Undergraduate Student Owen Selden Attacks Pollution with Public Health Research

As a Fourth-Year studying Human Biology and Bioethics from Charleston, South Carolina, Owen Selden is very engaged in global health on grounds. He co-founded Partners in Health Engage, worked as an Intern at the Center for Global Health Equity, and researched in Rwanda and Nepal. Through his research with Rajesh Balkrishnan PhD, Professor in Public Health Sciences, Owen has collaborated with the Resources Himalaya Foundation. The Resources Himalaya Foundation, a MacArthur grant recipient, helps to build the skills and knowledge of scientists at national institutions that manage and implement biodiversity programs in the region.

The aim of Owen’s research with Dr. Balkrishnan is to conduct population health projects in Nepal that focus on improving health outcomes in the wake of air pollution and climate change. Air pollution is a prominent challenge in Kathmandu due to rapid urbanization and infrastructure development which has transformed it into a city of pollution. Air pollution can cause many health challenges, including respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer. The team was particularly interested in outdoor air pollution, given that changes in the climate due to global warming have led to higher burdens of pollution for citizens in the Kathmandu Valley.

Together with a team of students from UVA, they conducted a prospective survey that sought to understand the connection between outdoor air pollution exposure and health-related quality of life in Kathmandu, Nepal. This survey was developed alongside partners and carried out in a population of two-wheeler riders who are highly exposed to outdoor pollution. Students from UVA and Nepal partnered to administer the survey, which will be the content of Owen’s thesis for his Human Biology Major mentored by Dr. Balkrishnan and Dr. Debamita Kundu from Public Health Sciences.