People

Hans-Joachim Lehmler, PhD

Pronouns: he/him/his

Dr. Lehmler is a Professor at the College of Public Health and has served as the EHSRC Director since 2020. Prior to that time, he was the EHSRC Deputy Director. Dr. Lehmler is an experienced environmental health scientist and highly qualified research grant administrator.

In addition to his role as EHSRC Director, Dr. Lehmler is among the leadership team of the Exposure Science Facility and serves as the director of the Career Enhancement Program. He leads a joint seminar series that regularly brings together faculty, staff, and students of the EHSRC and the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology. Additionally, he oversees the activities of the Water Quality thematic area together with Dr. David Cwiertny.

His NIEHS-funded research employs novel animal models, including germ-free mice and transgenic animals, to characterize how the metabolism of chemical hazards, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), affects neurotoxic outcomes across the lifespan. These studies bring together investigators from the UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Core Center, the Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics, and Environment (EDGE) at the University of Washington, and the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SWEHSC) at the University of Arizona.

Dr. Lehmler also serves as Deputy Director of the Iowa Superfund Research Program under the direction of Dr. Keri Hornbuckle. Under this program, Dr. Lehmler leads a Research Project investigating the neurotoxicity of inhaled PCBs in adolescents. This Research Project brings together several EHSRC researchers, including Hanna Stevens and Jonathan Doorn, to study how adolescent exposure to airborne PCBs is mechanistically linked to altered neurodevelopmental outcomes through mitochondrial dysfunction in astrocytes. Dr. Lehmler also leads the Synthesis Core of the Iowa Superfund Research Program and is a member of the leadership team of the Analytical Core.

List of Published Works

Brandi Janssen, PhD

Janssen is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health.  Trained as a cultural anthropologist, she has extensive experience in qualitative and ethnographic methods and community engaged research in rural spaces, particularly focusing on agriculture, food systems, and environmental health.  Janssen transitioned to the role of Deputy Director in 2025. She has served as Director of the EHSRC Community Engagement Core (CEC) since 2018 and as Director of Undergraduate Programs in the College of Public Health since 2022.

As CEC Director, Janssen led a regional environmental health needs assessment, which collected data about environmental health concerns, trusted information sources, and disaster preparedness across Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri.  She oversees the development of environmental health resources for rural communities and multi-media products, including the Iowa Environmental Health Podcast. In addition, Janssen is the lead PI of Central Midwest COLEARN, a NOAA RISA team (NA23OAR4310629).  In this role, she work with rural residents across Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri identifying community-based needs related to extreme weather preparedness to deliver appropriate programming.  Overall, Janssen's integrative approach emphasizes a holistic and community-based perspective that takes into account the complex cultural interactions that underlie rural environmental challenges.

Hans-Joachim Lehmler, PhD

Pronouns: he/him/his

Dr. Lehmler is a Professor at the College of Public Health and has served as the EHSRC Director since 2020. Prior to that time, he was the EHSRC Deputy Director. Dr. Lehmler is an experienced environmental health scientist and highly qualified research grant administrator.

In addition to his role as EHSRC Director, Dr. Lehmler is among the leadership team of the Exposure Science Facility and serves as the director of the Career Enhancement Program. He leads a joint seminar series that regularly brings together faculty, staff, and students of the EHSRC and the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology. Additionally, he oversees the activities of the Water Quality thematic area together with Dr. David Cwiertny.

His NIEHS-funded research employs novel animal models, including germ-free mice and transgenic animals, to characterize how the metabolism of chemical hazards, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), affects neurotoxic outcomes across the lifespan. These studies bring together investigators from the UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Core Center, the Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics, and Environment (EDGE) at the University of Washington, and the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SWEHSC) at the University of Arizona.

Dr. Lehmler also serves as Deputy Director of the Iowa Superfund Research Program under the direction of Dr. Keri Hornbuckle. Under this program, Dr. Lehmler leads a Research Project investigating the neurotoxicity of inhaled PCBs in adolescents. This Research Project brings together several EHSRC researchers, including Hanna Stevens and Jonathan Doorn, to study how adolescent exposure to airborne PCBs is mechanistically linked to altered neurodevelopmental outcomes through mitochondrial dysfunction in astrocytes. Dr. Lehmler also leads the Synthesis Core of the Iowa Superfund Research Program and is a member of the leadership team of the Analytical Core.

List of Published Works

Andrea Adamcakova-Dodd, PhD

Dr. Adamcakova-Dodd serves as Director of the Pulmonary Toxicology Facility (PTF) within the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC). She leads interdisciplinary research focused on adverse outcomes following inhaled environmental and occupational exposures. Her earlier research focused on the epidemiology of allergic diseases among children in relation to environmental factors including placental contamination by heavy metals or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Dr. Adamcakova-Dodd joined the PTF in 2002 and has since led and collaborated on studies evaluating the toxicity of a wide range of inhaled agents, including particulate aerosols (metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes), vapors (PCBs), metalworking fluids, endotoxin, biological aerosols containing pathogenic microorganisms, and toxic gases (sulfur dioxide, chlorine, and phosphine). She has extensive experience designing and conducting toxicological studies using both in vitro models, including air–liquid interface systems, and in vivo models with the assessment of a broad range of toxicological, biological, and functional endpoints.

Her research experience includes the development and application of diverse models of pulmonary injury and disease, including inflammation induced by endotoxin or particulate matter, allergic asthma induced by house dust mite allergen, hypersensitivity pneumonitis associated with metalworking fluids, pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin or crystalline silica, and acute lung injury resulting from exposure to toxic gases.

Recent areas of research emphasis include the inhalation toxicology of emerging contaminants such as micro- and nanoplastics, the development of medical countermeasures against chemical threat agents, and the elucidation of extracellular vesicle-mediated mechanisms involved in the initiation, progression, and resolution or persistence of pulmonary inflammation. A particular focus of her research is identifying specific miRNAs involved in the resolution of pulmonary inflammation and evaluating their potential as therapeutic agents following exposure to toxic inhaled aerosols or gases.

Through the PTF, she provides scientific and strategic leadership, develops research capabilities, facilitates multidisciplinary collaborations, and supports investigators in the design, execution, and interpretation of pulmonary toxicology studies. She is also committed to mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research staff.

List of Published Works

Josalyn Cho, MD

Dr. Cho is a pulmonologist and Co-Leader of the EHSRC's Inflammation and Innate Immunity Thematic Area (III-TA). She leads a basic and translational immunology research program focused on understanding the pathogenesis of inflammatory lung diseases. Using both mouse and human models of disease, her laboratory investigates the contributions of innate and adaptive immune responses to allergic asthma, smoking- and vaping-related diseases, and respiratory viral infection.

Selected Publications:

1. Murphy RC, López-Martínez C, Kooistra T, Lai Y, Liu M, Dela Cruz PC, Powell WT, Benson B, Krueger M, Alladina J, Cho JL, Piliponsky AM, Debley JS, Sehmi R, Gauvreau GM, Medoff BD, Gharib SA, Hallstrand TS. (2026) Innate Immune Cell and Epithelial Subsets Coordinate Airway Responses to Allergen. American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. 2026 Jul 15; ahead of print. DOI: 10.1093/ajrcmb/aanag149. PMID: 42458790
2. Hutchins Z, Chen X, Siddique AE, Thorne PS, Salem AK, Cho JL, Adamcakova-Dodd A, Wang Y. (2026) Quantitative Proteomic Profiling of Bronchoalveolar Lavage-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in a Murine Asthma Model. Chemical Research in Toxicology. 39(5):819-823. DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.6c00094.
3. Sherman A, Medoff BD, Cho JL. (2025) To B or Not to B: Germinal Center Responses in Progressive Fibrotic Interstitial Lung Disease. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 211(10):1742-1744. DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202508-1969ED. PMID: 40920908. PMCID: PMC12555036
4. Kooistra T, Saez B, Roche M, Egea-Zorrilla A, Li D, Anketell D, Nguyen N, Villoria J, Gillis J, Petri E, Vera L, Blasco-Iturri Z, Smith NP, Alladina J, Zhang Y, Vinarsky V, Shivaraju M, Sheng SL, Chen M, Gonzalez-Celeiro M, Mou H, Waghray A, Lin B, Paksa A, Yanger K, Tata PR, Zhao R, Causton B, Zulueta JJ, Prosper F, Cho JL, Villani AC, Haber A, Rajagopal J, Medoff BD, Pardo-Saganta A. (2025) Airway basal stem cells are necessary for the maintenance of functional intraepithelial airway macrophages. Cell Reports. 44(6):115860. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115860. PMID: 40512621. PMCID: PMC12286423
5. Alladina J, Medoff BD, Cho JL. (2025) Innate Immunity and Asthma Exacerbations: Insights From Human Models. Immunological Reviews. 330(1):e70016. DOI: 10.1111/imr.70016. PMID: 40087882. PMCID: PMC11922041
6. Bick F, Brenis Gómez CM, Lammens I, Van Moorleghem J, De Wolf C, Dupont S, Dumoutier L, Smith NP, Villani AC, Browaeys R, Alladina J, Haring AM, Medoff BD, Cho JL, Bigirimana R, Vieira J, Hammad H, Blanchetot C, Schuijs MJ, Lambrecht BN. (2024) IL-2 family cytokines IL-9 and IL-21 differentially regulate innate and adaptive type 2 immunity in asthma. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 154(5):1129-1145. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2024.07.024. PMID: 39147327. PMCID: PMC12255943
7. Clay S, Alladina J, Smith NP, Visness CM, Wood RA, O'Connor GT, Cohen RT, Khurana Hershey GK, Kercsmar CM, Gruchalla RS, Gill MA, Liu AH, Kim H, Kattan M, Bacharier LB, Rastogi D, Rivera-Spoljaric K, Robison RG, Gergen PJ, Busse WW, Villani AC, Cho JL, Medoff BD, Gern JE, Jackson DJ, Ober C, Dapas M. (2024) Gene-based association study of rare variants in children of diverse ancestries implicates TNFRSF21 in the development of allergic asthma. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 153(3):809-820. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2023.10.023. PMID: 37944567. PMCID: PMC10939893
8. Corleis B, Tzouanas CN, Wadsworth MH 2nd, Cho JL, Linder AH, Schiff AE, Zessin B, Stei F, Dorhoi A, Dickey AK, Medoff BD, Shalek AK, Kwon DS. (2023) Tobacco smoke exposure recruits inflammatory airspace monocytes that establish permissive lung niches for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Science Translational Medicine. 15(725):eadg3451. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adg3451. PMID: 38055798. PMCID: PMC12289333
9. Halstead KM, Wetzel EM, Cho JL, Stanhewicz AE. (2023) Sex Differences in Oxidative Stress-Mediated Reductions in Microvascular Endothelial Function in Young Adult e-Cigarette Users. Hypertension. 80(12):2641-2649. DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.123.21684. PMID: 37800370. PMCID: PMC10848654
10. Alladina J, Smith NP, Kooistra T, Slowikowski K, Kernin IJ, Deguine J, Keen HL, Manakongtreecheep K, Tantivit J, Rahimi RA, Sheng SL, Nguyen ND, Haring AM, Giacona FL, Hariri LP, Xavier RJ, Luster AD, Villani AC, Cho JL, Medoff BD. (2023) A human model of asthma exacerbation reveals transcriptional programs and cell circuits specific to allergic asthma. Science Immunology. 8(83):eabq6352. DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abq6352. PMID: 37146132. PMCID: PMC10440046
11. Rahimi RA, Cho JL, Jakubzick CV, Khader SA, Lambrecht BN, Lloyd CM, Molofsky AB, Talbot S, Bonham CA, Drake WP, Sperling AI, Singer BD. (2022) Advancing Lung Immunology Research: An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report. American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. 67(1):e1-e18. DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2022-0167ST. PMID: 35776495. PMCID: PMC9273224
12. Cho JL, Villacreses R, Nagpal P, Guo J, Pezzulo AA, Thurman AL, Hamzeh NY, Blount RJ, Fortis S, Hoffman EA, Zabner J, Comellas AP. (2022) Quantitative Chest CT Assessment of Small Airways Disease in Post-Acute SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Radiology. 304(1):185-192. DOI: 10.1148/radiol.212170. PMID: 35289657. PMCID: PMC9270680
13. Corleis B, Cho JL, Gates SJ, Linder AH, Dickey A, Lisanti-Park AC, Schiff AE, Ghebremichael M, Kohli P, Winkler T, Harris RS, Medoff BD, Kwon DS. (2021) Smoking and Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 Infection Promote Retention of CD8+ T Cells in the Airway Mucosa. American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. 65(5):513-520. DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2021-0168OC. PMID: 34166603. PMCID: PMC8641855
14. Alladina JW, Giacona FL, White EB, Brait KL, Abe EA, Michelhaugh SA, Hibbert KA, Januzzi JL, Thompson BT, Cho JL, Medoff BD. (2021) Soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity-2 Associates With Ventilator Dependence in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Respiratory Failure. Critical Care Explorations. 3(7):e0480. DOI: 10.1097/CCE.0000000000000480. PMID: 34235459. PMCID: PMC8245109
15. Alladina J, Levy SD, Cho JL, Brait KL, Rao SR, Camacho A, Hibbert KA, Harris RS, Medoff BD, Januzzi JL, Thompson BT, Bajwa EK. (2021) Plasma Soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity-2 Associates with Ventilator Liberation in Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 203(10):1257-1265. DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202005-1951OC. PMID: 33400890. PMCID: PMC8456472
16. Kohli P, Kelly VJ, Hibbert KA, Corleis B, Kone M, Cho JL, DeFaria-Yeh D, Kwon DS, Medoff BD, Harris RS, Winkler T. (2021) PET Imaging Reveals Early Pulmonary Perfusion Abnormalities in HIV Infection Similar to Smoking. Journal of Nuclear Medicine. 62(3):405-411. DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.120.245977. PMID: 32764123. PMCID: PMC8049351
17. Schiff AE, Linder AH, Luhembo SN, Banning S, Deymier MJ, Diefenbach TJ, Dickey AK, Tsibris AM, Balazs AB, Cho JL, Medoff BD, Walzl G, Wilkinson RJ, Burgers WA, Corleis B, Kwon DS. (2021) T cell-tropic HIV efficiently infects alveolar macrophages through contact with infected CD4+ T cells. Scientific Reports. 11(1):3890. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82066-x. PMID: 33594125. PMCID: PMC7886866
18. Faustino LD, Griffith JW, Rahimi RA, Nepal K, Hamilos DL, Cho JL, Medoff BD, Moon JJ, Vignali DAA, Luster AD. (2020) Interleukin-33 activates regulatory T cells to suppress innate γδ T cell responses in the lung. Nature Immunology. 21(11):1371-1383. DOI: 10.1038/s41590-020-0785-3. PMID: 32989331. PMCID: PMC7578082
19. Channick CL, Garrison G, Huie TJ, Narewski E, Caplan-Shaw C, Cho J, Rafeq S, Alalawi R, Alashram R, Bailey KL, Carmona EM, Habib N, Kapolka R, Krishnan A, Lammi MR, Peck T, Pennington KM, Rali P, Small BL, Swenson C, Witkin A, Hayes MM. (2020) ATS Core Curriculum 2020. Adult Pulmonary Medicine. ATS Scholar. 1(4):416-435. DOI: 10.34197/ats-scholar.2020-0016RE. PMID: 33870311. PMCID: PMC8015759

Alejandro Comellas, MD

Dr. Comellas is a Clinical Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine; Director of Clinical Research Support for the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS); and Director of the Translational Research Support Core for the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC) at the University of Iowa . His research integrates mechanistic, clinical, and imaging-based approaches to understand lung injury and chronic respiratory disease. A major focus of his current work is the use of quantitative CT, advanced image analysis, and artificial intelligence to characterize small-airways disease, emphysema, vascular abnormalities, and extrapulmonary manifestations of COPD and post-acute COVID-19. Through leadership and collaboration in large multicenter studies, including SPIROMICS and COPDGene, Dr. Comellas aims to identify imaging and biologic phenotypes that improve early detection, risk stratification, and personalized treatment of smoking-related and environmentally mediated lung disease.

