About

Dr. Mark Gregory Robson is a Rutgers Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor and Distinguished Professor of Plant Biology. He serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Education at Rutgers University—New Brunswick and is the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. His research focuses on the toxic effects of pesticides and exposure reduction, both in New Jersey and globally. Mark has served on numerous national and international health committees, including as Chair of the Public Health Standing Committee on the NJDEP Science Advisory Board (SAB) and as chair of the NJ Drinking Water Quality Institute. He has authored over 170 peer-reviewed papers, numerous book chapters, and is the editor of the most widely used textbook in risk assessment for public health. His honors include being a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Collegium Ramazzini, and the Academy of Toxicological Sciences. He is also the Editor in Chief of The Journal of Human and Ecological Risk Assessment and serves as an associate editor for several scientific journals.

Research topics

• Biology
• Environmental science
• Business
• Geology
• Environmental planning
• Engineering
• Environmental chemistry
• Environmental health
• Toxicology
• Medicine
• Animal science
• Chemistry
• Environmental engineering
• Agronomy

Selected publications

• Human biomarkers associated with low concentrations of arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) in groundwater in agricultural areas of Thailand

  Scientific Reports · 2021 · 38 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Environmental science
  • Environmental chemistry
  • Toxicology

  = 0.91). The average water consumption rate was approximately two-fold higher than the standard; thus, its consumption posed a health risk even at the low As and Pb levels in the groundwater. The hazard index (HI) ranged from 0.01 to 16.34 (average of 1.20 ± 2.50), which was higher than the acceptable level. Finally, the concomitant factors for As and Pb in the urine, hair and nails from both binary logistic regression and odds ratio (OR) analysis indicated that groundwater consumption was the major concomitant risk factor. This study suggested that direct consumption of this groundwater should be avoided and that the groundwater should be treated, especially before consumption. In conclusion, urine is suggested to be a biomarker of daily exposure to As and Pb, while for long-term exposure to these metals, fingernails are suggested as a better biomarker than hair.

  DOI

• Effects of 27 mo of rotational vs. continuous grazing on horse and pasture condition

  Translational Animal Science · 2020 · 29 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Animal science
  • Biology
  • Agronomy

  < 0.05. The C horses were maintained on pasture for 100% of the study duration (844 d; August 1, 2014 to November 22, 2016), while R horses had access to pasture for approximately half of this time (408 ± 33 d). The average length of grazing bout per rotational grazing section during the grazing season increased numerically each year from 7.88 ± 0.76 d in 2014, 10.0 ± 0.61 d in 2015, and 10.9 ± 0.80 d in 2016. Average horse body condition score (BCS) and body fat differed by treatment, with C horses (BCS 6.3 ± 0.05, 17.9 ± 0.15% body fat) greater than R horses (BCS 5.9 ± 0.05, 16.8 ± 0.15% body fat). Both sward height and herbage mass were greater in R (11.8 ± 0.1 cm tall; 1,513 ± 41 kg/ha) than C pastures (6.9 ± 0.1 cm tall; 781 ± 35 kg/ha). The R pastures had higher proportions of vegetative and total cover, planted grasses (tall fescue and orchardgrass), and weeds but lower proportions of grass weeds (nonplanted grasses) and other (rocks, litter, bare ground, etc.) as compared with C pastures. Digestible energy, acid detergent fiber, and calcium were higher in R vs. C pastures; however, crude protein was lower in R vs. C pastures. There were no significant differences between treatments for average monthly amount of hay fed (C, 597 ± 34.1 vs. R, 659 ± 34.1 kg) or average monthly pasture maintenance cost (C, $17.55 ± 3.14 vs. R, $20.50 ± 3.14). This study is one of few replicated experiments comparing the effects of rotational and continuous grazing for horses on pasture quality, horse condition, and production costs. The results here support the recommendation of rotational grazing for production, environmental, and ecological purposes.

  DOI

• Pesticide use in Thailand: Current situation, health risks, and gaps in research and policy

  Human and Ecological Risk Assessment An International Journal · 2020 · 100 citations

  • Environmental health
  • Business
  • Environmental planning

  Agriculture in Thailand, which employs over 30 percent of the workforce and contributes significantly to the country's gross domestic product, is a key sector of its economy. Import and use of pesticides has increased over the past decade due to Thailand's major role as a leading exporter of food and agricultural products. The widespread and poorly regulated use of pesticides presents a potential risk to the health of farmers, farm families, the general population including children and the environment. This article is a result of the Southeast Asia GEOHealth Network Meeting of February 2019. It summarizes the current situation on pesticide use and regulation in Thailand and reports research findings on the potential health and environmental impacts of pesticide use, as well as highlighting gaps in research that could play an important and influential role in future policy initiatives on pesticides. Although Thailand has made remarkable progress in improving agricultural health and safety and similarly strong research and policy programs are being developed in other countries in the region, there are still significant gaps in research and policy that need to be filled.

  DOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant D43TW007849

  NIH · $725k · 2013

Frequent coauthors

• Wattasit Siriwong

  Chulalongkorn University

  111 shared

• Nancy Fiedler

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  43 shared

• Dana Boyd Barr

  Emory University

  37 shared

• Brian Buckley

  34 shared

• Marija Borjan

  New Jersey Department of Health

  26 shared

• Paromita Hore

  New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

  22 shared

• Pamela Ohman‐Strickland

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  20 shared

• Howard M. Kipen

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  20 shared

Education

• PhD, Plant Biology

  Rutgers University New Brunswick

  1988

Awards & honors

• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sc…
• Fellow of the Collegium Ramazzini
• Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences

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