Dr. Kristen Burwell Naney earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in toxicology from the University of Maryland College Park School of Public Health during its December 2017 commencement exercises.

Naney studied toxicology and environmental health as part of the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health program, where her dissertation research focused on cumulative risk assessment, community resiliency and environmental justice.

She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Durham, N.C., and will continue her work as an environmental health scientist in the Research Triangle Park area. Naney has authored and co-authorized several manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and presented her research at national conferences.

Naney is the daughter of Frederick and Dr. Carolyn Burwell, who reside in Southampton County. She is also a 2001 graduate from Southampton High School and holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from James Madison University in Harrisonburg and a Master of Public Health from Mercer University in Macon, Ga.

Naney currently resides in Greensboro, N.C., with her husband, Charles Naney, and stepson, William Naney.