Congratulations Class of 2023!

Click here to watch or share the 2023 graduation events, including playback of the livestream, the doctoral hooding ceremony, and the awards ceremony. 

 

Tewodros R. Godebo, PhD

Assistant Professor

Phone
(504) 988-2767
Prof. Tewodros Godebo

Education & Affiliations

Postdoctoral Fellow, Duke University
PhD, Ferrara University, Italy
MSc, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Biography

Tewodros Rango Godebo received his PhD in Environmental Geochemistry and Isotope Hydrology from Ferrara University, Italy. Prior to joining Tulane, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University. His research interest aims to identify the origins and mechanisms of water-soil-food contaminations (fluoride, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and others), as well as develop and apply elemental and isotopic biomarkers to understand the links between exposure to contaminants and human health. These methods use mass spectrometric techniques traditionally rooted in geochemistry to study how chronic diseases disrupt elemental and isotopic balances in the human body. Included in his work is understanding the role of other non-chemical factors (such as socio-demographic, nutrition, and lifestyle) on health outcomes. Dr. Godebo’s current NIH grant research focuses on developing biomarkers to understand the health effects of fluoride and metals on teeth, joint, cartilage, and bone. His works also include characterizing health effects of toxic metals in developing countries and the U.S., as well as understanding the links between climate change, water resources, agriculture, and health. His research integrates epidemiologic and biostatistical methods, and uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to represent the distribution of environmental contaminants and health outcomes.

    Research Areas

    • Environmental geochemistry/water quality and human health
    • Biomarker development
    • Elements and stable isotopes in environmental studies

    Major Lab Facilities

    • Agilent 7900 ICPMS for trace elements and selected isotope analysis
    • Hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDS)-facilitated diffusion method for fluoride analysis

    Honors & Awards

    Current Research Awards

    • NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99-R00)

    Courses

    SPHU 3100 Environmental Pollution and Health Biomarkers