Karen Riveles

Dr Karen Riveles is a Toxicologist and Emergency Response Coordinator with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) in the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) and an assistant adjunct professor at UC Davis. Her research focuses on accidental releases of hazardous chemicals, the role of toxicology in emergency response, wildfire smoke, chemical emissions from refineries, and the risk assessment of toxic air contaminants. She earned her Bachelor of Arts and Science (BAS) in Biological Sciences and Spanish (1992) from the University of California, Davis, and her Master of Public Health in Environmental Health (1997) from the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), San Diego State University. Dr. Riveles received a Ph.D. (2004) in Environmental Toxicology from the University of California, Riverside and went on to complete a postdoctoral fellow at the Parkinson’s Institute. Dr. Riveles joined the OEHHA in 2006 and assumed her role as the Emergency Response Coordinator in 2009. She is also an Adjunct Professor at UC Davis Department of Environmental Toxicology where she mentors undergraduate students through OEHHA and teaches. Additional research interests include protection of vulnerable populations, including children; environmental justice and health equity; and regulatory toxicology and how science influences policies and regulation.

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