Joseph Steensma

Joe Steensma’s work exemplifies “transdisciplinary.”  A successful scientist and entrepreneur who has founded and led several thriving businesses focused on environment health, Steensma joined the faculty at the Brown School to help commercialize some of the innovative products and services the School has developed. 

In addition to his work in helping translate science into marketable solutions for real public health problems, Steensma has served as the president of the Board of Health in Fort Wayne, Indiana and was an Environmental Science Officer in the United States Army Reserves. He has been active on many nonprofit boards and continues to support research that seeks to discover the relationship between human health and the natural environment. In all of these capacities he sought to improve human health by improving the health of the environment.

At the Brown School, he is teaching classes in biostatistics, environmental health and the public health implications of climate change. His research looks at the interaction between economics, environmental degradation and health. 

He also loves the outdoors and writes often about birds. His latest project is a book about the birds of Bahamas titled “A Field Guide to the Birds of North Andros Island.”