List of Published Works

David M. Cwiertny, PhD

Dr. Cwiertny’s research program broadly focuses on pollutant fate in natural and engineered aquatic systems, relying on complementary tools from engineering, chemistry and materials science. He has specific expertise related to the (i) environmental fate and risk assessment of emerging pollutant classes, and (ii) development of (nano)material-based technologies for resource sustainability. In particular, his work often focuses on issues at the intersection of environmental quality with public health and public policy.

In October of 2017, Dr. Cwiertny was appointed Director for the Center of Health Effects of Environmental Contamination (CHEEC), a state-sponsored research center focused on improving the environmental quality and public health of Iowans. At the EHSRC, Dr. Cwiertny co-leads the Water Quality Thematic Area (WQ-TA), coordinating activities among EHSRC members across three colleges (Public Health, Engineering, and Liberal Arts and Science) with research expertise in water quality and health impacts associated with water contamination.

Between 2015 and 2023, Dr. Cwiertny served as the Director of the Environmental Policy Research Program at the UI Public Policy Center (UI PPC). In 2016-2017, he served as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Fellow, working as minority staff for the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and its subcommittees on Energy and Environment.

Complete List of Published Work in Google Scholar

Jonathan A. Doorn, PhD

Dr. Doorn’s research program is focused on elucidating mechanisms of neurotoxicity relevant to neurodegenerative disease with particular attention to the role of environmental contaminants. Of particular interest is the role of environmental organochlorines, e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dieldrin, and organophosphates in generating toxic conditions in vitro/in vivo that adversely modulate dopaminergic and glial cells, work highly relevant to neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental conditions. Recent work examined the role of the organochlorine dieldrin in stressing dopaminergic cells to produce elevated levels of a toxic dopamne metabolite (i.e., 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde). In collaboration with the Iowa Superfund Research Program and Drs. Hans Lehmler and Hanna Stevens, Dr. Doorn has shown that PCBs and their human relevant metabolites target astrocyte mitochondria yielding a bioenergetic crisis, in particular a specific congener (PCB52 and its metabolites). In addition, he is interested in the role of natural product analogs in eliciting a protective response and collaborating with Drs. David Martin and Marie Gaine on a drug discovery project that focuses on the NRF2-KEAP1 system and neuroprotection against agents such as organophosphates.

List of Published Works

Eric A. Hoffman, PhD

Dr. Eric A. Hoffman, Ph.D. received his Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Minnesota / Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in 1981 and remained on staff at the Mayo Clinic where he was a member of the team which Developed the Dynamic Spatial Reconstructor (DSR), the earliest volumetric X-Ray computed tomographic scanner. He currently is the director of the Advanced Pulmonary Physiomics Laboratory (APPIL) at the University of Iowa. Throughout his career, Dr. Hoffman has used advanced imaging methodologies to study basic respiratory physiology centered largely on mechanisms of ventilation and perfusion heterogeneity and regional lung mechanics. In the late 1970s, volumetric computed tomography was used to provide a first look at regional lung mechanics in the never invaded negative pressure environment of the intact thorax. Hoffman’s contributions have served to illuminate many underlying relationships in COPD, Asthma and environmental lung diseases. Recent work has led to the investigation of vascular dysfunction in the etiology of emphysema based upon novel uses of dual energy multidetector row CT (DECT). A key contribution of Dr. Hoffman’s work lies in the continued efforts to provide analysis tools, coordination, quality control and image analysis to support NIH sponsored multi-center studies (NETT, MESA Lung, SPIROMICS, SARP, PrecISE, etc.) whereby imaging of the lung serves to explore novel phenotypes or to provide outcomes measures related to interventions. The APPIL laboratory includes a research dedicated, state-of-the-art photon-counting CT scanner (Siemens Naeotom Alpha) supported, in part, through an NIH high-end shared instrumentation grant.

List of Published Works

Brandi Janssen, PhD

Janssen is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health.  Trained as a cultural anthropologist, she has extensive experience in qualitative and ethnographic methods and community engaged research in rural spaces, particularly focusing on agriculture, food systems, and environmental health.  Janssen transitioned to the role of Deputy Director in 2025. She has served as Director of the EHSRC Community Engagement Core (CEC) since 2018 and as Director of Undergraduate Programs in the College of Public Health since 2022.

As CEC Director, Janssen led a regional environmental health needs assessment, which collected data about environmental health concerns, trusted information sources, and disaster preparedness across Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri.  She oversees the development of environmental health resources for rural communities and multi-media products, including the Iowa Environmental Health Podcast. In addition, Janssen is the lead PI of Central Midwest COLEARN, a NOAA RISA team (NA23OAR4310629).  In this role, she work with rural residents across Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri identifying community-based needs related to extreme weather preparedness to deliver appropriate programming.  Overall, Janssen's integrative approach emphasizes a holistic and community-based perspective that takes into account the complex cultural interactions that underlie rural environmental challenges.

Aileen Keating, MS, PhD

Dr. Keating’s research group studies phenotypic outcomes and mechanisms of action induced by environmental ovotoxicant exposures. In addition, they have discovered that alterations to physiological status (heat stress, obesity) can be additive to the negative effects of ovotoxic chemical exposures. The ultimate goal of her studies is to identify and develop intervention strategies to ameliorate the negative reproductive impacts of ovotoxicant exposure and improve female health.

Jong-Sung Kim, PhD

Jong Sung Kim is an Associate Professor of Occupational & Environmental Health in the University of Iowa College of Public Health. He serves as Director of the UI Human Toxicology Program (HTP) and the EHSRC's Pilot Grant Program.

His interdisciplinary research integrates environmental chemistry, toxicology, exposure science, and human biomonitoring to understand the health effects of environmental and occupational exposures. Kim's research focuses on inhalation toxicology, metals and metallomics, and emerging contaminants, including tire-wear associated particles and chemicals, nanoparticles and micro- and nanoplastics.

His laboratory combines advanced analytical approaches, including mass spectrometry, metallomics, and chemical exposome profiling, with inhalation toxicology using in vitro air-liquid interface (ALI) models and in vivo inhalation studies to characterize exposure, biological responses, and mechanisms of toxicity. His work has advanced ALI approaches for investigating airborne particles and particle-contaminant interactions and contributed to the development and application of toenail biomarkers for assessing cumulative exposure to metals in population-based studies. More recently, his research integrates metallomics with untargeted high-resolution mass spectrometry to identify biomarkers of environmental exposure, susceptibility, and disease risk.

Kim collaborates broadly across epidemiology, chemistry, engineering, exposure science, and clinical disciplines to address emerging environmental health challenges. Through his leadership of the EHSRC Pilot Grant Program, he fosters interdisciplinary research and supports early-stage investigators in developing innovative environmental health research into competitive, independently funded programs. He is also deeply committed to graduate education and mentorship through his leadership of the Human Toxicology Program.

List of Published Works

Paul B. McCray, MD

Dr. McCray has a long-standing interest in the pathogenesis and treatment of cystic fibrosis. His laboratory has two main areas of investigation: 1) pulmonary host defense, and 2) gene transfer for the treatment of inherited diseases. Work in the lab is supported by the NIH and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Complete List of Published Work in My Bibliography

Patrick T. O’Shaughnessy, PhD

Dr. O'Shaughnessy directs the EHSRC's Exposure Science Facility (ESF). Dr. O’Shaughnessy was educated as an environmental engineer with expertise in the simulation of the dispersion of contaminants near a pollution source, exposure assessment methods, as well as the assessment of aerosol and gas sensors. As the ESF director, he has counseled multiple Center investigators and pilot grant awardees concerning proper assessment methods for aerosol and gas exposures and has gained substantial knowledge of the related projects and outcomes as a result. Dr. O’Shaughnessy has a long-standing reputation in the field of industrial hygiene as an expert in aerosol exposure assessment, the evaluation of sampling devices for nanoparticle detection, the factors that affect the efficacy of respirators, and the use of air dispersion modeling to investigate the health effect of ambient air pollutants on nearby populations. Recent studies have focused on the plumes of dust emitted by passing cars traveling on rural gravel roads and their potential to aggravate pulmonary conditions among nearby residents.

Complete List of Published Work in My Bibliography

Aliasger Salem, PhD

Dr. Salem’s research expertise encompasses drug discovery, development, formulation, and delivery. He applies this expertise to develop therapies for cancer and other diseases and to advance regenerative medicine. His laboratory investigates how cancer develops and designs new strategies for cancer treatment, including approaches that use polymer particle technology, CpG oligonucleotides, and adenoviruses to generate stronger and more sustained antitumor immune responses. He also conducts federally funded investigations that evaluate the toxicity of chemicals following exposure through a variety of routes, including pulmonary delivery, and develop countermeasures to mitigate the harmful effects of such exposures.

Complete List of Published Work in My Bibliography

Peter S. Thorne, PhD

Dr. Thorne is University of Iowa Distinguished Chair and Professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health. His research interests are in environmental risk factors for inflammatory lung diseases and immunomodulation, the health impacts of climate-exacerbated disasters, and the toxicity of emerging and persistent environmental pollutants. Dr. Thorne has served the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on their Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology and as Chair of the Committee on Toxicology and the Aircraft Cabin Air Quality Committee. From 2011 to 2017 and 2021-2025, he served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) and served as Chair of the SAB from 2015-2017. Dr. Thorne was a member of the NIH National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council from 2003-2007.

Dr. Thorne served as EHSRC Director from 2001-2020 and as Deputy Director from 1995-2000 and 2020-2026. He founded the EHSRC's Pulmonary Toxicology Facility (PTF) in 1994 and served as its Director until 2026. In addition to his leadership in the EHSRC and the PTF, Dr. Thorne was principal investigator of the AESOP Project (a community-based research study of PCB exposures) and leads research on the toxicity of inhaled PCB mixtures for the Iowa Superfund Research Program. He also is engaged in the development of medical countermeasures to treat respiratory injuries from chemical threat agent. Dr. Thorne is internationally recognized for his discoveries of the exacerbation of asthma and other respiratory diseases associated with domestic and occupational exposures to bioaerosols. His laboratory collaborates extensively providing exposure assessments for children’s environmental health studies.

Complete List of Published Works

Kai Wang, PhD

Dr. Kai Wang serves as the biostatistician for the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC) and is a Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Iowa. He has extensive expertise in statistical modeling and analysis of complex biomedical and environmental data, including high-dimensional omics data (genomics, sequencing, microarray, and imaging), clustered and correlated data (family studies, repeated measures, and longitudinal data), categorical outcomes, and time-to-event data.

Dr. Wang directs the Data Management and Analysis Core of the Iowa Superfund Research Program, which focuses on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other environmental pollutants. He is actively engaged in methodological research, with recent work emphasizing mediation analysis, Mendelian randomization, and spatial transcriptomics.

Dr. Wang has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications spanning toxicology, environmental health sciences, biostatistics, and bioinformatics. He also serves on the editorial boards of Briefings in Bioinformatics and PLOS Genetics.

List of Published Works

Jackie Curnick, MDP

EHSRC Role: Assistant Director, Community Engagement Core

Jackie oversees a variety of programs such as the Community Engagement and Research Training Program for faculty and staff, the CERT Fellowship, the Stakeholder Advisory Board, the regional Environmental Health Needs Assessment, and environmental health translational products such as the Iowa Climate Podcasts and environmental contaminant fact sheets.

Ms. Curnick holds degrees from the University of Florida (2018, Masters of Sustainable Development Practice) and Florida State University (2014, Bachelors of Science in Social Sciences). Ms. Curnick brings training in global development and experiences, such as a Fulbright grant in South Africa, summer project in Rwanda, and a graduate certificate in African Studies. Her graduate work focused on environmental injustice experienced by Native Alaskan communities in the Bering Sea.

Rose Phillips, MS

Rose Phillips joined the EHSRC in 2024. As the Center Coordinator, Phillips manages the Center’s daily affairs, providing support for grant renewals, coordinating the Pilot Grant Program and Career Enhancement Program, assisting researchers with Human Subjects reviews, facilitating meetings, and tracking new opportunities in environmental health sciences research. Phillips holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Mount Holyoke College and an M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa. Prior to joining the EHSRC, Phillips conducted research and grant management related to affordable housing in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Mindy Sickels-Sterbenz, BBA

Hans-Joachim Lehmler, PhD

Pronouns: he/him/his

Dr. Lehmler is a Professor at the College of Public Health and has served as the EHSRC Director since 2020. Prior to that time, he was the EHSRC Deputy Director. Dr. Lehmler is an experienced environmental health scientist and highly qualified research grant administrator.

In addition to his role as EHSRC Director, Dr. Lehmler is among the leadership team of the Exposure Science Facility and serves as the director of the Career Enhancement Program. He leads a joint seminar series that regularly brings together faculty, staff, and students of the EHSRC and the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology. Additionally, he oversees the activities of the Water Quality thematic area together with Dr. David Cwiertny.

His NIEHS-funded research employs novel animal models, including germ-free mice and transgenic animals, to characterize how the metabolism of chemical hazards, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), affects neurotoxic outcomes across the lifespan. These studies bring together investigators from the UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Core Center, the Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics, and Environment (EDGE) at the University of Washington, and the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SWEHSC) at the University of Arizona.

Dr. Lehmler also serves as Deputy Director of the Iowa Superfund Research Program under the direction of Dr. Keri Hornbuckle. Under this program, Dr. Lehmler leads a Research Project investigating the neurotoxicity of inhaled PCBs in adolescents. This Research Project brings together several EHSRC researchers, including Hanna Stevens and Jonathan Doorn, to study how adolescent exposure to airborne PCBs is mechanistically linked to altered neurodevelopmental outcomes through mitochondrial dysfunction in astrocytes. Dr. Lehmler also leads the Synthesis Core of the Iowa Superfund Research Program and is a member of the leadership team of the Analytical Core.

List of Published Works

Sato Ashida, PhD

Dr. Ashida's training and expertise include aging and gerontology, dementia caregiving, health behavior interventions, social network and support, community-engaged research, implementation research, and workforce development. Her research focuses on identifying social factors that facilitate or deter health, and to develop social network interventions to promote healthy aging in place. Currently, she is a PI on the Disaster PrepWise study, which tests the impact of Disaster PrepWise intervention on caregiver outcomes such as resilience and stress (NIA R01). She is also active in workforce training, serving as the Director of the Public Health Practice and Workforce Development Core at the Institute for Public Health Practice, Research, and Policy; Co-Director of the Midwestern Public Health Training Center (MPHTC); and Co-Director of the Iowa Public Health AmeriCorps Program. Dr. Ashida works closely with local, state, and regional partners including health departments, emergency management agencies, Area Agencies on Aging, and other non-profit organizations to develop intervention delivery infrastructure to implement and sustain public health programs in community.

