Tewodros R. Godebo, PhD

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.