Spring 2026 Environmental Health Committee Webinar Series 

Title: Microplastics and Our Health
Date: April 28, 2026
Time: 6 PM-7PM 
Location: Zoom
Speaker: Dr. Desiree LaBeaud

Scientific evidence continues to mount on the risks of plastic and microplastic pollution affecting human health. From the macro scale to the nano scale, plastic is not healthy for us or our patients, yet it is everywhere. Microplastics are now considered an emerging global pollutant, bioaccumulating in the environment and living organisms. Research has identified inflammatory microplastics widely distributed in the body, including kidney, bone, brain and in atherosclerotic plaque.  Microplastics are found in our food, soil, water, air and to date identified in 1,300 species from invertebrates to apex predators, with evidence of adverse effects at all levels of biology, from cells to ecosystems

In many parts of the world, plastic is burned with other trash because of lack of waste infrastructure contributing to air pollution deaths across the globe. Plastic also provides breeding grounds for mosquitoes leading to surges in vector borne disease transmission. Plastic chokes the oceans and the waterways, impacting water and food security and ocean health. Plastic does not biodegrade, but only breaks down into finer and finer particles that are ingested or inhaled by humans contributing to health harms. In addition, plastic becomes a vehicle for ingestion and inhalation of many chemicals of concern attached to plastics. 

Dr. LaBeaud will discuss how plastic pollution affects human and environmental health, with a special emphasis on effects to the developing child.  Dr. LaBeaud will also take us to Kenya where she has combined her interest in infectious disease with at least one solution to the plastic problem. She also started the Plastic and Health Working group which is part of the Stanford Center for Human and Planetary Health. This vibrant and multidisciplinary group aims to identify knowledge gaps and develop evidence-based and nature-inspired solutions to mitigate the health impacts of plastic pollution—locally at Stanford, across California, and on a global scale.  Join us to learn the real scientific evidence and what we can do to reduce the health impacts of plastics in ourselves, our communities and on a planetary scale.

Biography Dr. LaBeaud

Dr. Desiree LaBeaud is a physician scientist, epidemiologist, and professor for the Division of PediatricInfectious Diseases at Stanford University’s School of Medicine.  She is also Associate Dean of, Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health. Dr. LaBeaud is a Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute and Co-Director, Stanford Climate Learning Initiative in Medical Education (CLIME). She studies the epidemiology and ecology of domestic and international arboviruses and emerging infections, with an interest in the vector, host, and environmental factors that affect transmission dynamics and spectrum of disease. Her research is community-engaged and seeks to define and then disrupt the underlying structural determinants of health.

She received her MD from the Medical College of Wisconsin and trained at the Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital during her pediatric residency and pediatric infectious disease fellowship program. She earned her master’s degree in Clinical Research and Epidemiology at Case Western Reserve University.

Dr. LaBeaud also studies the human health impacts of climate change including research focused on innovative solutions to the global plastic pollution crisis. She has worked in Kenya, Grenada, Ecuador, Pakistan, and Brazil. She currently heads a clinical research lab focused on better understanding the risk factors and long-term health consequences of arboviral infections and the most effective means of prevention. De. LaBeaud launched a nonprofit, the Health and Environmental Research Institute- Kenya (www.heri-kenya.org) which is an initiative focused on Kenya to inspire community education, new research, policy change and grass roots activism in environmental health issues. She also started the Plastic and Health Working group which is part of the Stanford Center for Human and Planetary Health. This vibrant and multidisciplinary group aims to identify knowledge gaps and develop evidence-based and nature-inspired solutions to mitigate the health impacts of plastic pollution—locally at Stanford, across California, and on a global scale.

Register for the next Environmental Health Committee Webinar, "Corporate Determinants of Health: UCSF Archives of Internal Corporate Documents," on Tuesday, May 5. Register by clicking HERE.