As physicians, we are tasked with addressing the downstream effects of dangerous trends in society, such as the use of tobacco or the worsening quality of our air. One physician pushing back against this status quo is Heather Zar, M.D., Ph.D., a doctor on the faculty at the Red Cross Children s Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, who through innovative research is bridging not only the wide gap between public policy and the role of doctors but also the gaps between rich and poor and between developed and developing countries.
The Drakenstein Child Health Study, which began in 2012, is Zar s latest and most ambitious undertaking and aims to shine a bright spotlight on what pollution is doing not only to our lungs but to our brains, to our immune systems, and even to the bacteria that colonize us.