Andrea Adamcakova-Dodd, PhD

Dr. Adamcakova-Dodd serves as Director of the Pulmonary Toxicology Facility (PTF) within the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC). She leads interdisciplinary research focused on adverse outcomes following inhaled environmental and occupational exposures. Her earlier research focused on the epidemiology of allergic diseases among children in relation to environmental factors including placental contamination by heavy metals or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Dr. Adamcakova-Dodd joined the PTF in 2002 and has since led and collaborated on studies evaluating the toxicity of a wide range of inhaled agents, including particulate aerosols (metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes), vapors (PCBs), metalworking fluids, endotoxin, biological aerosols containing pathogenic microorganisms, and toxic gases (sulfur dioxide, chlorine, and phosphine). She has extensive experience designing and conducting toxicological studies using both in vitro models, including air–liquid interface systems, and in vivo models with the assessment of a broad range of toxicological, biological, and functional endpoints.

Her research experience includes the development and application of diverse models of pulmonary injury and disease, including inflammation induced by endotoxin or particulate matter, allergic asthma induced by house dust mite allergen, hypersensitivity pneumonitis associated with metalworking fluids, pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin or crystalline silica, and acute lung injury resulting from exposure to toxic gases.

Recent areas of research emphasis include the inhalation toxicology of emerging contaminants such as micro- and nanoplastics, the development of medical countermeasures against chemical threat agents, and the elucidation of extracellular vesicle-mediated mechanisms involved in the initiation, progression, and resolution or persistence of pulmonary inflammation. A particular focus of her research is identifying specific miRNAs involved in the resolution of pulmonary inflammation and evaluating their potential as therapeutic agents following exposure to toxic inhaled aerosols or gases.

Through the PTF, she provides scientific and strategic leadership, develops research capabilities, facilitates multidisciplinary collaborations, and supports investigators in the design, execution, and interpretation of pulmonary toxicology studies. She is also committed to mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research staff.

List of Published Works

Andres Martinez Araneda, PhD

Dr. Andres Martinez is an Associate Research Engineer at IIHR—Hydroscience & Engineering and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He has expertise in the areas of field sampling, development of analytical method and analysis of hydrophobic organic compounds in complex environmental matrices, environmental modeling, and data analysis. Distribution, transport, and fate of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in air, water and sediment/soil have been his main areas of interest.

Robert J. Blount, MD, MAS

Dr. Blount is a physician scientist studying air pollution health effects both in the US and globally. His current research focuses on the immunologic mechanisms through which air pollutants increase risk for tuberculosis (TB) and other pulmonary infections. He has substantial research, teaching, and clinical experience in East Africa and Southeast Asia. Prior to fellowship, he led an international health education program in Kenya, teaching Kenyan and American students, residents, and fellows as well as caring for HIV and TB patients. Over the past 4 years, Dr. Blount has been collaborating with the Vietnam National Tuberculosis Program and is currently developing air pollution monitoring and immunology lab infrastructure for a K23 project to elucidate the immunologic and clinical effects of air pollution on childhood tuberculosis.

Publications:

• Blount RJ, Fong S, Stone S, Falahati V, Auld E, Balmes J, Huang L. Recreational drug inhalation and socioenvironmental determinants of pulmonary infection in patients with HIV: a hospital-based case control study. BMC Public Health. 2026 May 30. doi: 10.1186/s12889-026-27957-2. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42216131.
• Becker GL, Kisembo H, Sato Y, Wendt LH, Aanyu-Tukamuhebwa H, Nantanda R, Jackson JB, Blount RJ, Wobudeya E. Post-TB lung function, quality of life, and radiographic findings in children. IJTLD Open. 2025 Jul;2(7):427-433. doi: 10.5588/ijtldopen.24.0675. eCollection 2025 Jul. PubMed PMID: 40657266; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12248413.
• Amuge PM, Becker GL, Ssebunya RN, Nalumansi E, Adaku A, Juma M, Jackson JB, Kekitiinwa AR, Elyanu PJ, Wobudeya E, Blount R. Patient characteristics and predictors of mortality among children hospitalised with tuberculosis: A six-year case series study in Uganda. PLoS One. 2024;19(5):e0301107. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301107. eCollection 2024. PubMed PMID: 38805452; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11132474.
• Cho JL, Villacreses R, Nagpal P, Guo J, Pezzulo AA, Thurman AL, Hamzeh NY, Blount RJ, Fortis S, Hoffman EA, Zabner J, Comellas AP. Quantitative Chest CT Assessment of Small Airways Disease in Post-Acute SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Radiology. 2022 Jul;304(1):185-192. doi: 10.1148/radiol.212170. Epub 2022 Mar 15. PubMed PMID: 35289657; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9270680.
• Blount RJ, Phan H, Trinh T, Dang H, Merrifield C, Zavala M, Zabner J, Comellas AP, Stapleton EM, Segal MR, Balmes J, Nhung NV, Nahid P. Indoor Air Pollution and Susceptibility to Tuberculosis Infection in Urban Vietnamese Children. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2021. Epub 2021/08/04. PubMed PMID: 34343025.  DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202101-0136OC [doi]
• Blount RJ, Pascopella L, Barry P, Zabner J, Stapleton EM, Flood J, Balmes J, Nahid P, Catanzaro DG. Residential urban tree canopy is associated with decreased mortality during tuberculosis treatment in California. Sci Total Environ. 2020;711:134580. Epub 2020/02/01. PubMed PMID: 32000313.  DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134580
• Stapleton EM, Manges R, Parker G, Stone EA, Peters TM, Blount RJ, Noriega J, Li X, Zabner J, Polgreen PM, Chipara O, Herman T, Comellas AP. Indoor Particulate Matter From Smoker Homes Induces Bacterial Growth, Biofilm Formation, and Impairs Airway Antimicrobial Activity. A Pilot Study. Frontiers in Public Health 2020; 7. PMCID: PMC6992572.
• Blount BC, Karwowski MP, Shields PG, Morel-Espinosa M, Valentin-Blasini L, Thomas J, Pirkle JL, Blount RJ (Lung Injury Response Laboratory Working Group), et.al. Vitamin E Acetate in Bronchoalveolar-Lavage Fluid Associated with EVALI. The New England Journal of Medicine 2019. PMCID: PMC7032996.
• Cho J, Villacreses R, Nagpal P, Guo J, Pezzulo A, Thurman A, Hamzeh N, Blount RJ; Fortis S, Hoffman E, Zabner J, Comellas A. 2022. Quantitative Chest CT Assessment of Small Airways Disease in Post-Acute SARS-CoV-2 Radiology. In Press
• Blount RJ, Pascopella L, Catanzaro DG, Barry P, English PB, Segal MR, Flood J, Meltzer D, Jones B, Balmes J, Nahid P. Traffic-Related Air Pollution and All-Cause Mortality during Tuberculosis Treatment in California. Environmental health perspectives 2017;125:097026.
• Blount RJ, Daly KR, Fong S, Chang E, Grieco K, Greene M, Stone S, Balmes J, Miller RF, Walzer PD, Huang L. Effects of clinical and environmental factors on bronchoalveolar antibody responses to Pneumocystis jirovecii: a prospective cohort study of HIV+ patients. PLoS One 2017; 12(7):e0180212.
• Blount RJ, Tran MC, Everett CK, Cattamanchi A, Metcalfe JZ, Connor D, Miller CR, Grinsdale J, Higashi J, Nahid P. Tuberculosis progression rates in U.S. Immigrants following screening with interferon-gamma release assays. BMC Public Health 2016; 16: 875.
• Blount RJ, Tran B, Jarlsberg LG, Phan H, Van TH, Nhung VN, Lewinsohn DA, Nahid P. Childhood tuberculosis in Northern Viet Nam: a review of 103 cases. PLoS One 2014;9(5):e97267. PMCID: PMC4018290.
• Blount RJ, Djawe K, Daly KR, Jarlsberg LG, Fong S, Balmes J, Miller RF, Walzer PD, Huang L, International HIV-associated Opportunistic Pneumonias Study. Ambient air pollution associated with suppressed serologic responses to Pneumocystis jirovecii in a prospective cohort of HIV-infected patients with Pneumocystis pneumonia. PLoS One 2013;8:e80795. PMCID: PMC3827464.
• Blount RJ, Jarlsberg LG, Daly KR, Worodria W, Davis JL, Cattamanchi A, Djawe K, Andama A, Koch J, Walzer PD, Huang L, International HIV-Associated Opportunistic Pneumonias (IHOP) Study. Serologic responses to recombinant Pneumocystis jirovecii major surface glycoprotein among Ugandan patients with respiratory symptoms. PLoS One 2012;7:e51545. PMCID: PMC3528778.
• Blount RJ, Davis JL, Huang L. Pneumocystis Pneumonia. In: Volberding PA, Greene WC, Lange J, Gallant J, Sewankambo N eds. Sande's HIV/AIDS Management. Saunders Elsevier, 2013.
• Gibb E, Blount R, Lewis N, Nielson D, Church G, Jones K, Ly N. Management of plastic bronchitis with topical tissue-type plasminogen activator. Pediatrics 2012;130:e446-50.
• Blount R, Huang L. Clinical approach to HIV-associated pulmonary disease. Clin Pulm Med 2010;17(5):210-217.

Andrean Simons-Burnett, PhD

Dr. Burnett is a highly trained Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Burnett studies the role of inflammation and oxidative stress on the anti-tumor efficacy of head and neck cancer therapy. The long-term goal of her work is to design novel and effective strategies to increase survival outcomes and quality of life in all head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. The high impact of her work to the field of cancer therapeutics and redox biology is reflected by her numerous publications in high impact peer-reviewed journals. Some of the highlights include: 1) the discovery of NADPH oxidase (NOX)- mediated oxidative stress as a novel mechanism for EGFR inhibitors, 2) the discovery that immune response and interleukin-1 signaling are strong predictors of tumor response to drug therapy, and 3) the recent discovery that TLR9 activation using a virus like particle may enhance tumor response to anti-PD1 in an HPV+ mouse model. Her current work seeks to understand how manipulating certain members of the Toll/Interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) family could enhance and/or predict durable tumor responses to both radiotherapy, EGFR-targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. This work has received remarkable attention and interest from clinicians within the University of Iowa with a goal of pushing these studies from the bench to the bedside in the HNSCC setting.

List of Published Works

Snehajyoti Chatterjee, PhD

The primary research focus of the Chatterjee lab is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying long-term memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD). His lab uses multifaceted state-of-the-art approaches such as single-nuclei (RNA+ATAC) multi-omics, spatial transcriptomics, native chromatin enrichment studies, proximity labeling, pharmacology, behavioral techniques, and AAV-based manipulation of transcription in the mouse brain. Using these tools, his goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms that go awry in neurodegeneration. His lab also employs humanized mouse models of ADRD, susceptible to amyloid or tauopathy to study the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) induced neurotoxicity leading towards the risk for dementia (in collaboration with Dr. Hans-Joachim Lehmler). His research on environmental health sciences focuses on assessing how human-relevant PCB mixtures alter the development and progression of ADRD-like phenotypes in animal models of ADRD.

Selected Publications:

1. Basu B, Breese NM, Lombardi S, Wang H, Li X, Tiburcio D, Niemasz Z, Beyer SE, Dean LE, Marek RF, Toborek M, Lehmler H-J*, and Chatterjee S*. (2025) Spatial transcriptomic profiling uncovers the molecular effects of the neurotoxicant polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the brains of adult mice. Mol Psychiatry 31: 3257–3270.
2. Bliese SR, Basu B, Beyer SE, Elsadany M, Michaelson JJ, Chatterjee S*. (2025) Single-cell resolution spatial transcriptomic signature of the retrosplenial cortex during memory consolidation. Mol Psychiatry. PMCID: PMC12645481
3. Vanrobaeys Y., Mukherjee U., Langmack L., Beyer S.E, Bahl E., Lin LC., Michaelson JJ., Abel T*, and Chatterjee S*. (2023) Mapping the spatial transcriptomic signature of the hippocampus during memory consolidation. Nature Communications. 14(1):6100. PMCID: PMC10541893
4. Chatterjee S, Bahl E, Mukherjee U, Walsh EN, Shivarama Shetty M, Yan AL, Vanrobaeys Y, Lederman JD, Giese KP, Michaelson J and Abel T. (2022). Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone Genes Encode Effectors of Long-Term Memory. Science Advances 8(12): eabm6063. PMCID: PMC8942353
5. Chatterjee S#, Angelakos# CC, Bahl E, Hawk JD, Gaine ME, Poplawski SG, Schneider-Anthony A, Yadav M, Porcari GS, Cassel JC, Giese KP, Michaelson JJ, Lyons LC, Boutillier AL and Abel T. (2020). The CBP KIX domain regulates long-term memory and circadian activity. BMC Biology; 18(1):155. PMCID: PMC7597000
6. Gaine ME, Bahl E, Chatterjee S, Michaelson JJ, Abel T and Lyons LC (2021) Altered hippocampal transcriptome dynamics following sleep deprivation. Mol Brain;14(1):125. PMCID: PMC8361790
7. Chatterjee S, Walsh E, Yan A, Giese KP, Safe S. and Abel T (2020) Pharmacological activation of Nr4A rescues age-associated memory decline. Neurobiology of Aging. 85:140-144. PMCID: PMC6917472
8. Lyons LC, Chatterjee S, Vanrobaeys Y, Gaine ME and Abel T (2020) Translational Changes Induced by Acute Sleep Deprivation Uncovered by TRAP-Seq. Mol Brain 13(1):165. PMCID: PMC7713217
9. Chatterjee S#, Cassel R#, Schneider-Anthony A#, Merienne K, Cosquer B, Tzeplaeff T, Sinha SH, Kumar M, Chaturbedy P, Eswaramoorthy M, Gras SL, Keime C, Bousiges O, Dutar P, Petsophonsakul P, Rampon C, Cassel JC, Buée L, Blum D, Kundu TK and Boutillier AL (2018) Reinstating plasticity and memory in a tauopathy mouse model with an acetyltransferase activator. EMBO Mol Med; e8587. PMCID: PMC6220301
10. Bridi MS, Hawk JD, Chatterjee S, Safe S, Abel T (2016) Pharmacological Activators of the NR4A Nuclear Receptors Enhance LTP in a CREB/CBP-Dependent Fashion. Neuropsychopharmacology; 42(6):1243-1253.

Josalyn Cho, MD

Dr. Cho is a pulmonologist and Co-Leader of the EHSRC's Inflammation and Innate Immunity Thematic Area (III-TA). She leads a basic and translational immunology research program focused on understanding the pathogenesis of inflammatory lung diseases. Using both mouse and human models of disease, her laboratory investigates the contributions of innate and adaptive immune responses to allergic asthma, smoking- and vaping-related diseases, and respiratory viral infection.

