Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne

Headshot of Fellow Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne

Assistant Professor
Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health
New York City, New York
yov2000@cumc.columbia.edu
Fellowship Project: The role of environmental reparations in mitigating environmental racism

Dr. Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Yoshira is an alumna of the Agents of Change in Environmental Justice Fellowship. Her research focuses on addressing unequal exposures to harmful contaminants that affect structurally marginalized communities. Dr. Ornelas Van Horne is committed to building health equity through community-driven research and is passionate about research translation and communication. To this end, her work not only characterizes inequities in cumulative exposures but also supports community-driven solutions and training efforts. Dr. Ornelas Van Horne is an HSI alumna of the Environmental Health Sciences program at the University of Arizona, and a member of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science.

Fellowship Project: The role of environmental reparations in mitigating environmental racism

This study addresses the prevalence of environmental injustice, or environmental racism, in communities racialized as Black, Indigenous, Asian, and Latino. These communities often face the brunt of air pollution, hazardous waste, lack of clean water, and limited green spaces. Despite civil cases and settlements, largely from Clean Air and Clean Water Acts violations, resulting in over $1 billion since 1998, the effectiveness of these reparations on local communities has not been adequately assessed. Remediation efforts are typically underfunded or poorly managed. This research aims to fill a gap by evaluating the impact of environmental reparations on these communities, using data from the U.S. EPA and the American Community Survey. It will also examine the distribution of state-sponsored financial settlements to understand their role in addressing health inequities and the persistent effects of environmental racism.