Soniya Barde -- Monitoring Air Pollution and Asthma

Soniya Barde stayed close to her home in Western Massachusetts after high school and graduated from the University of Massachusetts with an undergraduate degree in economics. After working as a risk management professional for nearly four years she experienced situations where workers and industry were challenged to manage environmental hazards.

A combination of these professional experiences and her personal interest in health and prevention contributed to her interest in public health.

Soniya felt that a master’s degree in public health was her opportunity to help others, and Drexel University offered the right balance of research, education and flexibility in selecting an area of concentration.

"Philadelphia was a fantastic draw, and the School of Public Health’s problem-based learning was really important to me," said Soniya. "Since Drexel did not require me to select a concentration upon enrollment, I saw it as a way to kick start a career change, while also providing me with the needed time to find an area that best fit my interests."

Soniya Barde collects air samples on roof of Bellet Building, Drexel School of Public Health

Once enrolled at the School of Public Health, Soniya met Dr. Hernando Perez and became interested in his research on air pollution, asthma and environmental healthcare. After working as a research assistant with Dr. Perez and learning about air pollution and childhood illness, Soniya knew she wanted to focus her research on connecting air pollution with her own childhood illness of asthma.

Soniya monitored the impacts of traffic and air pollution on school children at nearly 50 charter schools across the City of Philadelphia. She works with the Environmental Protection Agency using GIS to track school proximity to highways as well as working with Dr. Perez by collecting air samples from the roof of the School of Public Health’s building in Center City.

"The kids spend up to eight hours a day at school, and it's important to know how air pollution from nearby highways could be impacting the health of the children and air quality across the city," said Soniya.

Soniya collected air samples for several months and learned to use complex systems and monitoring equipment during her research.  She acquired data on the air quality and compared that data with reports on student school health from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

She anticipates publishing her results.

"The School of Public Health provided many opportunities to work with the Environmental Protection Agency and environmental health," said Soniya. "It allowed me to get real world research experience, and learn how to use that research in a professional setting. You can really make the most of your experience at Drexel if you are proactive in your activities and use what Philadelphia has to offer."