Selected Publications:

1. Murphy RC, López-Martínez C, Kooistra T, Lai Y, Liu M, Dela Cruz PC, Powell WT, Benson B, Krueger M, Alladina J, Cho JL, Piliponsky AM, Debley JS, Sehmi R, Gauvreau GM, Medoff BD, Gharib SA, Hallstrand TS. (2026) Innate Immune Cell and Epithelial Subsets Coordinate Airway Responses to Allergen. American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. 2026 Jul 15; ahead of print. DOI: 10.1093/ajrcmb/aanag149. PMID: 42458790
2. Hutchins Z, Chen X, Siddique AE, Thorne PS, Salem AK, Cho JL, Adamcakova-Dodd A, Wang Y. (2026) Quantitative Proteomic Profiling of Bronchoalveolar Lavage-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in a Murine Asthma Model. Chemical Research in Toxicology. 39(5):819-823. DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.6c00094.
3. Sherman A, Medoff BD, Cho JL. (2025) To B or Not to B: Germinal Center Responses in Progressive Fibrotic Interstitial Lung Disease. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 211(10):1742-1744. DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202508-1969ED. PMID: 40920908. PMCID: PMC12555036
4. Kooistra T, Saez B, Roche M, Egea-Zorrilla A, Li D, Anketell D, Nguyen N, Villoria J, Gillis J, Petri E, Vera L, Blasco-Iturri Z, Smith NP, Alladina J, Zhang Y, Vinarsky V, Shivaraju M, Sheng SL, Chen M, Gonzalez-Celeiro M, Mou H, Waghray A, Lin B, Paksa A, Yanger K, Tata PR, Zhao R, Causton B, Zulueta JJ, Prosper F, Cho JL, Villani AC, Haber A, Rajagopal J, Medoff BD, Pardo-Saganta A. (2025) Airway basal stem cells are necessary for the maintenance of functional intraepithelial airway macrophages. Cell Reports. 44(6):115860. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115860. PMID: 40512621. PMCID: PMC12286423
5. Alladina J, Medoff BD, Cho JL. (2025) Innate Immunity and Asthma Exacerbations: Insights From Human Models. Immunological Reviews. 330(1):e70016. DOI: 10.1111/imr.70016. PMID: 40087882. PMCID: PMC11922041
6. Bick F, Brenis Gómez CM, Lammens I, Van Moorleghem J, De Wolf C, Dupont S, Dumoutier L, Smith NP, Villani AC, Browaeys R, Alladina J, Haring AM, Medoff BD, Cho JL, Bigirimana R, Vieira J, Hammad H, Blanchetot C, Schuijs MJ, Lambrecht BN. (2024) IL-2 family cytokines IL-9 and IL-21 differentially regulate innate and adaptive type 2 immunity in asthma. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 154(5):1129-1145. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2024.07.024. PMID: 39147327. PMCID: PMC12255943
7. Clay S, Alladina J, Smith NP, Visness CM, Wood RA, O'Connor GT, Cohen RT, Khurana Hershey GK, Kercsmar CM, Gruchalla RS, Gill MA, Liu AH, Kim H, Kattan M, Bacharier LB, Rastogi D, Rivera-Spoljaric K, Robison RG, Gergen PJ, Busse WW, Villani AC, Cho JL, Medoff BD, Gern JE, Jackson DJ, Ober C, Dapas M. (2024) Gene-based association study of rare variants in children of diverse ancestries implicates TNFRSF21 in the development of allergic asthma. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 153(3):809-820. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2023.10.023. PMID: 37944567. PMCID: PMC10939893
8. Corleis B, Tzouanas CN, Wadsworth MH 2nd, Cho JL, Linder AH, Schiff AE, Zessin B, Stei F, Dorhoi A, Dickey AK, Medoff BD, Shalek AK, Kwon DS. (2023) Tobacco smoke exposure recruits inflammatory airspace monocytes that establish permissive lung niches for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Science Translational Medicine. 15(725):eadg3451. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adg3451. PMID: 38055798. PMCID: PMC12289333
9. Halstead KM, Wetzel EM, Cho JL, Stanhewicz AE. (2023) Sex Differences in Oxidative Stress-Mediated Reductions in Microvascular Endothelial Function in Young Adult e-Cigarette Users. Hypertension. 80(12):2641-2649. DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.123.21684. PMID: 37800370. PMCID: PMC10848654
10. Alladina J, Smith NP, Kooistra T, Slowikowski K, Kernin IJ, Deguine J, Keen HL, Manakongtreecheep K, Tantivit J, Rahimi RA, Sheng SL, Nguyen ND, Haring AM, Giacona FL, Hariri LP, Xavier RJ, Luster AD, Villani AC, Cho JL, Medoff BD. (2023) A human model of asthma exacerbation reveals transcriptional programs and cell circuits specific to allergic asthma. Science Immunology. 8(83):eabq6352. DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abq6352. PMID: 37146132. PMCID: PMC10440046
11. Rahimi RA, Cho JL, Jakubzick CV, Khader SA, Lambrecht BN, Lloyd CM, Molofsky AB, Talbot S, Bonham CA, Drake WP, Sperling AI, Singer BD. (2022) Advancing Lung Immunology Research: An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report. American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. 67(1):e1-e18. DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2022-0167ST. PMID: 35776495. PMCID: PMC9273224
12. Cho JL, Villacreses R, Nagpal P, Guo J, Pezzulo AA, Thurman AL, Hamzeh NY, Blount RJ, Fortis S, Hoffman EA, Zabner J, Comellas AP. (2022) Quantitative Chest CT Assessment of Small Airways Disease in Post-Acute SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Radiology. 304(1):185-192. DOI: 10.1148/radiol.212170. PMID: 35289657. PMCID: PMC9270680
13. Corleis B, Cho JL, Gates SJ, Linder AH, Dickey A, Lisanti-Park AC, Schiff AE, Ghebremichael M, Kohli P, Winkler T, Harris RS, Medoff BD, Kwon DS. (2021) Smoking and Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 Infection Promote Retention of CD8+ T Cells in the Airway Mucosa. American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology. 65(5):513-520. DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2021-0168OC. PMID: 34166603. PMCID: PMC8641855
14. Alladina JW, Giacona FL, White EB, Brait KL, Abe EA, Michelhaugh SA, Hibbert KA, Januzzi JL, Thompson BT, Cho JL, Medoff BD. (2021) Soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity-2 Associates With Ventilator Dependence in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Respiratory Failure. Critical Care Explorations. 3(7):e0480. DOI: 10.1097/CCE.0000000000000480. PMID: 34235459. PMCID: PMC8245109
15. Alladina J, Levy SD, Cho JL, Brait KL, Rao SR, Camacho A, Hibbert KA, Harris RS, Medoff BD, Januzzi JL, Thompson BT, Bajwa EK. (2021) Plasma Soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity-2 Associates with Ventilator Liberation in Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 203(10):1257-1265. DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202005-1951OC. PMID: 33400890. PMCID: PMC8456472
16. Kohli P, Kelly VJ, Hibbert KA, Corleis B, Kone M, Cho JL, DeFaria-Yeh D, Kwon DS, Medoff BD, Harris RS, Winkler T. (2021) PET Imaging Reveals Early Pulmonary Perfusion Abnormalities in HIV Infection Similar to Smoking. Journal of Nuclear Medicine. 62(3):405-411. DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.120.245977. PMID: 32764123. PMCID: PMC8049351
17. Schiff AE, Linder AH, Luhembo SN, Banning S, Deymier MJ, Diefenbach TJ, Dickey AK, Tsibris AM, Balazs AB, Cho JL, Medoff BD, Walzl G, Wilkinson RJ, Burgers WA, Corleis B, Kwon DS. (2021) T cell-tropic HIV efficiently infects alveolar macrophages through contact with infected CD4+ T cells. Scientific Reports. 11(1):3890. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82066-x. PMID: 33594125. PMCID: PMC7886866
18. Faustino LD, Griffith JW, Rahimi RA, Nepal K, Hamilos DL, Cho JL, Medoff BD, Moon JJ, Vignali DAA, Luster AD. (2020) Interleukin-33 activates regulatory T cells to suppress innate γδ T cell responses in the lung. Nature Immunology. 21(11):1371-1383. DOI: 10.1038/s41590-020-0785-3. PMID: 32989331. PMCID: PMC7578082
19. Channick CL, Garrison G, Huie TJ, Narewski E, Caplan-Shaw C, Cho J, Rafeq S, Alalawi R, Alashram R, Bailey KL, Carmona EM, Habib N, Kapolka R, Krishnan A, Lammi MR, Peck T, Pennington KM, Rali P, Small BL, Swenson C, Witkin A, Hayes MM. (2020) ATS Core Curriculum 2020. Adult Pulmonary Medicine. ATS Scholar. 1(4):416-435. DOI: 10.34197/ats-scholar.2020-0016RE. PMID: 33870311. PMCID: PMC8015759

Alejandro Comellas, MD

Dr. Comellas is a Clinical Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine; Director of Clinical Research Support for the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS); and Director of the Translational Research Support Core for the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC) at the University of Iowa . His research integrates mechanistic, clinical, and imaging-based approaches to understand lung injury and chronic respiratory disease. A major focus of his current work is the use of quantitative CT, advanced image analysis, and artificial intelligence to characterize small-airways disease, emphysema, vascular abnormalities, and extrapulmonary manifestations of COPD and post-acute COVID-19. Through leadership and collaboration in large multicenter studies, including SPIROMICS and COPDGene, Dr. Comellas aims to identify imaging and biologic phenotypes that improve early detection, risk stratification, and personalized treatment of smoking-related and environmentally mediated lung disease.

List of Published Works

Josep Comeron, PhD

The Comeron Lab is interested in understanding the causes and consequences of variation across genomes, among individuals of the same species, and between species. His team pays particular attention to recombination as a fundamental parameter in the evolution of genes, genomes and, ultimately, species. They study the molecular causes and evolutionary consequences of recombination variation. To this end they apply an interdisciplinary approach using population genetics, bioinformatics, computer simulations, traditional genetics, and next-generation sequencing techniques to study genomes and transcriptomes. They take full advantage of the unparalleled genetic and genomic tools available in the Drosophila model system.

List of Published Works

David M. Cwiertny, PhD

Dr. Cwiertny’s research program broadly focuses on pollutant fate in natural and engineered aquatic systems, relying on complementary tools from engineering, chemistry and materials science. He has specific expertise related to the (i) environmental fate and risk assessment of emerging pollutant classes, and (ii) development of (nano)material-based technologies for resource sustainability. In particular, his work often focuses on issues at the intersection of environmental quality with public health and public policy.

In October of 2017, Dr. Cwiertny was appointed Director for the Center of Health Effects of Environmental Contamination (CHEEC), a state-sponsored research center focused on improving the environmental quality and public health of Iowans. At the EHSRC, Dr. Cwiertny co-leads the Water Quality Thematic Area (WQ-TA), coordinating activities among EHSRC members across three colleges (Public Health, Engineering, and Liberal Arts and Science) with research expertise in water quality and health impacts associated with water contamination.

Between 2015 and 2023, Dr. Cwiertny served as the Director of the Environmental Policy Research Program at the UI Public Policy Center (UI PPC). In 2016-2017, he served as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Fellow, working as minority staff for the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and its subcommittees on Energy and Environment.

Complete List of Published Work in Google Scholar

Kathryn Dalton, PhD, VMD, MPH

Dr. Dalton's research broadly explores One Health microbial dynamics among humans, animals, and their shared environment, and how microbial communities relate to human health outcomes. She employs multidisciplinary techniques from epidemiology, environmental science, microbiology, and ethnography to explore the dynamic balance of detrimental and positive impacts on health from human-animal-environmental interactions, with an emphasis on infectious and respiratory conditions.

Complete List of Published Work

Maureen Donovan, PhD

Dr. Donovan's laboratory has been actively investigating the absorption of compounds via the nasal cavity for over 20 years. Current research is focused on identifying the mechanisms controlling the preferential disposition of materials absorbed across the nasal mucosa and transferred to the CNS. The lab is examining the ability of uptake and efflux transporters, along with endocytotic processes to transfer materials from the nasal cavity to the brain while bypassing the blood-brain barrier. With the increasing interest in the ability of inhaled environmental contaminants reaching the brain via the nasal/olfactory pathways,Dr. Donovan's lab has initiated new investigations in the uptake of nanoparticles and other environmental toxins into the brain.

Selected Publications:

1. Verma P.; Rezaei L.; Govindarajan R.; Greig N. H.; Donovan M. D. (2024). Gastroretentive Delivery System Approaches to Address pH-dependent Degradation of (+) and (-)-Phenserine. AAPS Pharm Sci Tech 25:198. DOI:10.1208/s12249-024-02903-w PMID: 39192157.
2. Al Bakri W.; Donovan M. D. (2024). The Role of Membrane Transporters in the Absorption of Atrazine following Nasal Exposure. Inhal Tox. 36 (4) 250-260. DOI: 10.1080/08958378.2024.2348165 PMID:38738559
3. Chede L. S.; Donovan M. D. (2023). Achieving Therapeutic Drug Concentrations in the Esophagus Using Bioadhesive Dosage Forms. Int J Pharm. 642:123115. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123115
4. Albarki, M. A.; Donovan, M. D. (2022). Uptake of Cationic PAMAM-PLGA Nanoparticles by the Nasal Mucosa. SCIENTIA PHARMACEUTICA 90 (4). DOI: 10.3390/scipharm90040072.
5. Bejgum, B. C.; Donovan, M. D. (2021). Uptake and Transport of Ultrafine Nanoparticles (Quantum Dots) in the Nasal Mucosa. Molecular Pharmaceutics 18 (1) 429-440. DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c01074. PMID: 33346666.
6. Vasa, D. M.; Bakri, Z.; Donovan, M. D.; O'Donnell, L. A.; Wildfong, Peter L. D. (2021). Evaluation of Ribavirin-Poloxamer Microparticles for Improved Intranasal Absorption. PHARMACEUTICS 13 (8). DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13081126.
7. Rezaei, L.; Meruva, S.; Donovan, M. D. (2021). Effect of Manufacturing Process on the Retention of Abuse-Deterrent Properties of PEO-Matrix Tablets. AAPS PHARMSCITECH 23 (1). DOI: 10.1208/s12249-021-02169-6.
8. Chede, L. S.; Wagner, B. A.; Buettner, G. R.; Donovan, M. D. (2021). Electron Spin Resonance Evaluation of Buccal Membrane Fluidity Alterations by Sodium Caprylate and L-Menthol. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES 22 (19). DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910708.
9. Al Khafaji, Ammar S.; Donovan, M. D. (2021). Endocytic Uptake of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles by the Nasal Mucosa. PHARMACEUTICS 13 (5). DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13050761.
10. Meruva, S.; Donovan, M. D. (2020). Polyethylene Oxide (PEO) Molecular Weight Effects on Abuse-Deterrent Properties of Matrix Tablets. AAPS PharmSciTech 21 (1) 28. DOI: 10.1208/s12249-019-1565-y.
11. Albarki, M. A.; Donovan, M. D. (2020). Bigger or Smaller? Size and Loading Effects on Nanoparticle Uptake Efficiency in the Nasal Mucosa. AAPS PharmSciTech 21 (8) 294. DOI: 10.1208/s12249-020-01837-3.
12. Meruva, S.; Rezaei, L.; Thool, P.; Donovan, M. D. (2020). Use of Drug Release Testing to Evaluate the Retention of Abuse-Deterrent Properties of Polyethylene Oxide Matrix Tablets. AAPS PharmSciTech 21 (7) 270. DOI: 10.1208/s12249-020-01804-y. PMID: 33025237.
13. Donovan, M. D.; Meruva, S. (2019). Effects of Drug-Polymer Interactions on Tablet Properties During the Development of Abuse-Deterrent Dosage Forms. AAPS PharmSciTech 20 (3) 93. DOI: 10.1208/s12249-018-1221-y. PMID: 30690657.
14. Al Bakri, W.; Donovan, M. D., Cueto, M.; Wu, Y.; Orekie, C.; Yang, Z. (2018). Overview of Intranasally Delivered Peptides: Key Considerations for Pharmaceutical Development. Exp Opin Drug Del 15 (10) 991-1005. DOI: 10.1080/17425247.2018.1517742. PMID: 30173579.
15. Foo, M. W.; Sawant, N.; Overholtzer, E.; Donovan, M. D. (2018). A Simplified Geometric Model to Predict Nasal Spray Deposition in Children and Adults. AAPS PharmSciTech 19 (7) 2767–2777. DOI: 10.1208/s12249-018-1031-2. PMID: 29948982.
16. Awasthi, R.; An, G.; Donovan, M. D.; Ponto, L. L. (2018). Relating Observed Psychoactive Effects to the Plasma Concentration of ∆9-tetrahydrocannibinol (THC) and Active Metabolite: An Effect-Compartment Modeling Approach. J Pharm Sci 107 (2) 745-755. DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2017.09.009. PMID: 28942005.
17. Sawant, N.; Donovan, M. D. (2018). In Vitro Assessment of Spray Deposition Patterns in a Pediatric (12 Year-Old) Nasal Cavity Model. PharmRes 35 (5). DOI: 10.1007/s11095-018-2385-6. PMID: 29582159.
18. Dhamankar, V.; Donovan, M. D. (2017). Modulating Nasal Mucosal Permeation Using Metabolic Saturation and Enzyme Inhibition Techniques. J Pharm Pharmacol 69 (9) 1075-1083. DOI: 10.1111/jphp.12749. PMID: 28542812.
19. Ponto, L. L.; Huang, J.; Walsh, S. A.; Acevedo, M. R.; Mundt, C.; Sunderland, J.; Donovan, M. D. (2017). Demonstration of Nucleoside Transporter Activity in the Nose-to-Brain Distribution of [18F]fluorothymidine Using PET Imaging. The AAPS Journal 20. DOI: 10.1208/s12248-017-0158-5.
20. Xu, J.; Li, G.; Wang, Z.; Si, L.; Huang, J.; Donovan, M. D. (2016) The Role of L-type Amino Acid Transporters in the Uptake of Glyphosate across Mammalian Epithelial Tissues. Chemosphere 145 487-494. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.11.062.
21. Ponto, L. L.; Walsh, S.; Huang, J.; Mundt, C.; Thede-Reynolds, K.; Watkins, G. L.; Sunderland, J.; Donovan, M. D. (2017). Pharmacoimaging of Blood-Brain Barrier Permeable (FDG) and Impermeable (FLT) Substrates after Intranasal (IN) Administration. The AAPS Journal. DOI: 10.1208/s12248-017-0157-6. PMID: 29218424. PMCID: PMC5798226.
22. Dhamankar, V.; Assem, M.; Donovan, M. D. (2015). Expression and Localization of Major Cytochrome P450 Metabolizing Isoforms in Bovine Nasal Olfactory and Respiratory Mucosa. Inhal. Tox. 16 1-11. DOI: 10.3109/08959378.2015.1066903.
23. Al-Ghabeish, M.; Scheetz, T.; Assem, M.; Donovan, M. D. (2015). Microarray Determination of Expression of Drug Transporters in Humans and Animal Species Used in the Investigation of Nasal Absorption. Mol. Pharm. 12 (8) 2742-2754.
24. Zhang, H.; Lin, C. W.; Donovan, M. D. (2013). Correlation between Nasal Membrane Permeability and Nasal Absorption Rate. AAPS PharmSciTech 14 (1) 60-63. DOI: 10.1208/s12249-012-9884-2.

