Departmental Affiliations
Ana Rule, PhD ’05, MHS '98, focuses on the development and evaluation of novel sampling and analysis strategies for assessments of exposure to biological aerosols, e-cigarette aerosols, and particulate matter.
Contact Info
Research Interests
Air Pollution; Bioaerosols; electronic cigarettes; Environmental Metals; Sampler Characterization; Occupational Health; Industrial Hygiene; Second Hand Smoking;
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Experiences & Accomplishments
My main research goal is the development and evaluation of novel sampling and analysis strategies for the assessment of exposure to biological aerosols, e-cigarette aerosols, and particulate matter. I have worked toward this goal both doing field research as well as laboratory-based controlled studies. The field work has provided tools for understanding the impact of agribusiness in the environment and health of the population, especially how the public is exposed to biological aerosols. These biological agents, in turn, can be vectors of antibiotic resistance, which is emerging as a public health concern to the public in general, but particularly to healthcare and food industry workers, as well as communities living in agricultural settings. My work with electronic cigarettes has established that these devices are important sources of metal exposure. Working closely with epidemiologists, microbiologists and aerosol physicists, we have developed a partnership for the application of air sampling strategies to the detection of aerosols through novel analysis techniques. However, field research requires the support of well controlled laboratory studies in order to characterize new and existing methods, and to develop novel techniques and applications for such methods that can later in turn be applied in field studies. My laboratory work has provided insights into bacterial aerosol viability and the application of analysis techniques traditionally used for water samples. I am currently interested in understanding the scale of exposure to electronic cigarette aerosol, as well as applying air sampling techniques to recognize the scale and evaluate the complexity involved in the assessment of exposure to viruses in agricultural as well as Nosocomial environments.
A second objective of my work is the development of new instrumentation and strategies for the collection of bulk particulate matter that can be used in analytical and toxicological studies. This work involves the study of aerosol particles in close collaboration with chemists and aerosol physicists to advance the development of strategies for improved particle sampling and detailed laboratory characterization.
Honors & Awards
1996-1998 Fulbright Scholarship to pursue Masters degree
1999 NIOSH Pilot Grant
2000 David L. Swift award in Environmental Health Engineering
2001-2002 Reconocimiento a la Superación Académica - FICSAC (Recognition of Academic Achievement, granted by the Commission for Academic Promotion, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico).
2003 NIOSH Pilot Grant
2005 David L. Swift award in Environmental Health Engineering
2010 - 21 Teaching excellence, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Select Publications
Some representative publications intended to cover the breadth of research interests and collaborations.
Association between prolonged dual use of cigarettes and E-cigarettes and psychosocial factors among U.S. Smokers: Secondary data analysis from the 2013 to 2019 PATH study. Chen R, Aherrera A, Jones MR, Stuart EA, Davis MF, Rule AM. Hyg Environ Health Adv. 2024 Sep;11:100103. doi: 10.1016/j.heha.2024.100103. Epub 2024 Jul 21.PMID: 39308937
COVID-19 Disease and Chronic Health Outcomes Associated with Nicotine Use in a Great Plains Tribal Community: A Community-Based Study. Tillery A, O'Leary R, Aherrera A, Farlee J, Youpee B, Hovhannisyan Romero ES, Cajero M, Duran J, Erdei E, Rule AM. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2024 Sep 10. doi: 10.1007/s40615-024-02145-3. Online ahead of print.PMID: 39256325
Metal Concentrations in E-Cigarette Aerosol Samples: A Comparison by Device Type and Flavor. Aherrera A, Lin JJ, Chen R, Tehrani M, Schultze A, Borole A, Tanda S, Goessler W, Rule AM.Environ Health Perspect. 2023 Dec;131(12):127004. doi: 10.1289/EHP11921. Epub 2023 Dec 4.PMID: 38048100 Free PMC article.
Reliability of low mass toenail samples as biomarkers of chronic metal exposure. Lin JJY, Koffman LJ, Tehrani MW, Chen R, Han SG, Sandler DP, Lawrence KG, Jackson WB 2nd, Dickerson AS, Ramachandran G, Engel LS, Rule AM.J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2023 Nov;33(6):945-953. doi: 10.1038/s41370-023-00560-y. Epub 2023 Jun 9.PMID: 37296232 Free PMC article.
Healthcare personnel exposure in an emergency department during influenza season.
Rule AM, Apau O, Ahrenholz SH, Brueck SE, Lindsley WG, de Perio MA, Noti JD, Shaffer RE, Rothman R, Grigorovitch A, Noorbakhsh B, Beezhold DH, Yorio PL, Perl TM, Fisher EM.PLoS One. 2018 Aug 31;13(8):e0203223. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203223. eCollection 2018.PMID: 30169507 Free PMC article.