Michelle Hathaway, PhD, MPH

Michelle Hathaway, PhD, MPH, is currently working at the University of Illinois Chicago in the School of Public Health as a postdoctoral research associate for the Resources and Programs for Increasing Diversity in Health Professions–Illinois (RAPID-IL) initiative. Hathaway received her PhD in Public Health Sciences with a concentration in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences from the University of Illinois Chicago in 2023. Her research interests focus on the study of chronic kidney disease of undetermined causes (CKDu). More broadly, her research interests lie at the intersection of global health and environmental and occupational public health. Hathaway’s research interests utilize mixed methods to better understand the prevalence of CKDu in understudied countries, associated occupational and environmental risk factors, and the workplace conditions and experiences of precarious workers, such as agricultural workers. Additionally, she is interested in establishing a standardized protocol for how qualitative data are collected among agricultural workers, specifically, sugarcane cutters, who are at risk for CKD or CKDu. Hathaway is also interested in the health effects of climate change, like heat stress and dehydration, on vulnerable worker groups and how that may lead to the development of acute kidney injury and eventually, CKD or CKDu. Understanding how we can adapt to a changing and hotter climate with innovative interventions that mitigate the harmful effects of heat stress and the likelihood of developing CKDu, is a research area of interest for the near future.