Research Summary

My research focuses on environmental factors that contribute to low birth weight and adverse perinatal outcomes, such as neonatal morbidity and mortality. My current research interests are to expand the evidence of an association between low birth weight and decreased anthropometric growth (primarily stunting and wasting) among children who are heavily exposed to particulate matter and carbon monoxide from solid-fuel cook stoves in lesser-developed countries.

My long-term goal is to examine other social, economic and institutional forces that drive environmental health disparities, both globally, and among Latino immigrant populations residing in urban California.

Research Funding

  • August 18, 2021 - May 31, 2026 - Combustion of plastic waste and human health effects in Guatemala , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01ES032009
  • August 15, 2015 - July 31, 2017 - Prenatal household air pollution exposure: gas stove and behavioral interventions , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R21ES025032

Education

Tulane University, BA, 06/84, Latin American Studies
San Francisco State University, BS/MS, 06/91, Nursing
San Francisco State University, FNP, 06/96, Family Nurse Practitioner
University of California, Berkeley, MS, 06/04, Environmental Health Sciences
University of California, Berkeley, PhD, 06/08, Environmental Health Sciences

Honors & Awards

  • 2008
    Henrik L. Blum Award for Distinguished Social Action, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
  • 2009
    Burke Family Global Health Faculty Award, UCSF Global Health Sciences
  • 2009
    Faculty Development Award, UCSF Academic Senate
  • 2009
    NIH Health Disparities Loan Repayment Program Award, National Institutes of Health
  • 2010
    Service Award, San Lorenzo Ministry of Health, San Marcos, Guatemala
  • 2011
    CTSI KL2 Career Development Award in Multidisciplinary Clinical Research, UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute
  • 2012
    Service Award, San Lorenzo Ministry of Health, San Marcos, Guatemala
  • 2014
    Volunteer Award, Street Level Health Project, Oakland, California

