Officers

Chair - Malcolm Siegel
  msiegel51@yahoo.com
  LJS Consulting, Inc.

Throughout my career, I have specialized in the geochemistry, treatment, and public health assessment of water resources.  However, it wasn't until I was in my mid-50's that I discovered that I wanted to be a Medical Geologist when I grew up.  I hold a BA in Chemistry from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences/Geochemistry from Harvard University and in 2004, I received a Master of Public Health/Epidemiology degree from the School of Medicine at the University of New Mexico.  During a 30-year career at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico (1981-2011), I led research teams involved in studies of environmental geochemistry, groundwater remediation, and drinking water treatment for the US Department of Energy.  My work also included studies of environmental impacts of uranium mining and experimental studies of treatment of groundwaters with high radionuclide and arsenic levels in rural New Mexico. I retired from Sandia Labs in December 2011 and served on the adjunct faculty in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico. Over the past 20 years, I have taught courses in geochemical modeling, environmental surface chemistry and environmental health at UNM and I was part of a School of Medicine team that examined the relationship between skin cancer and the combined exposures to sunlight and arsenic in drinking water in New Mexico.  As Co-owner of LJS Consulting, my projects have included evaluation of environmental impacts of a uranium processing plant for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and treatment studies for a new uranium sorbent for private industry.  I am an editor of the book Practical Applications of Medical Geology, which was published by Springer International Publishing in 2021.

Description of Duties: The chair shall preside at the annual meetings of the Geology and Health Scientific Division and meetings of the Management Board. The chair shall submit a report to the Management Board of the activities of the Geology and Health Scientific Division during his/her term of office and on future plans.

First Vice Chair - Laura Ruhl
lsruhl@ualr.edu 
University of Arkansas at Little Rock 

I have been interested in Medical Geology since I was an undergraduate student and bought myself a copy of The Essentials of Medical Geology (first edition). I’d always been interested in the natural world around me and that of human health, so medical geology was a natural fit. I continued pursuing this interest throughout my academic career and continue with health and environmental research today. While I enjoy learning about all things Medical Geology related, my research focuses on water chemistry associated with energy resources and mining, development and application of environmental isotopic tracers, urban geochemistry and hydrology, health issues related to water chemistry, and medical geology issues related to human stone growth. 

I received my BS and MS degrees in Geological Sciences from the University of Florida in 2006 and 2008, respectively. In 2012, I completed my PhD at Duke University in Earth and Ocean Sciences. I then became an assistant professor then associate professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in the Earth Science Department. I teach a variety of classes including hydrogeology, geochemistry, environmental geology, geology and ecology of the Bahamas, physical geology, medical geology, and field geology to undergraduate and graduate students.

Description of Duties: The first vice-chair shall assume the powers and duties of the chair in the event of the absence or disability of the chair. Such absence or disability is to be determined by a majority vote of the Management Board. The first vice-chair chairs the Program Committee for the annual meeting and, as such, serves as the senior Geology and Health Scientific Division representative on the Joint Technical Program Committee (JTPC) for the annual meeting. The first vice-chair shall supervise planning for the Geology and Health Scientific Division technical sessions or symposia to be held at the annual meeting of the succeeding year. The first vice-chair will coordinate the work of any section representatives and will appoint representatives to organize technical sessions for section meetings.

Secretary/Treasurer - Abhishek RoyChowdhury 
aroychowdhury@navajotech.edu 
Navajo Technical University

I am an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Natural Resources at Navajo Technical University (NTU), New Mexico. I received my BS in Biology, and MS in Environmental Science both from the University of Calcutta, India. I earned my PhD in Environmental Management from Montclair State University, New Jersey. I worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey. My research expertise lies in the field of environmental clean-up and remediation with special emphasis on abandoned mine site remediation, water and wastewater treatment, and development of environmental-friendly “green” approaches for treatment of heavy metals from contaminated soil and water. My ongoing research projects are funded by USDA, NSF, NASA, U.S. Department of Interior- Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement, U.S. Department of Interior- Bureau of Indian Affairs, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and First Americans Land-Grant Consortium. 

