Public Health’s Paloma Beamer receives presidential award

Paloma Beamer, PhD, interim associate dean for community engagement at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor given by the U.S. government to outstanding early career scientists and engineers.

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Beamer, an environmental engineer by training, focuses her research on the exposure of vulnerable populations to environmental contaminants, addressing critical public health challenges and driving policy change. She is a research scientist with the Asthma and Airway Research Center, holds an appointment as a professor of chemical and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and is a member of the BIO5 Institute.

Beamer said she was shocked when she saw the email that she had won the prestigious award. 

“I am deeply honored and humbled to have been recognized by President Biden, who has highlighted the pivotal role of scientific research in advancing public health, benefiting society and shaping our nation’s future,” Beamer said. “As an engineer dedicated to improving exposure science, it is a profound privilege to receive recognition from the National Institutes of Health for my community-engaged scholarship.”

Iman Hakim, MD, PhD, MPH, dean of the Zuckerman College of Public Health, said she was thrilled about the national recognition for Beamer. 

“Dr. Beamer excels as a leader in our college in so many ways, and at the same time she’s an effective champion for environmental health research on the national stage,” Hakim said. “Paloma leads our Office of Community Engagement, she leads our WEST Environmental Justice Center and she plays a key role in the university’s Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center. Not only does she conduct groundbreaking research projects, but she also trains and inspires the next generation of environmental health leaders.”

Beamer is one of three U of A faculty members to be recognized with the award. Also recognized were Gurtina Besla, a professor in the Department of Astronomy and an astronomer at the Steward Observatory, for her groundbreaking work in theoretical astrophysics; and Kaitlin Kratter, a professor in the Department of Astronomy, an astronomer at the Steward Observatory and an affiliate of the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Applied Mathematics, for her innovative theoretical studies of star and planet formation. 

Beamer said the award was possible thanks to the help of supportive community partners, colleagues, students, staff and mentors. As an engineer with a fresh PhD and no background in health sciences, Beamer said she received a warm welcome — and amazing opportunities and mentorship — at the U of A. 

Beamer said that as a Latina and a single mom, the award is especially meaningful because she wants to serve as a role model for others in engineering and the sciences. Her goal, she said, is to ensure “that everyone has a healthy environment to live in and a safe place to work regardless of where they are born.”

Established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, the PECASE awards recognize scientists and engineers who, while early in their research careers, show exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge. The awards foster innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology, increase awareness of careers in science and engineering, give recognition to the scientific missions of participating agencies, enhance connections between fundamental research and national goals, and highlight the importance of science and technology for the nation’s future.