Adam Schaefer has over 16 years’ experience developing and managing environmental epidemiology research and evaluation projects. He is an expert in the health impacts of environmental exposures and has worked on both national and international projects, focusing on infectious disease, toxicology, health surveillance, and One Health. Before coming to Abt, Schaefer was a researcher at Florida Atlantic University. He has published numerous epidemiological studies in peer-reviewed journals.
Schaefer is passionate about protecting public health. At Abt Global, Schaefer serves as Project Director for a Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study on the health effects of exposure to harmful algal blooms in Florida. He manages scientific objectives, develops sampling methods, and oversees a team of 10. Schaefer is also the Project Director for CDC’s multi-site study of the health impacts on women and children of PFAS, widely used, long-lasting chemicals found in many industrial products. He is responsible for managing the development of standardized data and specimen collection, procedures, infrastructure, and training of seven national research sites.
Schaefer works at the nexus between public and environmental health. He is a highly sought after subject matter expert in the practical application of Global One Health principles, a unified approach aimed at balancing the health of people, animals, and the ecosystem. In his home state of Florida, Schaefer is called upon by the department of public health and the CDC to guide response to harmful algal blooms and study mercury exposure via fish consumption in coastal residents. He has also published on human-induced antibiotic resistance in bacteria isolated from Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.
Expertise:
- Environmental Epidemiology
- One Health
- Study Design
- Scientific Writing
- Animal Health
- Program Management
Key Projects:
- ATSDR PFAS Multi-Site Study
- Health Effects from Exposure to Aerosolized Cyanobacterial Toxins (cyanohabs)
Publications:
- Reif, John & Stockley, Nicole & Harvey, Kathi & McFarland, Malcolm & Gordon, Shirley & Schaefer, Adam. (2023). Symptom Frequency and Exposure to a Cyanobacteria Bloom in Florida. Harmful Algae. 129. 102526. 10.1016/j.hal.2023.102526.
- Edwards, Michelle & Schaefer, Adam & McFarland, Malcolm & Fire, Spencer & Perkins, Christopher & Ajemian, Matthew. (2022). Detection of numerous phycotoxins in young bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) collected from an estuary of national significance. The Science of the total environment. 857. 159602. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159602.
- Cunningham, Brady & Wharton, Rebekah & Lee, Christine & Mojica, Mike & Krajewski, Logan & Gordon, Shirley & Schaefer, Adam & Johnson, Rudolph & Hamelin, Elizabeth. (2022). Measurement of Microcystin Activity in Human Plasma Using Immunocapture and Protein Phosphatase Inhibition Assay. Toxins. 14. 813. 10.3390/toxins14110813.
- Schaefer, AM, Yrastorza, L, Stockley, N, Harvey, K, Harris, N, Grady, R, Sullivan, J, McFarland, M, Reif, JS. (2020). Exposure to microcystin among coastal residents during a cyanobacteria bloom in southeast Florida. Harmful Algae, 92, 101769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2020.101769
- Schaefer, AM, Zoffer, M, Stossel, R, Yrastorza, L, Pearlman, DM, Bossart, GD, Reif, JS. (2019). Mercury exposure, fish consumption, and perceived risk among pregnant women in coastal Florida. Mercury Exposure, Fish Consumption, and Perceived Risk among Pregnant Women in Coastal Florida. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(24), 4903. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244903
- Additional research