About Us
We are an interdisciplinary team of science advisors experienced in evaluating human health risks from chemical, physical, and biological exposures.
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Jennifer Pierce
MS, PhD
Sr. Principal Health Scientist | PresidentDr. Jennifer Pierce is a Senior Principal Health Scientist and the President of Benchmark Risk Group. She has a PhD in Industrial Hygiene with minors in Epidemiology and Air Quality, a MS in Toxicology, and BS degrees in Biology and Women’s Studies. Her primary training and areas of expertise include industrial hygiene, exposure assessment, toxicology, environmental and occupational epidemiology, and risk assessment.
Dr. Pierce has 20 years of experience researching, measuring and reconstructing exposure, and assessing risk to consumers and workers exposed to a variety of agents such as asbestos, talc, formaldehyde, diacetyl, glyphosate, lead, and particulate matter.
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Anders Abelmann
MS, PhD, CIH
Managing Industrial Hygienist | DirectorDr. Anders Abelmann is a Managing Industrial Hygienist and a Director of Benchmark Risk Group. He is a also Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH). He completed his PhD in Public Health Science with emphases in Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Safety and a collateral in Risk Assessment, as well as a MS in Automation & Mechatronics Engineering.
Dr. Abelmann has close to 15 years of experience in industrial hygiene, exposure assessment, and risk assessment. He has been involved in researching, measuring and reconstructing exposure, and assessing risk to consumers and workers exposed to a variety of chemicals and other agents such as asbestos, food flavorings, formaldehyde, cannabis, ethylene oxide, PFAS, particulate matter and others.
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Evan Beckett
MPH, CIH
Managing Risk Scientist | DirectorMr. Evan Beckett is a Managing Risk Scientist and a Director of Benchmark Risk Group. He is also a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH). He completed his Master of Public Health (MPH) in Environmental Health Sciences with a concentration in Toxicology, with a certificate in Risk Science & Human Health.
Mr. Beckett has more than 10 years of experience within the fields of toxicology, industrial hygiene, exposure science, and health risk assessment. He has been involved in researching, measuring, and reconstructing exposure, and assessing risk to workers, consumers, and/or communities to a variety of agents, such as formaldehyde, asbestos, talc, particulate matter, pesticides, diacetyl, heavy metals, PAHs, ethylene glycol ethers, PFAS, and VOCs.
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Chris Comerford
MPH
Managing Risk Scientist | DirectorMr. Chris Comerford is a Managing Risk Scientist and Director of Benchmark Risk Group. He completed his Master of Public Health (MPH) in Environmental Health Sciences.
Mr. Comerford has over 10 years of experience within the fields of exposure assessment, risk assessment, industrial hygiene, and toxicology. He has been involved in researching and reconstructing exposures, and assessing risk to workers, consumers, and communities from a variety of agents, such as asbestos, talc, petroleum and dispersants, BTEX, herbicides, formaldehyde, inorganic lead, and diacetyl.
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Ryan Lewis
MS, PhD, CIH
Managing Health Scientist | DirectorDr. Ryan Lewis is a Managing Health Scientist and a Director of Benchmark Risk Group, and a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH). He was educated at University of Michigan (BS and PhD) and Harvard University (MS).
Dr. Lewis has more than 15 years of scientific consulting and research experience in the areas of exposure science, industrial hygiene, and environmental epidemiology. His work involves evaluations of exposures and health effects at the individual and population levels, in occupational and non-occupational settings, and from consumer and industrial product use scenarios. He is experienced with a wide range of agents such as asbestos, bisphenol A, ethanol, ethylene oxide, glass fibers, heavy metals, non-asbestiform minerals, pesticides, phthalates, power-frequency magnetic fields, silica, talc, and wood dust. Dr. Lewis currently serves on the editorial board of Frontiers in Public Health.
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Eric Miller
MPH, CIH
Managing Risk Scientist | DirectorMr. Eric Miller is a Managing Risk Scientist and a Director of Benchmark Risk Group. He is also a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH). He completed his Master of Public Health (MPH) in Environmental Health Sciences with a concentration in Toxicology.
Mr. Miller has over 10 years of experience within the fields of industrial hygiene, toxicology, exposure assessment, risk assessment and risk modeling. He has been involved in researching and reconstructing exposures, and assessing risk to workers, consumers, and communities from a variety of agents, such as asbestos, talc, formaldehyde, cannabis, metals, preservatives, and isocyanates.