Often compared in size to the state of West Virginia, the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American Tribe of the U.S., has an area of over 27,000 square miles. Navajo Nation has a long history of mining activities, including gold, copper, lead, silver, uranium, and coal, resulting in large areas of abandoned mine sites with soil, water, and air pollution issues. Despite some cleanup efforts, more than 500 contaminated abandoned uranium mines exist across the Navajo Nation, exposing the population to serious health problems. Homes built in areas close to uranium mines also have high indoor levels of radon. My geology and health research are related to clean up of abandoned mines in the Navajo Nation and New Mexico to reduce the human health risk potentials. 

Description of Duties: The secretary/treasurer shall act as secretary of the Management Board and shall keep and archive the records of the Geology and Health Scientific Division. The secretary shall notify the officers and the members of the committees of their election or appointment and shall arrange for issuance of notices of all Geology and Health Scientific Division and Management Board meetings and of election results. He/she shall maintain liaison with Geological Society of America headquarters and shall serve, ex officio, as a member of all committees. He/she shall collect and disburse all funds of the Geology and Health Scientific Division and shall keep records of all receipts and disbursements and other financial transactions of the Geology and Health Scientific Division. The treasurer shall account to the Geological Society of America Council for all funds advanced by the Geological Society of America.

Student Representative- Tom Varner
 UTSA

I am a PhD student at the University of Texas at San Antonio in the Environmental Sciences and Engineering program. I received a BS in Geology from the University of Mississippi in 2018, where I was introduced to the field of Medical Geology and have since been interested in the relationship between geologic processes and human health. My research examines the mechanisms responsible for the release of arsenic from sediments into the drinking water aquifers along the Meghna River, Bangladesh. My current project focuses on the impacts of iron enrichment in riverbank sediments as an oxyanion regulator between the inland aquifer and the river.

As the Student Representative of the Geology and Health Division I aim to connect new students with the Division and to increase the student member involvement. If you are interested in finding out more about the Division or the field of Medical Geology, I would love to hear from you. You may also message us through our GSA Geology and Health Facebook page. 

Description of Duties: The student representative is an ex-officio non-voting member of the Geology and Health Scientific Division Management Board. The student can be an undergraduate or graduate student. The student representative shall advise on matters concerning GSA student and early career issues, as well as Geology and Health Scientific Division outreach to a young audience including social media. The student representative shall serve a one-year term and can appointed for a second term with approval of the Management Board.

Past-Chair - Saugata Data
  Saugata.Datta@utsa.edu
  UTSA

I am a Professor of Hydrogeology and Aqueous Geochemistry at University of Texas at San Antonio-Geological Sciences. My research interests focus on issues of water resources, water availability, and understanding the cycling of different metals and organic compounds in groundwaters, surface waters, soils, and sediments, as well as how land use pattern changes affect the distribution of such metals and pollutants in our environments. Every one of my research projects with students has prominent health impact studies associated; targeting both human and ecosystem health. Along with research, I teach and mentor graduate and undergraduate students and develop courses for students at UTSA, high school-community teaching in San Antonio and schools in Mexico, India and Argentina. My firsthand affiliation with Geology and Health is through research, students and mentors, and having served this Division for many years including 1^st Vice Chair, 2^nd Vice Chair, Chair, and now Past Chair.

Description of Duties: The past chair shall serve as an advisor to the chair, forms some of the corporate memory of the Geology and Health Scientific Division and chairs the Nominations Committee.

Karina Galinskaya
  karina.galinskaya@gmail.com
  Kansas State University 

Andrew Hunt
  hunt@uta.edu
  University of Texas Arlington

Kevin E. Nick
  knick@llu.edu
  Loma Linda University 

Michelle Berube 
  berubem@ksu.edu
  Kansas State University 

Arden Wells
  arden.wells@utdallas.edu
  Kansas State University 

Tom Darrah 
  darrah.24@osu.edu
  Ohio State University

Saugata Datta 
  sdatta@ksu.edu
  Kansas State University

Robert B. Finkelman 
  bobf@utdallas.edu
  University of Texas at Dallas

Syed Hasan
  hasans@umkc.edu
  University of Missouri

Catherine Skinner
  catherine.skinner@yale.edu
  Yale University

Monica E. Gowan
  gowan.monica@mayo.edu
  University of Canterbury

Geoffrey S.Plumlee
  gplumlee@usgs.gov
  US Geological Survey

Gabriel Filippelli
  gfilippe@iupui.edu
  Indiana University - Purdue University

E. Lynn Savage
  savage@brooklyn.cuny.edu
  City University, Brooklyn College