About

Cathleen Doherty is an Associate Professor of Professional Practice in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University. Her research interests include isotope geochemistry, environmental contaminants, public health, community outreach, and environmental justice. She is involved in teaching courses related to environmental geology and actively engages in community and public health issues through her research and outreach activities.

Research topics

• Geomorphology
• Andrology
• Geochemistry
• Biology
• Geology
• Medicine
• Physiology
• Paleontology
• Anesthesia
• Obstetrics
• Oceanography

Selected publications

• Lead in Newark drinking water: a successful community-driven data collection and academic-community partnership

  Journal of Water and Health · 2026-02-11

  articleOpen access

  ABSTRACT From 2017 to 2019, Newark, NJ exceeded the federal action level for lead in drinking water of 15 μg/L. We established an academic-community partnership to address residents’ concerns. We distributed 500 tap water sampling kits to residents with instructions on how to collect three sequential samples: first draw, and after 1 and 5 min of flushing the tap. Thirty-three percent (N = 165) of kits were returned and 411 samples analyzed. Lead was detected in all water samples (range: 0.01–685 μg/L). Thirty-seven percent of homes had at least one sample >1 μg/L; 17% had at least one sample >5 μg/L. The 90th percentile of lead for first draw, and after 1- and 5-min flush, were, respectively: 12.5, 7.96, and 4.51 μg/L. After a 5-min flush, only 25% of homes with first draw samples >1 µg/L were reduced to ≤1 µg/L, and 17% of homes with first draw samples above 5 μg/L were reduced to below 5 μg/L, fewer of those (16%) were reduced to <1 μg/L. Using a community science approach, we responded to residents' concerns about lead in drinking water. Additionally, we observed that common public health tap water flushing recommendations do not fully protect residents from lead in drinking water.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evidence for a role of calcium and vitamin D in the regulation of manganese homeostasis and in the prevention or management of manganese-induced disease

  American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2026-04-04

  articleOpen access

  This study demonstrates that low calcium levels in growing mice markedly elevate Mn in blood and other tissues thus contributing to the pathogenesis of Mn-induced toxicity, that interaction between Mn and calcium are mediated in part by 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 and that there is a protective mechanism of control of Mn homeostasis by vitamin D and calcium with potential therapeutic relevance for prevention or management of Mn induced diseases.

  PublisherDOI

• Neighborhood stress and social vulnerability in relation to placental metals concentrations.

  Research Square · 2025-11-13

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Population Pharmacokinetic Model of Platinum Disposition in Cancer Patients Receiving Cisplatin and Randomized to 5‐HT₃ Antagonist Antiemetic Drugs

  The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology · 2024-12-22 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Cisplatin is a platinum‐based chemotherapeutic drug used to treat many types of cancer. The aim of this study was to develop a population pharmacokinetic model that incorporates plasma unbound and bound platinum levels. Cancer patients undergoing their first or second cycle of cisplatin‐containing chemotherapy (n = 33) were prospectively randomized to receive a 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT 3 ) antagonist (5‐HT 3 A) antiemetic (ondansetron, granisetron, or palonosetron) followed by blood collection over 10 days. Total and unbound platinum levels were quantified using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Plasma concentrations of bound and unbound platinum were used to develop a nonlinear mixed‐effect pharmacokinetic model in Phoenix NLME (v8.3, Certara Inc.). A stepwise search was used to screen covariates that influenced pharmacokinetic parameters. A compartment for bound platinum was added to a two‐compartment unbound platinum model to create a combined platinum model. The volume of the central compartment for unbound platinum (V1_u) was significantly impacted by previous cisplatin exposure and the intercompartmental clearance of unbound platinum (CL2_u) was significantly influenced by concomitant lorazepam use. The models also suggested ondansetron‐ and granisetron‐treated subjects had a 331% and 114% increase, respectively, in circulating exposures to unbound platinum than palonosetron‐treated subjects. The results suggest platinum pharmacokinetics are altered by concomitant 5‐HT 3 A antiemetic use, concomitant lorazepam use, and previous exposure to cisplatin. Ondansetron and granisetron co‐treatment increased unbound platinum exposure compared to palonosetron co‐treatment, suggesting that palonosetron may be a preferred 5‐HT 3 A to reduce the risk of cisplatin‐induced kidney injury.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Determination of unbound platinum concentrations in human plasma using ultrafiltration and precipitation methods

  Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods · 2024-06-30 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Quantification of the unbound portion of platinum (Pt) in human plasma is important for assessing the pharmacokinetics of the chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin. In this study, we sought to compare the recovery of unbound Pt using Nanosep® filters to 1) traditional filters (Centrifree®, Centrisart®, Amicon®) or trichloroacetic acid (TCA) protein precipitation, and 2) unbound, bound, and total Pt concentrations in clinical specimens. For the tested filters, the impact of 1) molecular weight cut-offs, 2) centrifugation force, and 3) total Pt concentration on Pt binding in human plasma was evaluated. Pt was quantified using inductively coupled-plasma mass spectrometry. In human plasma spiked with 0.9 μg/mL Pt, the percent of unbound Pt increased at higher centrifugation speeds. By comparison, the percent of unbound Pt was highest (42.1%) following TCA protein precipitation. When total Pt was ≤0.9 μg/mL, unbound Pt (∼20–30%) was consistent across filters. Conversely, when plasma was spiked with Pt exceeding 0.9 μg/mL, the percent of unbound Pt increased from 36.5 to 48% using ultrafiltration, compared to 63.4% to 79% with TCA precipitation. In patients receiving cisplatin-containing chemotherapy, the fraction of unbound Pt at concentrations exceeding 0.9 μg/mL ranged between 35 and 90%. Moreover, the unbound fraction of Pt in plasma correlated with the concentration of unbound (R2 = 0.738) and total Pt (R2 = 0.335). In summary, this study demonstrates that 1) the percent of unbound Pt is influenced by total and unbound Pt levels in vitro and in clinical specimens, and 2) ultrafiltration with Nanosep® filters is a feasible method for quantifying unbound Pt concentrations in human plasma.

  PublisherDOI

• Investigating pharmaceutical solid forms at high pressure

  Acta Crystallographica Section A Foundations and Advances · 2024-08-26

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Pharmacokinetic/Toxicodynamic Approach to Evaluate Platinum Nephrotoxicity Using the Kidney Injury Molecule-1 Biomarker

  Journal of the American Society of Nephrology · 2024-10-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Fetoplacental disposition and toxicity of cadmium in mice lacking the Bcrp transporter

  Toxicological Sciences · 2023-11-06 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  The environmental toxicant cadmium (Cd) impairs the growth of rodents and humans in utero which in turn heightens susceptibility to diseases later in life. We previously demonstrated that the maternal-facing efflux transporter, breast cancer resistance protein (human BCRP/ABCG2, mouse Bcrp/Abcg2) confers resistance against Cd toxicity in human trophoblasts. In the current study, we sought to determine whether the absence of Bcrp alters the fetoplacental disposition and toxicity of Cd in mice. Pregnant female wild-type (WT) and Bcrp-null mice (n = 9-10/group) were administered a single injection of saline (5 ml/kg) or CdCl2 (5 mg/kg) on gestational day (GD) 9. Following Cd treatment, Bcrp-null offspring were shorter and accumulated more Cd in their placentas on GD 17 compared with WT mice. Because Cd can adversely impact placentation and transplacental nutrient delivery in mice, multiple pathways were assessed using morphometrics and immunohistochemistry including placenta zonation, vasculature development, and nutrient transporter expression. Most notably, the placentas of Bcrp-null mice had reduced immunostaining of the cell adhesion marker, β-catenin, and the trophoblast marker, cytokeratin, as well as decreased expression of divalent metal nutrient transporters (Dmt1, Zip14, and ZnT1) following Cd treatment. In summary, the absence of Bcrp expression increased placental concentrations of Cd which was associated with shorter fetal size that may be related to differential changes in molecular patterns of placental development and nutrition.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Protective role of the placental efflux transporter BCRP/ABCG2 in the relationship between prenatal cadmium exposure, placenta weight, and size at birth

  Environmental Research · 2023-02-28 · 13 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Prenatal Cadmium Exposure and Maternal Sex Steroid Hormone Concentrations across Pregnancy

  Toxics · 2023-07-06 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Cadmium exposure has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. One possible mechanism is endocrine disruption. Studies of non-pregnant adults suggest that cadmium impacts androgen production; here, we examined these associations during pregnancy. Participants in the Understanding Pregnancy Signals and Infant Development (UPSIDE) cohort provided biospecimens and questionnaire data in each trimester (n = 272). We quantified urinary cadmium, serum total testosterone (TT), estrone, estradiol, and estriol and serum free testosterone (fT). In adjusted longitudinal models, we examined sex steroid concentrations across pregnancy in relation to specific gravity-adjusted, ln-transformed cadmium concentrations. Additionally, we examined trimester-specific associations and stratified models by fetal sex. Results are presented as percent change (%∆) in hormone concentrations. In longitudinal models, higher cadmium concentrations were associated with lower fT across pregnancy (%∆ = -5.19, 95%CI: -8.33, -1.93), with no differences in other hormones observed. In trimester-specific models, higher cadmium concentrations were associated with lower TT in trimester 2 (%∆ = -15.26, 95%CI: -25.15, -4.06) and lower fT in trimester 3 (%∆ = -14.35, 95%CI: -19.75, -8.59). Associations with TT were stronger in pregnancies carrying female fetuses. Maternal cadmium exposure may be associated with reduced testosterone in pregnancy. Additional work is necessary to understand how alterations in gestational testosterone activity may impact pregnancy and child health.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Brian Buckley

  90 shared

• Lauren M. Aleksunes

  Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute

  44 shared

• Emily S. Barrett

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  39 shared

• Brittany F. Karas

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  35 shared

• Keith R. Cooper

  Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

  31 shared

• Wen Xia

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  22 shared

• Danielle Kozlosky

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  19 shared

• Leonor Côrte‐Real

  University of Lisbon

  17 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Geography

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  2000

• M.A., Geography

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  1995

• B.A., Geography

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  1992