SEATTLE, WA, February 04, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Howard Walter Mielke, PhD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Mielke celebrates many years' experience in his professional network and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Dr. Mielke has established himself as a leading expert in research, particularly in environmental health and toxicology with a career spanning over 50 years. Since retirement in 2022, he has served until 2025 as an adjunct research professor at the Department of Pharmacology at the Tulane School of Medicine, where he advanced scientific understanding of environmental exposures and their impact on human health. In this capacity, Dr. Mielke has contributed to the academic community through research, mentorship, multiple presentations, and collaboration.

Additionally, between 1988 and 1989, Dr. Mielke taught as an associate professor in the college of pharmacy at Xavier University of Louisiana, where he developed and led programs that bridged pharmacy education and environmental health research. Following his tenure as an associate professor, Dr. Mielke held the position of full professor at Xavier University of Louisiana from 1990 to 2006. On campus he was instrumental in establishing a toxicology program within the College of Pharmacy. Dr. Mielke's efforts secured significant funding from federal agencies such as the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These resources enabled him to build a state-of-the art laboratory equipped with advanced instrumentation.

After the flooding of Orleans Parish in August 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, the Xavier University toxicology laboratory was dismantled in February 2006, moved, and reassembled at Tulane University's Center for Bioenvironmental Research, and his laboratory continued operating until his retirement. Dr. Mielke expanded his studies on various topics concerning routes of exposure of lead contaminated soil and children. In 2012, Dr. Mielke was reassigned to the Department of Pharmacology and team-taught a course on Environmental Signaling in medicine with Dr. John A. McLachlan until retirement in 2022. His work in the department focused on the intricate ways environmental factors influence metabolic systems and children's health outcomes.

Earlier, Dr. Mielke excelled as a research associate with the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the Hubert H. Humphrey Center at the University of Minnesota from 1986 to 1988. There, he conducted critical studies on urban soil contamination and collaborated with legislators on statewide blood and soil lead testing programs that informed public policy. Between 1979 and 1986, Dr. Mielke served as an assistant professor of geography and environmental studies and as a visiting research scientist at Macalester College. During this period, he engaged students in hands-on fieldwork and advanced research on environmental hazards affecting urban communities.

Dr. Mielke also held academic appointments, teaching geography, biogeography and climatology, as an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, from 1973 to 978. He also served as a summer faculty fellow at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's Earth Resources Division between 1975 and 1976, contributing to projects in remote sensing and earth sciences. Earlier roles included an adjunct assistant professorship in geography at the University of California, Los Angeles, from 1971 to 1973, after initially working as a secondary school teacher of biology and English at Anatolia College in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1966.

Apart from his work in academia, Dr. Mielke spent 1992 to 2006 as a researcher for the Association of Minority Health Professional Schools, supporting initiatives to reduce health disparities among minority populations. Much earlier, he worked as a senior researcher for the Maryland Environmental Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Waste Management Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, in 1979. It was here that Dr. Mielke led a team developing a highly sensitive method for measuring lead levels in environmental samples. This technique remains foundational for assessing human exposure risks today.

Dr. Mielke's academic foundation began with a Bachelor of Arts in biology with minors in chemistry and geography from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1963. Subsequently, he earned a Master of Science in biology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1967, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy in geography in 1972. Dr. Mielke's doctoral studies included innovative work, including the creation of a specialized tool to monitor sulfur emissions from cement plants. In addition to his formal education, he holds credentials as a certified environmental inspector and certified environmental consultant.

Dr. Mielke's early professional journey was shaped by service as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer teacher at Likuni Boys Secondary School in Lilongwe, Malawi, from 1963 to 1965. This formative experience fostered his commitment to global public health and education.

Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Mielke has been an active member of several professional organizations, including the division of environmental chemistry of the American Chemical Society, the Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health, the Society of Toxicology and the International Society for Children's Health and the Environment. He has also contributed extensively to civic organizations, including serving on the scientific advisory committee for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and participating on the lead exposure and prevention advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A prolific writer and collaborator, Dr. Mielke has co-authored several books, such as "Children, Soils, and Health: How Do Polluted Soils Influence Children's Health?" and "Lead-Dust Contaminated Communities and Minority Health: A New Paradigm." He is also credited with numerous peer-reviewed articles published in journals, including Medical Research Archives, GeoHealth, Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene and The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Among Dr. Mielke's most significant achievements has been his role in removing lead from gasoline, a milestone that dramatically reduced population exposure by 1992, after 90% elimination in the U.S. by 1986. His pioneering research methods revealed elevated lead levels in urban environments, such as Baltimore, compared to surrounding areas. These findings were instrumental not only nationally but also influenced global policy through World Bank initiatives that phased out leaded gasoline worldwide.

Dr. Mielke has also been recognized for building laboratories equipped with advanced technology for measuring soil metal levels and for developing sensitive techniques still used today to assess environmental hazards. His legacy is further marked by dedication to mentoring colleagues and by ongoing efforts, such as authoring his book highlighting Minnesota's underrecognized role in public health advancements related to lead exposure.

Dr. Mielke attributes much inspiration to family members, including his brother-in-law, M.G. Wolman (Reds), now deceased. He was a distinguished professor of geography and environmental engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Mielke encourages those entering the field to remain engaged with society's needs while maintaining focus amid distractions common in modern education environments.

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