Selected Publications

  1. Simkovich SM, Hossen S, McCollum ED, Toenjes AK, McCracken JP, Thompson LM, Casta?aza A, Diaz A, Rosa G, Kirby MA, Mukeshimana A, Myers R, Lenzen PM, Craik R, Jabbarzadeh S, Elon L, Garg SS, Balakrishnan K, Thangavel G, Peel JL, Clasen TF, D?vila-Rom?n VG, Papageorghiou AT, de Las Fuentes L, Checkley W, HAPIN Investigators. Lung Ultrasound Protocol and Quality Control of Image Interpretation Using an Adjudication Panel in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) Trial. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2023 Feb 18.  View on PubMed
  2. Ye W, Pillarisetti A, de Le?n O, Steenland K, Peel JL, Clark ML, Checkley W, Underhill LJ, Quinn A, Balakrishnan K, Garg SS, McCracken JP, Thompson LM, D?az-Artiga A, Rosa G, Davila-Roman VG, de Las Fuentes L, Papageorghiou AT, Chen Y, Wang J, Thomas FC, Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) trial Investigators. Baseline associations between household air pollution exposure and blood pressure among pregnant women in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) multi-country randomized controlled trial. medRxiv. 2023 Jan 26.  View on PubMed
  3. Bardales Cruz M, Saikawa E, Hengstermann M, Ramirez A, McCracken JP, Thompson LM. Plastic waste generation and emissions from the domestic open burning of plastic waste in Guatemala. Environ Sci Atmos. 2023 Jan 19; 3(1):156-167.  View on PubMed
  4. Clasen TF, Chang HH, Thompson LM, Kirby MA, Balakrishnan K, D?az-Artiga A, McCracken JP, Rosa G, Steenland K, Younger A, Aravindalochanan V, Barr DB, Casta?aza A, Chen Y, Chiang M, Clark ML, Garg S, Hartinger S, Jabbarzadeh S, Johnson MA, Kim DY, Lovvorn AE, McCollum ED, Monroy L, Moulton LH, Mukeshimana A, Mukhopadhyay K, Naeher LP, Ndagijimana F, Papageorghiou A, Piedrahita R, Pillarisetti A, Puttaswamy N, Quinn A, Ramakrishnan U, Sambandam S, Sinharoy SS, Thangavel G, Underhill LJ, Waller LA, Wang J, Williams KN, Rosenthal JP, Checkley W, Peel JL, HAPIN Investigators. Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass for Cooking and Effects on Birth Weight. N Engl J Med. 2022 Nov 10; 387(19):1735-1746.  View on PubMed
  5. Ye W, Steenland K, Quinn A, Liao J, Balakrishnan K, Rosa G, Ndagijimana F, Ntivuguruzwa JD, Thompson LM, McCracken JP, D?az-Artiga A, Rosenthal JP, Papageorghiou A, Davila-Roman VG, Pillarisetti A, Johnson M, Wang J, Nicolaou L, Checkley W, Peel JL, Clasen TF, Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) trial Investigators. Effects of a Liquefied Petroleum Gas Stove Intervention on Gestational Blood Pressure: Intention-to-Treat and Exposure-Response Findings From the HAPIN Trial. Hypertension. 2022 08; 79(8):1887-1898.  View on PubMed
  6. Thompson LM. Invited Perspective: Household Air Pollution-Can Randomized Controlled Trials Provide the Answers to Complex Intervention Questions? Environ Health Perspect. 2022 04; 130(4):41301.  View on PubMed
  7. Checkley W, Hossen S, Rosa G, Thompson LM, McCracken JP, Diaz-Artiga A, Balakrishnan K, Simkovich SM, Underhill LJ, Nicolaou L, Hartinger SM, Davila-Roman VG, Kirby MA, Clasen TF, Rosenthal J, Peel JL. Facing the Realities of Pragmatic Design Choices in Environmental Health Studies: Experiences from the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 03 23; 19(7).  View on PubMed
  8. Liao J, Liu Y, Steenland K, Pillarisetti A, Thompson LM, Dey S, Balakrishnan K, Clasen T. Child Survival and Early Lifetime Exposures to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter in India: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Environ Health Perspect. 2022 01; 130(1):17009.  View on PubMed
  9. Simkovich SM, Underhill LJ, Kirby MA, Crocker ME, Goodman D, McCracken JP, Thompson LM, Diaz-Artiga A, Casta?aza-Gonzalez A, Garg SS, Balakrishnan K, Thangavel G, Rosa G, Peel JL, Clasen TF, McCollum ED, Checkley W, HAPIN Investigators. Resources and Geographic Access to Care for Severe Pediatric Pneumonia in Four Resource-limited Settings. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2022 01 15; 205(2):183-197.  View on PubMed
  10. Deol RM, Thompson LM, Chun KM, Chesla C. Managing Type 2 Diabetes: Beliefs and Daily Practices in First Generation Asian Indians in the United States. SAGE Open Nurs. 2022 Jan-Dec; 8:23779608211054814.  View on PubMed
  11. Quinn AK, Williams KN, Thompson LM, Harvey SA, Piedrahita R, Wang J, Quinn C, Pillarisetti A, McCracken JP, Rosenthal JP, Kirby MA, Diaz Artiga A, Thangavel G, Rosa G, Miranda JJ, Checkley W, Peel JL, Clasen TF. Fidelity and Adherence to a Liquefied Petroleum Gas Stove and Fuel Intervention during Gestation: The Multi-Country Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) Randomized Controlled Trial. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 11 29; 18(23).  View on PubMed
  12. Younger A, Alkon A, Harknett K, Jean Louis R, Thompson LM. Adverse birth outcomes associated with household air pollution from unclean cooking fuels in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review. Environ Res. 2022 03; 204(Pt C):112274.  View on PubMed
  13. Liao J, Kirby MA, Pillarisetti A, Piedrahita R, Balakrishnan K, Sambandam S, Mukhopadhyay K, Ye W, Rosa G, Majorin F, Dusabimana E, Ndagijimana F, McCracken JP, Mollinedo E, de Leon O, D?az-Artiga A, Thompson LM, Kearns KA, Naeher L, Rosenthal J, Clark ML, Steenland K, Waller LA, Checkley W, Peel JL, Clasen T, Johnson M, HAPIN Investigators. LPG stove and fuel intervention among pregnant women reduce fine particle air pollution exposures in three countries: Pilot results from the HAPIN trial. Environ Pollut. 2021 Dec 15; 291:118198.  View on PubMed
  14. Suzanne M. Simkovich, Lisa M. Thompson, Maggie L. Clark, Jennifer L. Peel, Thomas Clasen, William Checkley, Joshua Rosenthal. A risk assessment tool for resumption of research activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. ISEE Conference Abstracts. 2021 Aug 23; 2021(1).  View on PubMed
  15. Ashlinn K. Quinn, Anaité Diaz Artiga, Kalpana Balakrishnan, William Checkley, Steven Harvey, Jennifer L. Peel, Ricardo Piedrahita, Ajay Pillarisetti, Casey Quinn, Ghislaine Rosa, Joshua P. Rosenthal, Lisa M. Thompson, Jiantong Wang, Kendra N. Wiliams, Thomas F. Clasen. High Fidelity: Delivery and use of an LPG stove intervention during pregnancy in the HAPIN trial. ISEE Conference Abstracts. 2021 Aug 23; 2021(1).  View on PubMed
  16. Deol RM, Thompson LM, Chun KM, Chesla C. Beliefs About the Causes of Type 2 Diabetes Among First-Generation Asian Indians in the United States. J Transcult Nurs. 2022 01; 33(1):65-71.  View on PubMed
  17. Simkovich SM, Thompson LM, Clark ML, Balakrishnan K, Bussalleu A, Checkley W, Clasen T, Davila-Roman VG, Diaz-Artiga A, Dusabimana E, Fuentes LL, Harvey S, Kirby MA, Lovvorn A, McCollum ED, Mollinedo EE, Peel JL, Quinn A, Rosa G, Underhill LJ, Williams KN, Young BN, Rosenthal J, HAPIN Investigators. A risk assessment tool for resumption of research activities during the COVID-19 pandemic for field trials in low resource settings. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2021 04 12; 21(1):68.  View on PubMed
  18. D?vila-Rom?n VG, Toenjes AK, Meyers RM, Lenzen PM, Simkovich SM, Herrera P, Fung E, Papageorghiou AT, Craik R, McCracken JP, Thompson LM, Balakrishnan K, Rosa G, Peel J, Clasen TF, Hossen S, Checkley W, Fuentes LL, HAPIN Investigators. Ultrasound Core Laboratory for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial: Standardized Training and Image Management for Field Studies Using Portable Ultrasound in Fetal, Lung, and Vascular Evaluations. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2021 06; 47(6):1506-1513.  View on PubMed
  19. Hengstermann M, D?az-Artiga A, Otz?y-Suc?c R, Laura Maria Ruiz-Aguilar A, Thompson LM, HAPIN Investigators. Developing Visual Messages to Support Liquefied Petroleum Gas Use in Intervention Homes in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) Trial in Rural Guatemala. Health Educ Behav. 2021 10; 48(5):651-669.  View on PubMed
  20. W. Ye, K. Balakrishnan, G. Thangavel, A. Pillarisetti, L.M. Thompson, K. Steenland, T. Clasen. Associations of PM2.5 Exposure with Blood Pressure among Pregnant Women in Rural India: Evidence from the HAPIN Trial. ISEE Conference Abstracts. 2020 Oct 26; 2020(1).  View on PubMed

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