Barbara Lee is a Senior Research Scientist at Marshfield Clinic Research Institute in Marshfield, Wisconsin. She directed the NIOSH-funded National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety from its establishment in 1997 until 2024 and now serves as the Associate Director. She has dedicated her career advocating for the protection of children who are exposed to agricultural hazards. Dr. Lee has served in many leadership roles over the years. She led the development of the first National Action Plan for Protecting Children in Agriculture in 1996 and facilitated subsequent updates to that plan which guides federal funding and private sector donations. She co-chaired the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Agricultural Sector Council; is a past president of the International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health; and in 2007 she co-founded the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America (ASHCA), an agribusiness-led non-government organization based in Washington D.C. In addition to mentoring junior scientists, her current research program is focused on the legal consequences of child negligence on farms.