Jonathan A. Doorn, PhD

Dr. Doorn’s research program is focused on elucidating mechanisms of neurotoxicity relevant to neurodegenerative disease with particular attention to the role of environmental contaminants. Of particular interest is the role of environmental organochlorines, e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dieldrin, and organophosphates in generating toxic conditions in vitro/in vivo that adversely modulate dopaminergic and glial cells, work highly relevant to neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental conditions. Recent work examined the role of the organochlorine dieldrin in stressing dopaminergic cells to produce elevated levels of a toxic dopamne metabolite (i.e., 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde). In collaboration with the Iowa Superfund Research Program and Drs. Hans Lehmler and Hanna Stevens, Dr. Doorn has shown that PCBs and their human relevant metabolites target astrocyte mitochondria yielding a bioenergetic crisis, in particular a specific congener (PCB52 and its metabolites). In addition, he is interested in the role of natural product analogs in eliciting a protective response and collaborating with Drs. David Martin and Marie Gaine on a drug discovery project that focuses on the NRF2-KEAP1 system and neuroprotection against agents such as organophosphates.

List of Published Works

Shoshannah Eggers, PhD

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Dr. Eggers directs the Microbial Exposomics Lab, which investigates interactions between the human microbiome and environmental exposures in chronic disease risk across the lifespan from an epidemiologic perspective. Through multidisciplinary approaches integrating microbiome science, exposure assessment, and molecular epidemiology, her work aims to identify biological pathways that can inform prevention strategies for environmentally driven adverse health outcomes, including maternal and child health, neurobehavioral functioning, and cancer.

Complete List of Published Work

Sean B. Fain, PhD

The Fain lab is dedicated to developing functional imaging of the lungs using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Multiple methods are in development and are actively in use for clinical research. Most prominently, ultra-short time to echo (UTE) pulmonary MRI and hyperpolarized xenon gas MRI are actively being used to study long COVID, interstitial lung disease, cystic fibrosis, lung transplant rejection and asthma. Our work has applications in understanding of environmental population health given our ability to measure ventilation and gas exchange regionally with sufficient sensitivity to detect subclinical changes not detected by conventional pulmonary function tests. The MRI techniques developed in the Fain lab are furthermore complementary to quantitative CT methods by providing functional information without using ionizing radiation.

Selected Publications:

1. Theeler J, Comellas AP, Gehl C, Garvin L, Garg A, Fain SB, Hoth KF. Clinical neuropsychological evaluation of patients referred from a post-COVID subspeciality clinic. Clin Neuropsychol. 2026 Jul;40(5):1339-1358. doi: 10.1080/13854046.2025.2536700. Epub 2025 Jul 26. PMID: 42411649.
2. Staab KR, McIntosh MJ, Puliyakote ASK, Hahn AD, AlArab N, Percy JL, Lanning T, Theeler J, Linkenmeyer C, Wharff CJ, Bruening E, Sieren JC, Hoffman EA, Comellas AP, Hoth KF, Fain SB. Long COVID: lung pathophysiology and its relationship with cognitive dysfunction. Sci Rep. 2025 Nov 24;15(1):42595. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-26568-y. PMID: 41286257; PMCID: PMC12663264.
3. Winkler T, Fain SB. Mucus Plugs and Remodeling in the Small Airways: Considerations for Complex Airway Behavior and Instability in Asthma. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2025 Oct 24. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202508-1859ED. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41135034.
4. AlArab N, McIntosh MJ, Guo J, Atha J, Kizhakke Puliyakote AS, Sieren JC, Hoffman E, Abadi E, Fain SB. Comparison of quantitative lung measures in low dose energy-integrating detector and photon-counting detector chest CT with an anthropomorphic phantom. Biomed Phys Eng Express. 2025 Oct 30;11(6). doi: 10.1088/2057-1976/ae0e27. PMID: 41033329.
5. Sieren JC, Schroeder KE, Kitzmann J, Knoernschild K, Atha J, Alarab N, Guo J, Fain SB, Hoffman EA. Ultra-high Resolution Photon Counting Detector Computed Tomography Imaging for Quantitative Lung Assessment: An Anthropomorphic Phantom Study. Invest Radiol. 2025 Aug 1. doi: 10.1097/RLI.0000000000001227. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40747833.
6. Zhang X, Rajaraman PK, Li F, Choi S, Comellas AP, Hoffman EA, Fain SB, Kaczka DW, Smith BM, Choi J, Castro M, Wenzel SE, Jarjour NN, Schiebler ML, Israel E, Levy BD, Fahy JV, Erzurum SC, Babiskin A, Kinjo M, Walenga R, Lin CL. Assessment of ventilation heterogeneity and particle deposition in asthmatics using combined SPECT/CT imaging and computational modeling approaches. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2025 Jun 1;209:107093. doi: 10.1016/j.ejps.2025.107093. Epub 2025 Apr 2. PMID: 40185289; PMCID: PMC12145795.
7. San José Estépar R, Barr RG, Fain SB, Grenier PA, Hoffman EA, Humphries SM, Kirby M, Obuchowski N, Ryerson CJ, Seo JB, Tal-Singer R, Ash SY, Bankier AA, Crapo J, Han MK, Kellermeyer L, Goldin J, McCollough CH, Newell JD Jr, Miller BE, Nordenmark LH, Remy-Jardin M, Prokop M, Ohno Y, Silverman EK, Strange C, Washko GR, Lynch DA. The Use of Computed Tomography Densitometry for the Assessment of Emphysema in Clinical Trials: A Position Paper from the Fleischner Society. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2025 May;211(5):709-728. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202410-2012SO. PMID: 40126404; PMCID: PMC12091028.
8. Nadeem SA, Comellas AP, Chan KS, Hoffman EA, Fain SB, Saha PK. Automated CT-based measurements of radial and longitudinal expansion of airways due to breathing-related lung volume change. Med Phys. 2025 Apr;52(4):2316-2329. doi: 10.1002/mp.17592. Epub 2024 Dec 20. PMID: 39704489; PMCID: PMC11972036.
9. Walkup LL, Roach DJ, Plummer JW, Willmering MM, Zanette B, Santyr G, Fain SB, Rock MJ, Mata J, Froh D, Stanojevic S, Cleveland ZI, Ratjen F, Woods JC. Same-Day Repeatability and 28-Day Reproducibility of Xenon MRI Ventilation in Children With Cystic Fibrosis in a Multi-Site Trial. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2025 Apr;61(4):1664-1674. doi: 10.1002/jmri.29605. Epub 2024 Sep 11. PMID: 39257323; PMCID: PMC11896927.
10. Comellas AP, Fain SB. Lung MRI identifies potentially treatable subtypes of long COVID. Eur Respir J. 2024 Mar 28;63(3):2400381. doi: 10.1183/13993003.00381-2024. PMID: 38548274.
11. Fain SB, McIntosh MJ. A new approach to computed tomography measurement of airway remodelling in paediatric asthma. ERJ Open Res. 2024 Jan 15;10(1):00763-2023. doi: 10.1183/23120541.00763-2023. PMID: 38226062; PMCID: PMC10789253.
12. Huang BK, Elicker BM, Henry TS, Kallianos KG, Hahn LD, Tang M, Heng F, McCulloch CE, Bhakta NR, Majumdar S, Choi J, Denlinger LC, Fain SB, Hastie AT, Hoffman EA, Israel E, Jarjour NN, Levy BD, Mauger DT, Sumino K, Wenzel SE, Castro M, Woodruff PG, Fahy JV, Sarp FTNSARP. Persistent mucus plugs in proximal airways are consequential for airflow limitation in asthma. JCI Insight. 2024 Feb 8;9(3):e174124. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.174124. PMID: 38127464; PMCID: PMC10967478.
13. Leung C, Tang M, Huang BK, Fain SB, Hoffman EA, Choi J, Dunican EM, Mauger DT, Denlinger LC, Jarjour NN, Israel E, Levy BD, Wenzel SE, Sumino K, Hastie AT, Schirm J, McCulloch CE, Peters MC, Woodruff PG, Sorkness RL, Castro M, Fahy JV. A Novel Air Trapping Segment Score Identifies Opposing Effects of Obesity and Eosinophilia on Air Trapping in Asthma. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2024 May 15;209(10):1196-1207. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202305-0802OC. PMID: 38113166; PMCID: PMC11146546.
14. Carey KJ, Hotvedt P, Mummy DG, Lee KE, Denlinger LC, Schiebler ML, Sorkness RL, Jarjour NN, Hatt CR, Galban CJ, Fain SB. Comparison of hyperpolarized 3He-MRI, CT based parametric response mapping, and mucus scores in asthmatics. Front Physiol. 2023 Aug 1;14:1178339. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1178339. PMID: 37593238; PMCID: PMC10431597.
15. Fain SB, Comellas AP. Monitoring Biologic Therapy in Asthma Using Functional Imaging. Chest. 2023 Jul;164(1):3-5. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2023.04.004. PMID: 37423697.
16. Fain SB, Schiebler ML. Using Functional Lung MRI to Predict Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction. Radiology. 2023 May;307(4):e230636. doi: 10.1148/radiol.230636. Epub 2023 Apr 18. PMID: 37070992; PMCID: PMC10323287.
17. Hahn AD, Carey KJ, Barton GP, Torres LA, Kammerman J, Cadman RV, Lee KE, Schiebler ML, Sandbo N, Fain SB. Hyperpolarized 129Xe MR Spectroscopy in the Lung Shows 1-year Reduced Function in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Radiology. 2022 Dec;305(3):688-696. doi: 10.1148/radiol.211433. Epub 2022 Jul 26. PMID: 35880982; PMCID: PMC9713448.
18. Torres LA, Lee KE, Barton GP, Hahn AD, Sandbo N, Schiebler ML, Fain SB. Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI for the Evaluation of Lung Perfusion in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Eur Respir J. 2022 Mar 10:2102058. doi:10.1183/13993003.02058-2021. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35273033.
19. Mummy DG, Dunican EM, Carey KJ, Evans MD, Elicker BM, Newell JD Jr, Gierada DS, Nagle SK, Schiebler ML, Sorkness RL, Jarjour NN, Denlinger LC, Fahy JV, Fain SB. Mucus Plugs in Asthma at CT Associated with Regional Ventilation Defects at 3He MRI. Radiology. 2022 Apr;303(1):184-190. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2021204616. Epub 2021 Dec 21. PMID: 34931858; PMCID: PMC8962781.
20. Avila RS, Fain SB, Hatt C, Armato SG 3rd, Mulshine JL, Gierada D, Silva M, Lynch DA, Hoffman EA, Ranallo FN, Mayo JR, Yankelevitz D, Estepar RSJ, Subramaniam R, Henschke CI, Guimaraes A, Sullivan DC. QIBA guidance: Computed tomography imaging for COVID-19 quantitative imaging applications. Clin Imaging. 2021 Sep;77:151-157. doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2021.02.017. Epub 2021 Feb 25. PMID: 33684789; PMCID: PMC7906537.

Nathan Fethke, MS, PhD

Dr. Fethke serves as Director of the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health (GPCAH), one of 12 Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health supported across the nation by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). GPCAH serves a 9-state region in the Midwest and is nationally recognized for its programs of research, intervention, translation, education, and outreach to prevent occupational injury and illness among agricultural workers and their families. As GPCAH Director, Dr. Fethke advances exposure-related research in agricultural settings and translates findings into accessible preventive interventions to reduce environmental health burdens.

John C. Flunker, PhD, MPH, MS

The Flunker lab seeks to characterize, quantify, and refine spatiotemporal estimates of environmental and occupational exposures and associated adverse health outcomes among at-risk populations. Research areas of interest include exposures driven by extreme weather events and natural disasters, namely heat and wildfire smoke, respiratory disease, heat-related illness, cancer, biomarkers of exposure, and exposure-outcome statistical modeling.

List of Published Works

Tori Z. Forbes, PhD

Dr. Forbes is an inorganic chemist who investigates the aqueous speciation of actinide elements and self-assembly of coordination compounds. Her group focuses on the speciation of thorium, uranium and neptunium in aqueous systems using a combination of diffraction and spectroscopic techniques. They collaborate with faculty interested in water quality issues related to naturally occurring radioactive materials and legacy nuclear waste. This includes efforts to test private wells for radium in rural Iowa and supporting efforts to understand uranium mobility in groundwater systems in New Mexico.

Dr. Forbes also directs the University of Iowa's Materials Analysis, Testing, and Fabrication (MATFab) Facility, which offers state-of-the-art characterization, fabrication, and materials analysis capabilities to researchers across the UI campus and beyond.

