Shawn Gerstenberger, Dean of the UNLV School of Community Health Sciences and Acting Dean of UNLV’s School of Medicine
Dr. Gerstenberger was born and raised in Cornucopia, Wisconsin where he lived until he left to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he majored in Toxicology.
After earning his Ph.D., he held positions at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Marine and Freshwater Biomedical Sciences Center at the University of Wisconsin and at the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Department of Preventative Medicine.
He came to UNLV 20 years ago where he is currently the Dean of the School of Community Health Sciences. More recently, he has been appointed Acting Dean of UNLV’s School of Medicine. He is married with two children.
Research Interests: Environmental toxicants and their effects on human and wildlife health, specifically those related to mercury, lead, PCBs and other compounds that adversely influence
children’s health and welfare.
Current Projects: Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Environmental Health Laboratory, Healthy Homes, and mercury contamination in wildlife.
Recent Publications
Pharr, J.R., Coughenour, C.A., Gerstenberger, S. (2014). Building a sustainable community through public engagement: A study of Southern Nevada. Nevada Journal of Public Health, 11,
13-22
Pharr, J.R., Coughenour, C.A., Gerstenberger, S. (2014). Community health indicators in Southern Nevada. Nevada Journal of Public Health, 11, 92-112.
Pharr, J.R., Coughenour, C.A., Gerstenberger, S. (2014). Demographic makeup and population projections for Southern Nevada: Understanding the emerging healthcare needs in our
community. Nevada Journal of Public Health, 11, 23.-36.