Her research helps protect pregnant mothers and babies
Jeliyah “Liyah” Clark, a doctoral candidate in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, works to mitigate the dangers of environmental chemicals and mentors undergraduates.
Why her work matters
Exposure to toxic inorganic arsenic (iAs) during pregnancy is linked to low infant birthweight. One in 11 North Carolina babies is born with low birthweight. Promising dietary interventions for iAs exposure have been tested in adults but are understudied in how that might affect birth outcomes. Clark’s research on drinking water sources suggests that vitamin B12 may protect women from iAs. Her work could improve dietary recommendations for pregnant women and protect their babies.
Globally, at least 140 million people take in iAs at harmful levels through contaminated drinking water. This includes more than two million North Carolinians who use private wells that aren’t regulated or regularly tested.
What people say about her
Clark “is an outstanding scientist in environmental health. It has been an honor to work closely with Liyah during her undergraduate and graduate years within my environmental epigenetics laboratory. Liyah is working on solution-oriented research to protect pregnant women and their infants from the harms of chemicals in the environment. In addition to her phenomenal research, Liyah has been a tremendous mentor to undergraduates. We are lucky that she is at UNC-Chapel Hill.”
— Rebecca Fry, Carol Remmer Angle Distinguished Professor, associate chair of environmental sciences and engineering, and director of the Institute for Environmental Health Solutions
Who she is
A graduate of Durham’s Hillside New Tech High School, Clark said that her research has been inspired by the lived experiences of her family in eastern North Carolina and the Mississippi Delta. Her experiences in the Fry Lab, Chancellor’s Science Scholars Program and McNair Scholars Program helped her develop as a researcher and learn about the importance of diversity in research. Her research presentation won Carolina’s 3-Minute Thesis Competition in 2020.