Selected Publications:

1. Rajapaksha, H., G. C. Benthin, E. L. Markun, C. J. Flester, S. E. Mason, T. Z. Forbes, “Bonding and reactivity of isostructural uranyl and neptunyl peroxide phases.” (2025) Chemistry Communications (invited article – Special edition on f-block chemistry) 8, 385. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01733-6
2. Celik, E, D. May, K. P. Carter, R. Riessen, S. Wright, J. Nassif, R. S. Cole, T. Z. Forbes, “Novel approaches to meeting the radiochemistry workforce needs: A case study of the University of Iowa Radiochemistry Graduate Certificate program” (2025) Journal of Radiochemistry and Nuclear Chemistry https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-025-10400-y
3. Markun, E. L, A. B. Motes, T. Z. Forbes, “Mechanochemical oxidation and dissolution of uranium oxide phases: Implications for nuclear material processing.” (2025) Journal of Nuclear Materials, 617, 156142 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.156142
4. Kruse, S.J., S. K. Scherrer, G. P. Horne, J. A. LaVerne, T. Z. Forbes, “The inorganic chemist’s guide to actinide radiation chemistry: A review.” (2025) Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers, 12, 6398-6434 https://doi.org/10.1039/D5QI00975H
5. Rajapaksha, H., Kruse, S. J., J.A. LaVerne, S.E. Mason, T. Z. Forbes, “Radiation-effects in uranyl tetrachloro coordination compounds: Impacts of lattice water.” (2025) Inorganic Chemistry 64, 9652-9661. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c00693
6. Benthin, G. C., H. Rajapaksha, E. L. Markun, S.E. Mason, T. Z. Forbes, “Probing the Protonation and Stability of Heptavalent Neptunium with Computational Guidance.” (2024) Dalton Transactions, 3, 16170-16185 https://doi.org/10.1039/D4DT01706D
7. Kruse, S. J., H. Rajapaksha, J. A. LaVerne, S.E. Mason, T. Z. Forbes, “Radiation-Induced Defects in Uranyl Trinitrate Solids”, (2024) Chemistry -A European Journal 30, e202400956. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202400956
8. Scherrer, S., S. M. Greer, H. Rajapaksha, B. W. Stein, T. Z. Forbes, “Superoxide Radicals in Uranyl Peroxide Solids: Lasting Signatures Identified by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy” (2024) Angewandte Chemie 136, e202400379. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202400379

Marie Gaine, PhD

The Gaine Lab is dedicated to understanding the role of genetics and epigenetics in the development and treatment of psychiatric disorders, and how environmental factors can influence this. Projects primarily focus on DNA methylation and methylation quantitative trait loci (meQTLs) as well as novel biomarkers such as extracellular vesicles and cell-free DNA, which hold promise for non-invasive diagnostics and precision medicine approaches.

Dr. Gaine's research prioritizes high-risk populations, including pregnant people, individuals with bipolar disorder, and individuals exposed to pesticides. By integrating cutting-edge sequencing techniques and interdisciplinary approaches using human samples and mouse models, her group strives to advance knowledge and develop tools that can improve outcomes for individuals affected by these psychiatric disorders.

Selected Publications:

1. Alrfooh A, Casten LG, Gringer Richards J, Wemmie JA, Magnotta VA, Fiedorowicz JG, Michaelson JJ, Williams AJ, Gaine ME (2026). Investigating the relationship between DNA methylation, genetic variation, and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder. Arch Suicide Res 30(1):203-223. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2025.2511264. PMID: 40476679. PMCID: PMC12309415
2. Argue MB, Casten LG, Richards JG, McCool S, Alrfooh A, Gringer Richards J, Wemmie JA, Magnotta VA, Williams AJ, Michaelson JJ, Fiedorowicz JG, Scroggins S, Gaine ME (2025). Immune Dysregulation in Bipolar Disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders. PMID: 39818340
3. Benjamin-Zukerman T*, Shimon G*, Gaine ME*, Dakwar A, Peled N, Aboraya M, Masri-Ismail A, Safadi-Safa R, Solomon M, Lev-Ram V, Rissman RA, Mayrhofer JE, Raffeiner A, Mol M, Argue BMR, McCool S, Doan B, van Swieten J, Stefan E, Abel T#, and Ilouz R# *Joint First Authors, #Joint Last Authors. (2024). Mutation in protein kinase A R1 beta (PRKARIB) drives pathological mechanisms of neurodegeneration across species. Brain. PMCID: PMC11531844
4. Glebov-McCloud AGP, Saide WS, Gaine ME, Strack S (2024). Protein Kinase A in neurological disorders. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. PMCID: PMC10936040.
5. Khan KM, Gaine ME, Daniel AD, Chilamkuri P, Rohlman DS (2024). Organophosphorus pesticide exposure from house dust and parent-reported child behavior in Latino children from an orchard community. Neurotoxicology. PMCID: PMC11684323.
6. Kim J, Vanrobaeys Y, Peterson Z, Kelvington B, Gaine ME, Nickl-Jockschat T, Abel T (2024). Dissecting 16p11.2 hemi-deletion to study sex-specific striatal phenotypes of neurodevelopmental disorders. Molecular Psychiatry. PMCID: PMC9949238.
7. Mirza S, Lima CdC, Del Favero-Campbell A, Rubinstein A, Topolski N, Cabrera-Mendoza B, Kovács EHC, Blumberg HP, Gringer Richards J, Williams AJ, Wemmie JA, Magnotta VA, Fiedorowicz JG, Gaine ME, Walss-Bass C, Quevedo J, Soares JC, Fries GR (2024). Blood epigenome-wide association studies of suicide attempt in adults with bipolar disorder. Translational Psychiatry. PMCID: PMC10831084.
8. Harmata GIS, Barsotti EJ, Casten LG, Fiedorowicz JG, Williams A, Shaffer JJ, Gringer Richards J, Sathyaputri L, Schmitz SL, Christensen GE, Long JD, Gaine ME, Xu J, Michaelson JJ, Wemmie JA, Magnotta VA (2023). Cerebellar Morphological Differences in Bipolar Disorder Type I. Journal of Affective Disorders. PMCID: PMC10529949.
9. Lima, C. N., Kovács, E. H., Mirza, S., Del Favero-Campbell, A., Diaz, A. P., Quevedo, J., Argue, B. M., Richards, J. G., Williams, A., Wemmie, J. A., Magnotta, V. A., Fiedorowicz, J. G., Soares, J. C., Gaine, M. E. & Fries, G. R. (2023). Association between the epigenetic lifespan predictor GrimAge and history of suicide attempt in bipolar disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology 48 954–962. DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01557-9.
10. Kim, J., Vanrobaeys, Y., Peterson, Z., Kelvington, B., Gaine, M. E., Nickl-Jockschat, T. & Abel, T. (2023). Dissecting 16p11.2 hemi-deletion to study sex-specific striatal phenotypes of neurodevelopmental disorders. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.09.527866.
11. Gaine, M. E., Bahl, E., Chatterjee, S., Michaelson, J. J., Abel, T. & Lyons, L. C. (2021). Altered hippocampal transcriptome dynamics following sleep deprivation. Molecular Brain 14 (1). DOI: 10.1186/s13041-021-00835-1.

Alicia K. Gerke, MD, MBA

Dr. Gerke's current research is directed at evaluating the role of environmental exposures in the development of interstitial lung diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis.

Selected Publications:

1. Hagner MD, Miller A, De la Serna S, Arakkal A, Cavanaugh J, Pezzulo A, Hamzeh N, Polgreen P, Gerke A. The Diagnostic Course of Sarcoidosis: A Population-Based Study Highlighting Risk Factors for a Delay in Diagnosis. Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis. 2026 Jun 22;43(2):18607. doi:10.36141/svdld.2026.18607. PMID:42329014; PMCID:PMC13359006.

2. Wells AU, Lower EE, Baughman RP, Culver DA, Judson MA, Bonham CA, Gerke AK, et al. A paradigm shift in corticosteroid therapy for sarcoidosis. Lancet Respir Med. 2026 Apr;14(4):363-374. doi:10.1016/S2213-2600(25)00338-8. PMID:41207318; PMCID:PMC13397509.

3. Stapleton EM, Metwali N, Shlossman M, Wendt L, Pezzulo AA, Hamzeh NY, Comellas AP, Thorne PS, Gerke AK. Residential fungal β-(1,3)-D-glucan exposure is associated with decreased pulmonary function in fibrotic pulmonary sarcoidosis. Res Sq. 2024 Oct 22:rs.3.rs-5220174. PMID:39502781; PMCID:PMC11537350.

4. Wang S, Laageide L, Phan V, Rosenbach M, Gerke AK, Wanat KA. Use of registry surveys in cutaneous sarcoidosis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2024 Jun;90(6):1294-1296. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2024.02.023. PMID:38395226.

5. Gerke AK. Treatment of Granulomatous Inflammation in Pulmonary Sarcoidosis. J Clin Med. 2024 Jan 27;13(3):738. doi:10.3390/jcm13030738. PMID:38337432; PMCID:PMC10856377.

6. Chung H, Hanken K, Gerke AK, Lund BC. Montelukast and risk for antidepressant treatment failure. J Psychosom Res. 2023 Jan;164:111075. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.111075. PMID:36368225.

7. Fox CW, Khaw CL, Gerke AK, Lund BC. Montelukast and neuropsychiatric events. J Asthma. 2022 Dec;59(12):2360-2366. doi:10.1080/02770903.2021.2018705. PMID:34979844.

8. Simmering J, Stapleton EM, Polgreen PM, Kuntz J, Gerke AK. Patterns of medication use and imaging following initial diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Respir Med. 2021 Nov-Dec;189:106622. PMID:34600163; PMCID:PMC10918686.

9. Zhou Y, Gerke AK, Lower EE, et al. The impact of demographic disparities in the presentation of sarcoidosis: A multicenter prospective study. Respir Med. 2021 Oct;187:106564. PMID:34391118; PMCID:PMC9999732.

10. Priya S, Aggarwal T, Ward C, Bathla G, Jacob M, Gerke A, Hoffman EA, Nagpal P. Radiomics side experiments and DAFIT approach in identifying pulmonary hypertension using Cardiac MRI derived radiomics based machine learning models. Sci Rep. 2021 Jun 16;11(1):12686. PMID:34135418; PMCID:PMC8209219.

11. Priya S, Aggarwal T, Ward C, Bathla G, Jacob M, Gerke A, Hoffman EA, Nagpal P. Radiomics Detection of Pulmonary Hypertension via Texture-Based Assessments of Cardiac MRI. J Clin Med. 2021 Apr 28;10(9):1921. PMID:33925262; PMCID:PMC8125238.

12. Miller AC, Arakkal AT, Koeneman S, Cavanaugh JE, Gerke AK, Hornick DB, Polgreen PM. Incidence, duration and risk factors associated with delayed and missed diagnostic opportunities related to tuberculosis. BMJ Open. 2021 Feb 18;11(2):e045605. PMID:33602715; PMCID:PMC7896623.

13. Philibert R, Mills JA, Long JD, Salisbury SE, Comellas A, Gerke A, Dawes K, Vander Weg M, Hoffman EA. The Reversion of cg05575921 Methylation in Smoking Cessation. Genes (Basel). 2020;11(12):1415. PMID:33260961; PMCID:PMC7760261.

14. Gerke AK. Treatment of Sarcoidosis: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Front Immunol. 2020 Nov 19;11:545413. PMID:33329511; PMCID:PMC7732561.

15. Vargas Buonfiglio LG, Vanegas Calderon OG, Cano M, Simmering JE, Polgreen PM, Zabner J, Gerke AK, Comellas AP. Seasonal Antimicrobial Activity of the Airway. Nutrients. 2020;12(9):2602. PMID:32867053; PMCID:PMC7551279.

16. Crouser ED, Maier LA, Wilson KC, Bonham CA, Morgenthau AS, Patterson KC, Abston E, Bernstein RC, Blankstein R, Chen ES, Culver DA, Drake W, Drent M, Gerke AK, Ghobrial M, Govender P, Hamzeh N, James WE, Judson MA, Kellermeyer L, Knight S, Koth LL, Poletti V, Raman SV, Tukey MH, Westney GE, Baughman RP. Diagnosis and Detection of Sarcoidosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2020;201(8):e26-e51. PMID:32293205; PMCID:PMC7159433.

17. Harper LJ, Gerke AK, Wang XF, et al. Income and Other Contributors to Poor Outcomes in U.S. Patients with Sarcoidosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2020;201(8):955-964. PMID:31825646; PMCID:PMC7924656.

Eric A. Hoffman, PhD

Dr. Eric A. Hoffman, Ph.D. received his Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Minnesota / Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in 1981 and remained on staff at the Mayo Clinic where he was a member of the team which Developed the Dynamic Spatial Reconstructor (DSR), the earliest volumetric X-Ray computed tomographic scanner. He currently is the director of the Advanced Pulmonary Physiomics Laboratory (APPIL) at the University of Iowa. Throughout his career, Dr. Hoffman has used advanced imaging methodologies to study basic respiratory physiology centered largely on mechanisms of ventilation and perfusion heterogeneity and regional lung mechanics. In the late 1970s, volumetric computed tomography was used to provide a first look at regional lung mechanics in the never invaded negative pressure environment of the intact thorax. Hoffman’s contributions have served to illuminate many underlying relationships in COPD, Asthma and environmental lung diseases. Recent work has led to the investigation of vascular dysfunction in the etiology of emphysema based upon novel uses of dual energy multidetector row CT (DECT). A key contribution of Dr. Hoffman’s work lies in the continued efforts to provide analysis tools, coordination, quality control and image analysis to support NIH sponsored multi-center studies (NETT, MESA Lung, SPIROMICS, SARP, PrecISE, etc.) whereby imaging of the lung serves to explore novel phenotypes or to provide outcomes measures related to interventions. The APPIL laboratory includes a research dedicated, state-of-the-art photon-counting CT scanner (Siemens Naeotom Alpha) supported, in part, through an NIH high-end shared instrumentation grant.

List of Published Works

Keri C. Hornbuckle, PhD

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Keri Hornbuckle is a Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering and University of Iowa Distinguished Chair. She also serves as Director of the Iowa Superfund Research Program (ISRP), a P42 multi-project interdisciplinary research center funded by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS/NIH) and titled “Sources, Exposures, Toxicities, and Remediation of Airborne PCBs.” She has served on the Science Advisory Board of the International Joint Commission; the U.S. EPA Environmental Laboratory Advisory Board (ELAB); and the Advisory Boards of Superfund Research Program Centers in Texas and New Mexico.

Link to Hornbuckle Lab

List of Published Works

Brandi Janssen, PhD

Janssen is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health.  Trained as a cultural anthropologist, she has extensive experience in qualitative and ethnographic methods and community engaged research in rural spaces, particularly focusing on agriculture, food systems, and environmental health.  Janssen transitioned to the role of Deputy Director in 2025. She has served as Director of the EHSRC Community Engagement Core (CEC) since 2018 and as Director of Undergraduate Programs in the College of Public Health since 2022.

As CEC Director, Janssen led a regional environmental health needs assessment, which collected data about environmental health concerns, trusted information sources, and disaster preparedness across Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri.  She oversees the development of environmental health resources for rural communities and multi-media products, including the Iowa Environmental Health Podcast. In addition, Janssen is the lead PI of Central Midwest COLEARN, a NOAA RISA team (NA23OAR4310629).  In this role, she work with rural residents across Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri identifying community-based needs related to extreme weather preparedness to deliver appropriate programming.  Overall, Janssen's integrative approach emphasizes a holistic and community-based perspective that takes into account the complex cultural interactions that underlie rural environmental challenges.