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Benjamin Roberts
MPH, PhD, CIH
Supervising Health ScientistDr. Benjamin Roberts is a Supervising Health Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. Dr. Roberts completed a Ph.D. in Environmental Health Science and an MPH in industrial hygiene. He is also a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH).
Dr. Roberts’ research is focused on the statistical analysis of occupational and environmental exposure data with an emphasis on using new technology and rigorous statistical methods to improve decision-making. He is a member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and is active in the Big Data and Sensors Technology Content Portfolio Advisory Group (CPAG) and is also the past-chair of the AIHA Noise Committee. He has authored or co-authored 22 peer-reviewed publications and has presented at several conferences on the topics of big data, noise exposure, and statistical modeling.
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Thomas J. Slavin
MS, MBA, CIH, CSP, CSHM, CPEA, FASTM, FAIHA
Consulting Industrial HygienistMr. Thomas Slavin is a Consulting Industrial Hygienist with Benchmark Risk Group. He is also a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), a Certified Safety and Health Manager (CSHM) and a Certified Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA). He has earned a MS in Occupational and Environmental Health and an MBA. In addition, he has been designated a fellow by both AIHA and ASTM.
Mr. Slavin has more than 50 years’ experience including directing corporate safety and health at a major manufacturer. He continues to be involved in several issues including silica, metalworking fluids, asbestos, diesel health, foundry health and safety, OSHA compliance and voluntary consensus standards development.
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Becca Brewster
BS
Sr. Health ScientistMs. Becca Brewster is a Senior Health Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, with a specialization in Environmental Health.
Ms. Brewster has over seven years of experience in the fields of exposure science, toxicology, microbiology, and risk assessment. She has researched, reconstructed exposures, and assessed human health risks for workers, communities, and consumers exposed to various chemical and biological agents, such as asbestos, talc, pathogenic bacteria and viruses, mycotoxins, and allergens.
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Courtney Busch
MHS
Associate Health ScientistMs. Courtney Busch is an Associate Health Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. She completed her Master of Health Science in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.
Ms. Busch’s primary areas of training and expertise include microbiology, bacteriology, virology, biomedical science, and infectious disease. She has been involved in assessing risk to workers, communities, and consumers exposed to a variety of chemicals, such as talcum powder. Ms. Busch is routinely involved in providing research and technical support as well as conducting literature reviews focused primarily on occupational and non-occupational chemical exposures involving industrial and consumer products.
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Devan Campbell
MPH, PhD
Health ScientistDr. Devan Campbell is a Health Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. He completed his PhD and MPH in Environmental Health with an emphasis on air quality monitoring and modelling.
Dr. Campbell has over 5 years of experience in exposure assessment. He has been involved in researching, measuring, and modelling exposures to household air pollutants (e.g., particulate matter, black carbon, and carbon monoxide) in Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda. Specifically, Dr. Campbell’s previous research focused on characterizing the impact of the HAPIN intervention in reducing exposures to household air pollutants among nonpregnant women as well as assessing how select individual- and household-level factors influence exposures to black carbon among pregnant women.
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Madeline Filiatraut
MPH
Associate Health ScientistMs. Madeline Filiatraut is an Associate Health Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. She completed her Master of Public Health in Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology. She holds a BA in Biology.
Ms. Filiatraut's primary areas of training include epidemiologic methods and occupational and environmental diseases. Her professional interests include environmental and occupational epidemiology and exposure science. During her graduate studies she used data from the Health and Retirement Study to complete a capstone project focusing on occupation and occupational exposure and cognition change in participants.
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Anna Gambetta
MPH
Associate Health ScientistMs. Anna Gambetta is an Associate Health Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. She completed her Masters of Public Health degree in Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology with a certificate in Risk Science and Human Health. She holds a BA in Biology.
Ms. Gambetta's primary areas of training include epidemiologic methods and occupational diseases. Her professional interests include airborne particulates, toxicology, and occupational psychology. She has practical experience in ecotoxicology and community-led qualitative research.
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Ethan Hall
BS
Associate Risk ScientistMr. Ethan Hall is an Associate Risk Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. He has a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. Mr. Hall’s primary areas of training and expertise include microbiology and risk assessment. His professional interests include airborne exposure science and epidemiology.
In his current role, he is routinely involved in managing and providing litigation support and conducting literature reviews, primarily regarding chemical exposures within the industrial and consumer product settings.
