Sharunda Buchanan, Ph.D.

Biography

Dr. Sharunda Buchanan is a lecturer in the Environmental and Health Sciences Department.

Dr. Sharunda Buchanan CV

After more than three and a half decades, Dr. Buchanan recently retired from federal service (June 2025), leaving behind a legacy of visionary leadership, scientific excellence, and unwavering commitment to environmental public health services and health equity.

Dr. Buchanan’s public service career began following the completion of her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry and biochemistry from Texas Southern University and Clark Atlanta University, respectively. In 1990, she joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry as an Environmental Health Scientist in the Division of Toxicology. There, she authored and contributed to several toxicological profiles and was instrumental in supporting the development of the Voluntary Chemical Industry Research Program.

Dr. Buchanan’s career quickly progressed through CDC, where she served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer (’93) at the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH). She led significant investigations into heatwave-related mortality (climate impacts) and the health impacts of chemicals in drinking water.

In 2001, Dr. Buchanan became Chief of NCEH's Environmental Health Services Branch and served in this capacity until becoming Director of NCEH’s Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services in 2007. For more than a decade, she led a multidisciplinary team tackling some of the most critical public health issues, including childhood lead poisoning and other environmentally-related chronic diseases. Dr. Buchanan championed equitable public health services at home and abroad, providing technical leadership in communities across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. She co-led the U.S. government’s contributions to the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint and was featured in numerous CDC broadcasts, national journals, and professional spotlight features for her impact and innovation.

In 2018, Dr. Buchanan was named Director of CDC’s Office of Priority Projects and Innovation, where she led high-impact environmental public health initiatives and supported the agency’s most pressing priorities, including those related to environmental justice and health equity. She also represented CDC/ATSDR as Tri-Chair of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) Lead Subcommittee on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children. During her tenure with the PTF, Dr. Buchanan was pivotal in advancing childhood lead poisoning prevention and advocating for lead-free communities. In 2021, Dr. Buchanan graciously served in a dual appointment as the first female of color named to the first-ever Office of Environmental Justice at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Buchanan’s career has been marked by her dedication to improving lives through science, service, and advocacy—especially in underserved communities. She promises to continue to give back and pay it forward to future generations by once again serving as adjunct faculty at the auspicious Spelman College (daughter, Kayla, C’2011 alma mater).

Education

• 1989 Ph.D., Biochemistry -- Clark Atlanta University; Atlanta, GA
• 1984 M.S., Chemistry -- Texas Southern University; Houston, TX
• 1983 B.S., Chemistry -- Texas Southern University; Houston, TX

Courses Taught

Adjunct faculty, Morehouse and Spelman Colleges 07/1992 – 05/2003

• Taught cell biology to juniors and seniors majoring in medicine at Morehouse College
• Taught chemistry to undergraduate students majoring in chemistry/physics at Spelman College

Research Interests

• Environmental justice; environmental health; health disparities
• Social determinants of health, linkage of environmental justice to health equity
• Childhood lead poisoning, disproportionate exposure to chemicals/pollution
• Health disparities in marginalized, underserved, and/or low-income communities
• Health and climate inequities; global impacts of climate change; global burden of disease

Select Publications

• Whitehead, LaToria, PhD and Buchanan, Sharunda, PhD, Childhood Lead Poisoning: A Perpetual Environmental Justice Issue? Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. January / February 2019

• Chinaro Kennedy, DPH; Ellen Yard, PhD; Timothy Dignam, PhD; Sharunda Buchanan, PhD; Suzanne Condon, MS; Mary Jean Brown, ScD; Jaime Raymond, MPH; Helen Schurz Rogers, PhD; John Sarisky; Rey de Castro, ScD; Ileana Arias, PhD; Patrick Breysse, PhD, MMWR: Blood Lead Levels Among Children Aged <6 Years-Flint, Michigan, 2013–2016