Craig L. Just, PhD

Dr. Craig L. Just is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iowa, where his research integrates environmental biotechnology, analytical chemistry, artificial intelligence, and process systems engineering to advance sustainable water and resource recovery. His work focuses on developing intelligent monitoring and decision-support tools for biological treatment processes, with particular emphasis on anaerobic digestion, co-digestion, nutrient removal, and wastewater lagoon intensification. Dr. Just leads interdisciplinary research on the application of machine learning, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and deployable sensor technologies to provide real-time insight into biological treatment performance. His group develops predictive models and digital tools that enable wastewater utilities, agricultural producers, and renewable energy facilities to optimize operations, improve process resilience, and maximize resource recovery. Current projects include AI-enabled monitoring of anaerobic digesters, rapid characterization of organic wastes, methane emissions from wastewater treatment systems, algal-based nutrient recovery, and innovative technologies for ammonia removal in municipal lagoons.

Link to Craig Just's website

List of Published Works

Aileen Keating, MS, PhD

Dr. Keating’s research group studies phenotypic outcomes and mechanisms of action induced by environmental ovotoxicant exposures. In addition, they have discovered that alterations to physiological status (heat stress, obesity) can be additive to the negative effects of ovotoxic chemical exposures. The ultimate goal of her studies is to identify and develop intervention strategies to ameliorate the negative reproductive impacts of ovotoxicant exposure and improve female health.

Jong-Sung Kim, PhD

Jong Sung Kim is an Associate Professor of Occupational & Environmental Health in the University of Iowa College of Public Health. He serves as Director of the UI Human Toxicology Program (HTP) and the EHSRC's Pilot Grant Program.

His interdisciplinary research integrates environmental chemistry, toxicology, exposure science, and human biomonitoring to understand the health effects of environmental and occupational exposures. Kim's research focuses on inhalation toxicology, metals and metallomics, and emerging contaminants, including tire-wear associated particles and chemicals, nanoparticles and micro- and nanoplastics.

His laboratory combines advanced analytical approaches, including mass spectrometry, metallomics, and chemical exposome profiling, with inhalation toxicology using in vitro air-liquid interface (ALI) models and in vivo inhalation studies to characterize exposure, biological responses, and mechanisms of toxicity. His work has advanced ALI approaches for investigating airborne particles and particle-contaminant interactions and contributed to the development and application of toenail biomarkers for assessing cumulative exposure to metals in population-based studies. More recently, his research integrates metallomics with untargeted high-resolution mass spectrometry to identify biomarkers of environmental exposure, susceptibility, and disease risk.

Kim collaborates broadly across epidemiology, chemistry, engineering, exposure science, and clinical disciplines to address emerging environmental health challenges. Through his leadership of the EHSRC Pilot Grant Program, he fosters interdisciplinary research and supports early-stage investigators in developing innovative environmental health research into competitive, independently funded programs. He is also deeply committed to graduate education and mentorship through his leadership of the Human Toxicology Program.

List of Published Works

Julia Klesney-Tait, MD, PhD

Dr. Klesney-Tait's research focuses on the role of neutrophils in the regulation of inflammation. Her laboratory utilizes animal models of pneumonia, sepsis and reperfusion to study neutrophil function. In particular, they are exploring the Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1), an innate immune receptor expressed on neutrophils that functions as an amplifier of proinflammatory signaling.

List of Published Works

Aloysius J. Klingelhutz, PhD

The Klingelhutz Lab's research involves studies on how environmental and microbial factors contribute to the development of disease, including metabolic syndrome. Their expertise in cell immortalization and cell culture techniques has allowed us develop 3D cell culture models that recapitulate human tissue for our research. Dr. Klingelhutz is particularly interested in the role that fat tissue plays in infection and disease. Current research focuses on how early-life exposure to persistent environmental toxicants, namely, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), alters fat function, leading to inflammation, insulin resistance, and steatosis.

List of Published Works

Gregory H. LeFevre, PhD

Non-point source pollutants are the leading cause of water quality degradation. Dr. LeFevre's research focuses on the biotransformation mechanisms (e.g., plants, bacteria, fungi) of trace organic contaminants to create natural systems-based treatment technologies that improve water quality. Understanding of pollutant transformation processes facilitates low-energy engineered natural treatment systems that are reliable, robust, and resilient. Examples include understanding the fate and transformation of contaminants in stormwater and the use of bioretention systems to capture and degrade pollutants. Additionally, the LeFevre Lab studies pesticide fate and transport in urban and agricultural systems, and fate/impacts of emerging organic contaminants in recycled water in ecosystems and when used for crop irrigation.

LeFevre Faculty Profile

List of Published Works

Ching-Long Lin, PhD

Dr. Lin’s research group has developed CT-based, multiscale, subject-specific computational fluid and particle dynamics (CFPD) models of the human lungs, as well as automated airway modeling and mesh generation, thermodynamic and hygroscopic particle models, airway surface liquid models, and mass-preserving image-registration methods. More recently, his group has developed multiscale imaging-based clustering and deep learning approaches to connect individual- and population-level lung phenotypes and identify tissue-pattern clusters and latent traits from CT images in diverse populations, including subjects with COPD and asthma, individuals exposed to humidifier disinfectants, and post-COVID-19 subjects. His group has also developed CFPD–PBPK/PD models for healthy and asthmatic subjects.

Link to Dr. Lin's departmental profile

List of Published Works

Charles F. Lynch, MD, PhD

Dr. Lynch's major research interest center around population-based research involving a cancer surveillance program (Iowa Cancer Registry) and cancer epidemiology and surveillance, cancer pathology, and environmental epidemiology.

Selected Publications:

1. Reiner AS, Malone KE, Lynch CF, Mellemkjær L, Knight JA, John EM, Liang X, Woods M; WECARE Study Collaborative Group; Bernstein JL. Risk factors for estrogen receptor subtype-specific contralateral breast cancer in women under age 55 years. International Journal of Cancer 2026 Aug 7. Online ahead of print. PMID42563563
2. Lee S, Shu X, Derkach A, Reiner AS, Liang X, Woods M, Concannon P, Lynch CF, Malone KE, Knight JA, John EM, Deasy JO, Bernstein JL, Oh JH. Integrating genomic and non-genomic data to stratify the risk of contralateral breast cancer after radiotherapy. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics 2026 Aug 1;125(5):1512-1521. PMID41763494, PMC13051349
3. Tao J, Pfeiffer R, Ahmed S, Luo Q, Qian B, Lynch CF, Insaf T, Ramirez-Aguilar D, Israni A, Morton LM, Engels EA. Cancer risk in solid organ transplant recipients with a pretransplant cancer history. JAMA Oncology 2026 May 1;12(5):470-477. PMID41817522, PMC13195476
4. Naderi E, Watt GP, Knight JA, Malone KE, Lynch CF, John EM, Shu X, Nguyen TL, Oh JH, Woods M, Liang X, Derkach A, Pike MC, Bernstein JL Evaluating mammographic density polygenic risk score for contralateral breast cancer risk prediction. Scientific Reports 2026 Mar 4;16(1):12125. PMID41781474
5. Watt GP, Reiner AS, Shu X, Malone KE, Knight JA, John EM, Chow EJ, Lynch CF, Mellemkjær L, Woods M, Liang X, Tran AP, Oh JH, Derkach A, Bernstein JL. Polygenic risk of coronary artery disease for long-term survivors of breast cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2025 Oct 1;117(10):2073-2081. PMID40665521, PMC12505140
6. Ahmed S, Pfeiffer RM, Volesky-Avellaneda K, Blosser CD, Snyder JJ, Israni AK, Lynch CF, Qiao B, Rees JR, Zwald F, Yu KJ, Engels EA. Real-world evidence regarding cancer, mortality, and graft failure risk with de novo belatacept use among kidney transplant recipients in the United States. American Journal of Transplantation 2025 Aug;25(8):1723-1734. PMID40064297, PMC12310376 (Editor's Choice article for the March issue)
7. Jackson SS, Pfeiffer RM, Gardner E, Hsieh MC, Insaf T, Lynch CF, B Morawski, Wang S, Yu KJ, Engels EA. Sex differences in cancer survival among solid organ transplant recipients. International Journal of Cancer 2025 Aug 1;157(3):427-435. PMID40347031, PMC12143962
8. Engels EA, Mandal S, Corley DA, Blosser CD, Hart A, Lynch CF, Qiao B, Pawlish KS, Haber G, Yu KJ, Pfeiffer RM. Cure models, survival probabilities, and solid organ transplantation for patients with colorectal cancer. American Journal of Transplantation 2025 Mar;25(3):545-555. PMID39182612, PMC11842210
9. Debeljak M, Cho S, Downs BM, Considine M, Avin-McKelvey B, Wang Y, Perez PN, Grizzle WE, Hoadley KA, Lynch CF, Hernandez BY, van Diest PJ, Cozen W, Hamilton AS, Hawes D, Gabrielson E, Cimino-Mathews A, Florea LD, Cope L, Umbricht CB. Multimodal genome-wide survey of progressing and non-progressing breast ductal carcinoma in-situ. Breast Cancer Research 2024 Dec 4;26(1):178. PMID39633428
10. Reiner AS, Watt GP, Malone KE, Lynch CF, John EM, Knight JA, Woods M, Liang X, Tishkowitz M, Conti DV, Robson ME, Mellemkjær L, Teraoka SN, Concannon P, Bernstein JL. Breast cancer susceptibility gene sequence variations and development of contralateral breast cancer. JAMA Network Open 2024 Dec 2;7(12):e2452158. PMID39786405
11. Starrett GJ, Baikie BC, Stoff BK, Grossniklaus HE, Van Buren I, Berry EG, Novoa RA, Rieger KE, Sarin KY, Lynch CF, Royer MC, Piaskowski ML, Brownell I, Chu EY, Godse R, Chen SC, Yu KJ, Goldstein AM, Engels EA, Sargen MR. Multiomics profiling distinguishes sebaceous carcinoma from benign sebaceous neoplasms and provides insight into the genetic evolution of sebaceous carcinogenesis. Clinical Cancer Research 2024 Nov 1;30(21):4887-4899. PMID39287419, PMC11530307
12. Dennis LK, Langston ME, Beane Freeman L, Canales RA, Lynch CF. Trace element concentrations of arsenic and selenium in toenails and risk of prostate cancer among pesticide applicators. Current Oncology 2024 Sep 14;31(9):5472-5483. PMID39330033
13. Sanchez P, Van Dyke AL, Petkov VI, Yuan Y, Bonds S, Valenzuela C, Tuan AW, Moravec R, Altekruse SF, Singhi AD, Serdy KM, Wu Y, Cress RD, Doherty JA, Mueller L, Hernandex BY, Lynch CF, Tucker TC, Wu XC, Matrisian L, Penberthy L. NCI SEER-linked virtual tissue repository pilot. J Natl Cancer Inst Monographs 2024 Aug 1;2024(65):180-190. PMID39102878
14. Sun X, Verma SP, Jia G, Wang X, Ping J, Guo X, Shu XO, Chen J, Derkach A, Cai Q, Liang X, Long J, Offit K, Oh JH, Reiner AS, Watt GP, Woods M, Yang Y, Ambrosone CB, Ambs S, Chen Y, Concannon P, Garcia-Closas M, Gu J, Haiman CA, Hu JJ, Huo D, John EM, Knight JA, Li CI, Lynch CF, Mellemkjaer L, Nathanson KL, Nemesure B, Olopade OI, Olshan AF, Pal T, Palmer JR, Press MF, Sanderson M, Sandler DP, Troester MA, Zheng W, Bernstein JL, Buas MF, Shu X. Case-case genome-wide analyses identify subtype-informative variants that confer risk for breast cancer. Cancer Research 2024 Aug 1;84(15):2533-2548. PMID38832928, PMC11293972
15. Zwald FO, Sargen MR, Austin AA, Hsieh MC, Pawlish K, Li J, Lynch CF, Yu KJ, Engels EA. Outcomes in solid organ transplant recipients with a pretransplant diagnosis of melanoma. American Journal of Transplantation 2024 Jun;24(6):993-1002. PMID38387619, PMC11144558
16. Sun X, Reiner AS, Tran AP, Watt GP, Oh JH, Mellemkjær L, Lynch CF, Knight JA, John EM, Malone KE, Liang X, Woods M, Derkach A, Concannon P, Bernstein JL, Shu X. A genome-wide association study of contralateral breast cancer in the Women’s Environmental Cancer and Radiation Epidemiology Study. Breast Cancer Research 2024 Jan 23;26(1):16. PMID38263039
17. Mix JM, Miller MJ,Querec TD, Darragh TM, Saraiya M, Gopalani SV, Lynch CF, Thompson TD, Greek A, Tucker TC, Peters ES, Unger ER. Human Papillomavirus Detection in Scrotal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Case Series from a Population-Based Cancer Registry. Journal of Registry Management 2023 Winter;50(4):116-121. PMID38504701
18. Wang JH, Pfeiffer RM, Musgrove D, Castenson D, Frederickson M, Miller J, Gonsalves L, Hsieh MC, Lynch CF, Zeng Y, Yu KJ, Hart A, Israni AK, Snyder JJ, Engels EA. Cancer mortality among solid organ transplant recipients in the United States during 1987-2018. Transplantation 2023 Nov 1;107(11):2433-2442. PMID37291711, PMC10615843
19. Watt GP, Smith SA, Howell RM, Pérez-Andújar A, Reiner AS, Cerviño L, McCormick B, Hess D, Knight JA, Malone KE, John EM, Bernstein L, Lynch CF, Mellemkjær L, Shore RE, Liang X, Woods M, Boice JD, Dauer LT, Bernstein JL. Trends in radiation dose to the contralateral breast during breast radiation therapy. Radiation Research 2023 Oct 1;200(4):331-339. PMID37590492, PMC10684055
20. Chaturvedi AK, Engels EA, Pfeiffer RM, Hernandez BY, Xiao W, Kim E, Jiang B, Goodman MT, Siburg-Saber M, Cozen W, Liu L, Lynch CF, Wentzensen N, Jordan RC, Altekruse S, Anderson WF, Rosenberg PS, Gillison ML. Human papillomavirus and rising oropharyngeal cancer incidence in the United States. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2023 41(17):3081-3088. PMID37285653, PMC10538911 Corrected and republished from Journal of Clinical Oncology 29(32):4294-4301, 2011.
21. Sadeghi H, Charles Lynch, Field W, Snetselaar L, Jones M, Sinha R, Torner J. Dietary omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids and risk of prostate cancer; Is there .any potential interaction by organophosphate insecticides among the Agricultural Health Study population. Cancer Epidemiology 2023 Aug;85:102410. PMID37413804, PMC10528409
22. Tanaka T, Lynch CF, Yu K, Morawski BM, Hsieh MC, Alverson G, Austin AA, Zeng Y, Engels EA. Pancreatic cancer among solid organ transplant recipients in the United States. Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology 2023 Jul;149(7):3325-3333. PMID35932302
23. Starrett GJ, Yu K, Golubeva Y, Lenz P, Piaskowski ML, Petersen D, Dean M, Israni A, Hernandez BY, Tucker TC, Cheng I, Gonsalves L, Morris CR, Hussain SK, Lynch CF, Harris RS, Prokunina-Olsson L, Meltzer PS, Buck CB, Engels EA. Evidence for virus-mediated oncogenesis in bladder cancers arising in solid organ transplant recipients. eLife 2023 Mar 24;12:e82690. PMID36961501
24. Hart A, Pfeiffer RM, Morawski BM, Lynch CF, Zeng Y, Pawlish K, Hurley D, Yu KJ, Engels EA. Mortality in solid organ transplant recipients with a pretransplant cancer diagnosis. American Journal of Transplantation 2023 Feb;23(2):257-264. PMID36804133, PMC9978936
25. Watt GP, Knight JA, Nguyen TL, Reiner AS, Malone KE, John EM, Lynch CF, Brooks JD, Woods M, Liang X, Bernstein L, Pike MC, Hopper JL, Bernstein JL. Association of contralateral breast cancer risk with mammographic density defined at higher-than-conventional intensity thresholds. International Journal of Cancer 2022 Oct 15;151(8):1304-1309. PMID35315524
26. Riley D, Charlton M, Chrischilles EA; Lizarraga IM, Phadke S; Smith BJ, Skibbe A, Lynch CF. Hospital rurality and gene expression profiling for early-stage breast cancer among Iowa residents, 2010-2018. The Breast Journal Aug 30;2022:8582894. PMID36111211
27. Engels EA, Fraser GE, Kasiske BL, Snyder JJ, Utt J, Lynch CF, Li J, Pawlish KS, Brown S, Yu KJ, Pfeiffer RM. Cancer risk in living kidney donors. American Journal of Transplantation 2022 Aug;22(8):2006-2015. PMID35510728, (featured on the cover of the August issue)
28. Riley D, Chrischilles EA, Lizarraga IM, Charlton M, Smith BJ, Lynch C. Rural-urban differences in secular trends of locoregional treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ: A patterns of care analysis. Cancer Medicine 2022 Jun;11(11):2284–2295. PMID35146946
29. Reiner AS, Watt GP, John EM, Lynch CF, Brooks JD, Mellemkjær L, Boice JD, Knight JA, Concannon P, Smith SA, Liang X, Woods M, Shore R, Malone KE, Bernstein L; WECARE Collaborative Study Group, Bernstein JL. Smoking, radiation therapy, and contralateral breast cancer risk in young women. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2022 Apr 11;114(4):631-634. PMID33779721
30. Sargen MR, Cahoon EK, Yu KJ, Madeleine MM , Zeng Y, Rees JR, Lynch CF, Engels EA. Spectrum of nonkeratinocyte skin cancer risk among solid organ transplant recipients in the US. JAMA Dermatology 2022 Apr 1;158(4):414-425. PMID35262623, PMC8908231
31. Riley D, Chrischilles EA, Lizarraga IM, Charlton M, Smith BJ, Lynch CF. Influence of rurality on lymph node assessment among women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ and treated with mastectomy, SEER 2000-2015. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 2022 Feb;192(1):211-222. PMID35067778
32. Langston ME, Brown HE, Lynch CF, Roe DJ, Dennis LK. Ambient UVR and environmental arsenic exposure in relation to cutaneous melanoma in Iowa. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2022 Feb 3;19(3):1742. PMID35162766
33. Weeks KS, Lynch CF, West M, Carnahan R, O’Rorke M, Oleson J, McDonald M, Stewart SL, Ovarian Cancer Treatment Study, Charlton M. Gynecologic oncologist impact on adjuvant chemotherapy care for stage II-IV ovarian cancer patients. Gynecologic Oncology 2022 Jan;164(1):3-11 (Editor’s Choice article for the January 2022 issue). PMID34776243
34. Noone AM, Pfeiffer RM, Schaubel DE, Dorgan JF, Magder LS, Bromberg JS, Lynch CF, Morris CR, Pawlish KS, Engels EA. Life-years lost to cancer among solid organ transplant recipients in the United Sates, 1987 to 2014. Cancer 2022 Jan 1;128(1):150-159. PMID34541673