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Ashley Hernandez
MSPH, PhD
Sr. Risk ScientistDr. Ashley Hernandez is a Senior Risk Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. She completed her PhD in Environmental Health with a focus on Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology and a MSPH in Epidemiology. Her training and primary focus is on occupational and environmental epidemiologic methods and statistical analyses. Specifically, she applies her knowledge of epidemiologic methods to risk assessment to evaluate workplace exposures (e.g., styrene, asbestos, respirable silica, etc.) and promote worker health.
Dr. Hernandez’s expertise also extends to environmental and community health as well where she leverages her knowledge and experience to further understand the interplay between possible environmental exposures on population health. Her current areas of occupational and environmental health research focus on cosmetic talc, asbestos, respirable dust and silica, PM2.5, pesticides, and styrene.
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Callan Krevanko
MS
Sr. Health ScientistMs. Callan Krevanko is a Senior Health Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. She completed her MS in Environmental Health, specializing in exposure assessment, environmental epidemiology, and human health risk assessment.
Ms. Krevanko’s professional interests include airborne exposures and exposure quantification in the context of product stewardship or industrial hygiene. She has conducted risk assessments in occupational, community, and consumer settings. She also has experience with consumer product regulations pertaining to chemicals including 1,4-dioxane, Bisphenol A (BPA), and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In her current position, Ms. Krevanko frequently, performs quantitative and semi-quantitative exposure assessments, and conducts comprehensive literature reviews.
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Raúl Lazcano
MS
Associate Risk ScientistMr. Raúl Lazcano is an Associate Risk Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. He completed his Master of Science in Biology and has a BS in Molecular Biology. Mr. Lazcano has research experience within the fields of microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, and bioinformatics.
Mr. Lazcano’s primary areas of training and expertise include molecular biology and chemistry. He has been involved in providing support in researching and assessing risks in occupational and consumer settings from a variety of agents including asbestos, talc, and pesticides.
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Ricardo Ramirez
BS
Sr. Associate Risk ScientistMr. Ricardo Ramirez is a Senior Associate Risk Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Human Science. His academic training primarily focused on human physiology, its responses to biological, chemical, and physical stressors, and the broader application of those impacts at community and global levels.
Mr. Ramirez has four years of professional experience creating bespoke, science-based solutions to risk assessment, risk management, occupational and environmental health, epidemiological, and regulatory challenges. He has applied his knowledge and experience to support clients operating in various sectors, including heavy industry, consumer products, transportation, entertainment, trade organizations, and government.
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Sierra Smith
MPH
Associate Health ScientistMs. Sierra Smith is an Associate Health Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. She completed her Master of Public Health in General Epidemiology and BS in Biomolecular Science. Ms. Smith has research experience in the built environment, mental health, and global public health.
Ms. Smith’s primary areas of training and expertise include infectious disease, risk science and human health, environmental epidemiology, and chemistry. She has been involved in providing research and technical support regarding chemical exposure in occupational and non-occupational settings.
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Moin Vahora
MPH
Associate Health ScientistMr. Moin Vahora is an Associate Health Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. He completed his MPH in Epidemiology and BA in Psychology with a specialized focus in Public Health Sciences.
Mr. Vahora’s primary areas of training and expertise include environmental and occupational epidemiology, exposure science, and emerging infectious diseases with a focus on global health. He has been involved in providing support in researching, performing data analysis, and assessing risks from a variety of agents and exposures including asbestos, talc, ethylene oxide, phthalates, benzene, noise, and particulate matter.
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Sara Zentner
MPH
Associate Health ScientistMs. Sara Zentner is an Associate Risk Scientist with Benchmark Risk Group. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology with a certificate in Environmental Studies and a Master of Public Health in Environmental Health, with an emphasis in toxicology and risk assessment.
Ms. Zentner’s primary areas of training and expertise reside in toxicology and risk assessment, exposure sciences, environmental and occupational epidemiology, and pathophysiology of human disease.
During her graduate studies, she investigated and researched various agents including ethylene oxide, bisphenol a, and vinyl chloride. Her professional experience included analyzing data on per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other contaminants of emerging concern in drinking water.
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Jackie Kim
Executive Administrator
Ms. Jackie Kim is an Executive Administrator with Benchmark Risk Group. She has more than 20 years of experience in providing administrative and project support, business development, and event planning and coordination.