollution: Emissions, Human Exposures, and Health, Khreis H, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Ramani T, Zietsman J, Eds., Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2020. 2020 Jun;

Book Sections

  • Uranium.
    Brugge D, Datesman A. Encyclopedia of Toxicology, 4th edition. 2023 May;

Case Reports

Monographs

Title or AbstractTypeSponsor/EventDate/YearLocation
Ultrafine particle epidemiology and toxicologyTalkAviation Emissions Characterization committee (AEC) Roadmap Monthly Meeting2021On line
Indoor Air Quality Webinar #1: Introduction to Air QualityPanel DiscussionMetropolitan Area Planning Council2021On line
Uranium mining in Africa.LectureMiddlebury Institute of International Studies2021On line
An estimate of the exposure-response relationship between traffic-related ultrafine particles and systolic blood pressure.Panel DiscussionInternational Society of Environmental Epidemiology2020On line
Development of a sensitive radon in breath analyzer for exposure assessment to uranium ore constituents. 2020; October 26, virtual.Panel DiscussionGeological Society of America2020On line
"The Effect of Reducing Traffic-Related Air Pollution on Blood Pressure: A Randomized Crossover Trial"LectureLowell P. Weicker, Jr. Clinical Research Center (CRC) Seminar, UConn2020On line
Connecting Air Quality and HealthPanel DiscussionCity of Hartford, Mayor’s Office Earth Week2020On line
A New Exposure Metric for the Cumulative Effect of Short-term Peaks of Exposure to Traffic-related Ultrafine Particles.PosterInternational Society of Environmental Epidemiology2020On line
Home Air Filtration for Traffic-Related Air Pollution: Study design and Methods.PosterInternational Society of Environmental Epidemiology2020On line
Development of a Sensitive Radon in Breath Analyzer for Exposure Assessment to Uranium Ore Constituents.PosterInternational Society of Environmental Epidemiology2020On line
Association of plasma PAHs with Ultrafine Particle Exposure and Cardiovascular Risk Biomarkers in a Near-Highway Study Population.PosterInternational Society of Environmental Epidemiology2020On line
Community participation in air pollution research in the United States.LectureAdvancing Environmental Health Science Research and Translation in India2019New Delhi, India
Filtration of particles of traffic origin attenuates their effects on blood pressure under controlled exposure conditions.LectureEnviron, and occup. health aspects of nano- and ultrafine2019Loen, Norway
Air filtration and building envelope modification reduce traffic pollution exposure and blood pressure.PosterInternational Society for Environmental Epidemiology2019Utrecht, NL.
Noise Barriers in Somerville: A Health Lens Analysis (HLA).PosterInternational Society for Environmental Epidemiology2019Utrecht, NL.
Let’s clear the air – Transportation pollution and the pursuit of environmental justicePanel DiscussionNortheast Multi-modal Transit Summit, Yale U2019New Haven, CT
Ultrafine particles from traffic are an under-appreciated health hazardLectureConnecticut Public Health Association2019Plantsville, CT
Inclusive Community Engagement: Building an Equitable & Sustainable CityPanel DiscussionBoston University2019Boston, MA
Democratizing Research for Environmental Justice and HealthPanel DiscussionFrontiers of Democracy Conference, Tufts University2019Boston, MA
Using research on near roadway UFP to influence policy and practice in Boston, MA.LectureInternational Society for Environmental Epidemiology2018Ottawa, Canada
Using research on near roadway UFP to influence policy and practice in Boston, MA.LectureUrban Transitions2018Sitges, Spain
Improving in-home stand-alone air filtration for ultrafine particle exposure and health (Brugge D, Hudda N, Simon M, Fuller C, Zamore W, Hersey S, Durant J.) ,LectureETH Conference on Combustion Generated Nanoparticles2018Zurich, Switzerland
Measuring radon in exhaled breath. Human rights, future generations & crimes in the nuclear age (Brugge D, Nidecker A, Winde F, Ruegg U, Röösli M.)LecturePhysicians for Social Resp./Int. Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War2017Basel Switzerland
The long slow process of seeking justice for uranium mining harms for the Navajo People. Human rights, future generations & crimes in the nuclear ageLecturePhysicians for Social Resp./Int. Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War2017Basel Switzerland
Brugge D, Lane K, Fuller C, Walker D, Li Y, Corlin L, Patton A, Zamore W, Durant J. Traffic-related UFP and cardiovascular health: Findings from the CAFEH study in Boston, MA.Lecture21st ETH-conference on combustion generated nanoparticles2017
Combined Radioactive and Toxic Effects of Uranium, Nuclearisation of Africa: Impact of uranium mining on health and environment/legal and social aspects/renewable energies.Lecture2015Johannesburg, South Africa