• Lenaway, D, Corso, L, Buchanan, S, Thomas, C, Astles, R: Quality improvement and performance: CDC’s strategies to strengthen public health, Journal of Public Health Management and Practice; February 2010, Volume 16–Issue 1, pp 11-13

• Beitsch, L, Buchanan, S, Corso, L, Millstein, R, Bailey, S, Geletko, K, Phoenix-Weir, U: Establishing a conceptual framework for transforming and measuring the performance of the health system. Journal of Public Health Practice and Management

• Buchanan, S, Kotchian, S, Bohan, The New National Environmental Public Health Performance Standards and their implications for environmental health infrastructure and practice. NACCHO Exchange

• Buchanan, S: Revisiting Revitalization. Journal of Environmental Health, 2006; 68(6): 69-70.

• Niskar, A; Buchanan S.; Meyer, P: A federal agency's role in fulfilling the public health core functions: the childhood lead poisoning prevention program model. Journal of public health management and practice 2005; 11(1):50-8.

• Gelting R, Sarisky J, Selman C, Otto C, Higgins C, Bohan P, Buchanan S, Meehan P: Use of a systems-based approach to an environmental health assessment for a waterborne disease outbreak investigation at a snowmobile lodge in Wyoming. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 2005;208, 67-73.

• A National Strategy to Revitalize Environmental Public Health Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA, Nov 2003, available at http://tinyurl.com

• Green L, Selman C, Banerjee A, Marcus R, Medus C, Angulo F, Radke V, Buchanan S, EHS-NET Working Group: Food service workers’ self-reported food preparation practices: an EHS-NET study. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 2005; 208, 27-35.

• CDC: Surveillance Data from Public Spa Inspections, U.S., May -- September. MMWR 2004; 53(25):553.

• CDC: An outbreak of norovirus gastroenteritis at a swimming club --- Vermont, 2004. MMWR 2004; 53 (34):793-795

• Albalak R, Noonan G, Buchanan S, W. Flanders D, Gotway-Crawford C, K D, Jones R. L., Sulaiman R, Blumenthal W, Tan R, Curtis G, McGeehin M: Blood lead levels and risk factors for lead poisoning among children in Jakarta, Indonesia. Science of the Total Environment 2003; 301:75-85.

• Albalak R, Hart McElroy R, Noonan G, Buchanan S, Jones L, Flanders WD, Gotway-Crawford C, Kim D, Dignam T, Daley WR, Jarrett J, Eduardo E, McGeehin M.: Blood lead levels and risk factors for lead poisoning among children in a Mexican smelting community. Archives of Environmental Health 2003; 58(3):172-83.

• Dennis, K, Buchanan, S, Noonan, Gary; McGeehin, M: Treatment of children with elevated blood lead levels. American journal of preventive medicine 2002; 22(1):71.

• Barron G., Buchanan S, Hase D., Mainzer H., Ransom M., Sarisky J: New Approaches to Safe Drinking Water. Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics 2002; 14 (4):105 – 108.

• CDC: Blood Lead Levels in Young Children, U.S., and Selected States. 1996 -1999. MMWR 49 (50); 113-117.

• Kim D, Forrest S, Curtis G, and Buchanan S. “Relation between Housing Age, Housing Value, and Childhood Blood Lead Levels in Children in Jefferson, County, Kentucky.” AJPH, 2002, 92 (5): 769.

• Buchanan, S, Daniel, J, Sinks, T: Copper in Drinking Water, Nebraska, 1994 -- Int J Occup Environ Health 1999; 5:256-261.

• Wainwright S, Buchanan, S, Mainzer H, Parrish G. Sinks T: Cardiovascular Mortality: The hidden peril of heat waves. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 1999; 14 (4) 222-231.

• CDC: Heat-related illnesses and deaths, United States, 1994-1995. MMWR 44; 466-475.

• CDC: Heat-related Death in Philadelphia and United States, 1993-1994. MMWR 43; 526-530.

• CDC: Flood Related Mortality in Georgia, July 4-14, 1994. MMWR 43; 526-530.