Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment
This website is only for residents of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C., West Virginia, and Virginia. If you are not a resident of these states, contact Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU)
The Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment (MACCHE) provides consultation and education to families and health providers about kids and environmental hazards.
The Center’s clinicians specialize in children’s and reproductive environmental health. Our team includes certified nurse midwife, family nurse practitioner, medical toxicologist, nurse, and pediatrician.
Contact us if you are pregnant and concerned about environmental exposures or if you suspect a child is experiencing health problems from exposure to environmental pollutants such as
- Indoor air pollution – mold, formaldehyde-laden building materials, asbestos, sick building issues, and asthma triggers
- Outdoor air pollution – asthma triggers and air pollutants including:air borne toxins, chemical waste, exhaust and fumes, carbon monoxide
- Water pollution – toxic bacteria, lead, PFAS
- Farming and lawn pollutants – fertilizers, pesticides
- Work-related exposure (for parents and employed teens) – solvents, chemicals, lead, sick building issues
- Other toxic exposures – mercury, lead, arsenic, solvents, hazardous waste
MACCHE Leadership
Co-director, Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment;
Professor, Villanova University M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
An expert in environmental health, global health, and public health nursing, Dr. McDermott-Levy has taught and conducted research in Philadelphia’s Arab-American and immigrant communities, with community health workers in Nicaragua, and in the Marcellus Shale region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Based on the evidence, she has provided health protective educational materials to those who live in oil and gas development communities.
With nurse colleagues around the U.S., Dr. McDermott-Levy has developed recommendations and teaching strategies to incorporate environmental health and climate change into the nursing curricula. Dr. McDermott-Levy is a co-editor of an open-access environmental health textbook for nurses, Environmental Health in Nursing. In 2018, she received the Fulbright-Saastamoinen Foundation Health and Environmental Sciences Award for Teaching and Research where she used this grant to research the health impact of climate changes in Finland. She is the 2020 recipient of the Charlotte Brody award from Health Care Without Harm. Her current research is the examination of climate change adaptation of community-based organizations to meet the needs of their clients.
Co-director, Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment
Michelle Kelly is a dual-certified pediatric and neonatal nurse practitioner with over 25 years of experience providing care to children of all ages, in a variety of settings. She earned a BSN in 1994 and PhD in 2012 from Villanova University, an MSN in 1997 from the pediatric nurse practitioner program at the University of Pennsylvania and a post-master certificate in 2005 from the neonatal nurse practitioner program at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr Michelle Kelly is an Associate Professor at Villanova University’s M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. She is an advocate for promoting the child health, with a special focus on children and adolescents who were born preterm. She presents nationally and internationally on preterm birth outcomes, nurse practitioner practice and leadership. She continues to practice clinically as a volunteer pediatric nurse practitioner at a free and charitable practice serving the uninsured and underserved in her community.
Program Director, Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment
Susan has a Master's in Public Health from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She has previously worked in HIV/AIDS and has vast experience in grants management and operations. Most recently, Susan worked for Oil Change International, a nonprofit whose mission is facilitating the transition to a clean energy future.
The information contained on this website should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your/your child’s primary care provider. There may be variations in treatment that your provider may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
Making a Visible Difference
The Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment works within our communities to make a visible difference. Click here for more information regarding the work done in your communities.
Resources
NASEM Report on PFAS Exposure, Testing and Clinical Follow-up