Ashutosh Mangalam, PhD

A major focus of the Mangalam Lab's work is determining how environmental contaminants alter the gut microbiome and thereby influence host immune responses. In collaboration with Dr. Hans-Joachim Lehmler, the Mangalam Lab has used glyphosate as a model environmental toxicant. Glyphosate is particularly interesting because its primary biochemical target, the shikimate pathway, is absent in mammalian cells but present in many microbes including gut bacteria. Dr. Mangalam and collaborators demonstrated that chronic low-dose glyphosate exposure disrupts gut microbial communities, including depletion of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and is accompanied by increased colonic IL-17A–producing CD4 T cells and elevated lipocalin-2, a marker of intestinal inflammation. These findings support the concept that the microbiome can serve as an important intermediary through which environmental exposures alter immune homeostasis and contribute to chronic inflammatory conditions.

The Mangalam Lab's environmental health research builds on a broader program examining how microbiome dysbiosis contributes to immune-mediated disease. Dr. Mangalam and colleagues were among the first groups in the United States to demonstrate that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) harbor a distinct gut microbiome, characterized by depletion of potentially beneficial bacteria and enrichment of inflammation-associated taxa. Subsequent studies from our laboratory showed that bacteria involved in the metabolism of dietary phytoestrogens, including Prevotella, Parabacteroides, and Adlercreutzia, are depleted in MS. Using mechanistic animal models, the Mangalam Lab demonstrated that restoration of these bacteria and their dietary substrates can promote regulatory immune responses and suppress neuroinflammation. The Mangalam Lab also identified human-derived beneficial bacteria, including Prevotella histicola, that can induce regulatory T cells and ameliorate disease in experimental models of MS.

Together, these studies support two interconnected themes in our laboratory: (1) defining how environmental exposures, diet, and host factors disrupt beneficial microbial communities and promote inflammatory states, and (2) identifying beneficial microbes, microbial functions, and metabolic pathways that can be leveraged to restore immune homeostasis. Ongoing work is examining how glyphosate-induced microbiome disruption may contribute to chronic inflammation, adipose tissue inflammation, obesity, and metabolic syndrome, and whether microbiome-directed interventions can mitigate these effects.

The Mangalam Lab's long-term goal is to define the microbiome-mediated mechanisms that connect environmental exposures to disease and use this knowledge to develop microbial biomarkers, targeted microbiome interventions, and strategies that preserve or restore beneficial microbial functions without broadly disrupting the microbial ecosystem.

Link to Mangalam Lab

Timothy Mattes, PhD

Dr. Mattes possesses expertise in the areas of environmental microbiology, environmental biotechnology, bioremediation and environmental engineering.  His current research interests include application of molecular microbial ecology techniques to understand the roles of microorganisms in biodegradation of hazardous compounds in environment (including chlorinated ethene (CEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)). He is also interested in the evolution of biodegradation pathways and microbial network interactions to effect removal of pollutants from groundwater, soils, and sediments.

Paul B. McCray, MD

Dr. McCray has a long-standing interest in the pathogenesis and treatment of cystic fibrosis. His laboratory has two main areas of investigation: 1) pulmonary host defense, and 2) gene transfer for the treatment of inherited diseases. Work in the lab is supported by the NIH and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Complete List of Published Work in My Bibliography

Patrick T. O’Shaughnessy, PhD

Dr. O'Shaughnessy directs the EHSRC's Exposure Science Facility (ESF). Dr. O’Shaughnessy was educated as an environmental engineer with expertise in the simulation of the dispersion of contaminants near a pollution source, exposure assessment methods, as well as the assessment of aerosol and gas sensors. As the ESF director, he has counseled multiple Center investigators and pilot grant awardees concerning proper assessment methods for aerosol and gas exposures and has gained substantial knowledge of the related projects and outcomes as a result. Dr. O’Shaughnessy has a long-standing reputation in the field of industrial hygiene as an expert in aerosol exposure assessment, the evaluation of sampling devices for nanoparticle detection, the factors that affect the efficacy of respirators, and the use of air dispersion modeling to investigate the health effect of ambient air pollutants on nearby populations. Recent studies have focused on the plumes of dust emitted by passing cars traveling on rural gravel roads and their potential to aggravate pulmonary conditions among nearby residents.

Complete List of Published Work in My Bibliography

Jin Pan, MS, PhD

Dr. Pan's research focuses on understanding the risks and health impacts of bioaerosols and other aerosol pollutants, and developing surveillance tools and non-pharmaceutical interventions to protect respiratory health. Dr. Pan serves as the Bioaerosol Exposure Specialist for the Exposure Science Facility (ESF).

Complete List of Published Work

Edith A. Parker, MPH, DrPH

A constant theme of Dr. Parker’s research is the design of community health promotion interventions that address major social determinants of health and health disparities, particularly those that use a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach. Her research has combined my knowledge and interest in CBPR with an interest in the intersection of environmental health and social and behavioral aspects of human behavior, from individual to policy level. Recently, her research has also focused on rural health, particularly rural health disparities. She leads the Cancer Drivers in Iowa initiative, a collaborative, state-led effort to examine why cancer incidence is high in Iowa and to identify the underlying behavioral, environmental, and genetic factors. Additionally, she previously served as the EHSRC’s Community Engagement Core director.

Publications:

1. Wilkinson B, Santos Leon E, Vakkalanka JP, Ahmed A, Harland KK, Fuller BM, Campbell K, Swanson MB, Faine B, Zepeski A, Mack L, Bell A, DeJong K, Wallace K, Parker EA, Mueller K, Chrischilles E, Carpenter CR, Jones MP, Simpson SQ, Mohr NM. (2025) Longer Interhospital Transfer Times for Rural Sepsis Patients Not Associated with Increased Mortality. Prehospital Emergency Care. https://doi.org/10.1080/10903127.2024.2447044.
2. Mohr NM, Merchant KAS, Fuller BM, Faine B, Mack L, Bell A, DeJong K, Parker EA, Mueller K, Chrischilles E, Carpenter CR, Jones MP, Simpson SQ, Ward MM. The Role of Telehealth in Sepsis Care in Rural Emergency Departments: A Qualitative Study of Emergency Department Sepsis Telehealth User Perspectives [in press]. PLOS ONE. 2025.
3. Kaldjian AM, Vakkalanka P, Okoro U, Wymore C, Harland KK, Campbell K, Swanson MB, Fuller BM, Faine B, Zepeski A, Parker EA, Mack L, Bell A, DeJong K, Wallace K, Mueller K, Chrischilles E, Carpenter CR, 9 Jones MP, Ward MM, Mohr NM. (2025). The Effect of Sepsis Recognition on Telemedicine Use in Rural Emergency Department Sepsis Treatment. Telemed J E Health. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2024.0281. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40106305.
4. Haines H, Sursely A, Pham H, Beltran R, Sewell DK, Reinders LT, Askelson N, Dixon S, Emrich K, Estle C, Lewis M, Parker E, Reyes J, Walkner L, Sittig KW and Afifi RA. (2025). Insights from the front line: uplifting stories of the COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of the public health workforce in Iowa. Frontiers in Public Health. 13:1597941. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1597941.
5. Baquero, B., Novak, N., Sewell, D., Kava, C. M, Daniel-Ulloa, J., Askleson, N., Ashida, S., Laroche, H., Maldonado, A., Bucklin, R., Haines, H., Janz, K., Parker, EA (2024). Effectiveness of implementing evidence-based approaches to promote physical activity in a Midwestern micropolitan area using a quasi-experimental hybrid type I study design. BMC Public Health. 24:1082. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18523-9.
6. Tu, K.J., Vakkalanka, J.P., Okoro, U., Harland, K., Wymore, C.C., Fuller, B., Campbell, K., Swanson, M., Parker, E., Mack, L.J., Bell, A., DeJong, K., Faine, B., Zepeski, A., Mueller, K., Chrischilles, E., Carpenter, C.R., Jones, M., Ward, M., Mohr, N.M. (2024) Provider-to-Provider Telemedicine for Sepsis Is Used Less Frequently in Communities with High Social Vulnerability. J Rural Health. https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12861
7. Mohr, N.M., Okoro, U., Harland, K.K., Fuller, B.M., Campbell, K., Swanson, M.B., Wymore, C., Faine, B., Zepeski, A., Parker, E.A., Mack, L., Bell, A., DeJong, K., Mueller, K., Chrischilles, E., Carpenter, C.R., Wallace, K., Jones, M.P., Ward, M.M. (2023) Outcomes associated with rural emergency department provider-to-provider telehealth for sepsis care: A multicenter cohort study. Ann Emerg Med. 81(1):1-13. DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2022.07.024.PMID: 36253295. PMCID: PMC9780149.
8. Afifi, R. A., Parker, E. A., Dino, G., Hall, D. M. & Ulin, B. (2022). Reimagining Rural: Shifting Paradigms About Health and Well-Being in the Rural United States. Annual Review of Public Health 43 135-154. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052020-123413.
9. Woods-Jaeger, B., Daniel-Ulloa, J., Kleven, L., Bucklin, R., Maldonado, A., Gilbert, P. A., Parker, E. A. & Baquero, B. (2021). Building Leadership, Capacity, and Power to Advance Health Equity and Justice through Community-Engaged Research in the Midwest. Am J Community Psychol (67(1-2_) 195-204. DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12462. PMID: 33040375.
10. Mohr, N. M., Harland, K. K., Okoro, U. E., Fuller, B. M., Campbell, K., Swanson, M. B., Simpson, S. Q., Parker, E. A., Mack, L. J., Bell, A., DeJong, K., Faine, B., Zepeski, A., Mueller, K., Chrischilles, E., Carpenter, C. R., Jones, M. P. & Ward, M. M. (2021). TELEmedicine as an intervention for sepsis in emergency departments: A multicenter, comparative effectiveness study (TELEvISED Study). J Comp Eff Res. DOI: 10.2217/cer-2020-0141.
11. Novak, N. L., Baquero, B., Askelson, N., Diers, L., Dunn, B., Haines, H., Afifi, R. & Parker, E. A. (2020). Health equity in midsize rural communities: challenges and opportunities in a changing rural America. American Journal of Public Health 110 (9) 1342-43. PMID: 32783728. PMCID: PMC7427216.
12. Daniel-Ulloa, J. D., Baquero, B. I., Kava, C. M., Smith-Coronado, M. L., Novak, N. L., Sewell, D., Maldonado, A., Haines, H. L., Gates, C. & Parker, E. (2020). Demographic, Psychosocial and Perceived Environmental Factors Associated with Depression Severity in a Midwest Micropolitan Community. DOI: 10.4148/2572-1836.1077.
13. Afifi, R. A., Sawsan, A., Betancourt, T., Btedinni, D., Berent, J., Dellos, L., Farrar, J., Nakkash, R., Osman, R., Saravanan, M., Story, W. T., Zombo, M. & Parker, E. (2020). Implementing Community-Based Participatory Research with Communities Affected by Humanitarian Crises: The Potential to Recalibrate Equity and Power in Vulnerable Contexts. American Journal of Community Psychology 66 (3-4) 381-391. DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12453. ISSN: 0091-0562, 1573-2770
14. Kava, C. M., Parker, E. A., Baquero, B., Curry, S. J., Gilbert, P. A., Sauder, M. & Sewell, D. K. (2019). Associations between organizational culture, workplace health climate, and employee smoking at smaller workplaces. Tobacco Use Insights. DOI: 10.1177/1179173x19835842.
15. Kava, C. M., Parker, E. A., Baquero, B., Curry, S. J., Gilbert, P. A., Sauder, M. & Sewell, D. K. (2018). Organizational culture and the adoption of anti-smoking initiatives at small to very small workplaces: An organizational level analysis. Tobacco Prevention & Cessation 4 (December). DOI: 10.18332/tpc/100403.
16. Parker, E. A., Baquero, B., Daniel-Ulloa, J., Diers, L., Haines, H., Kava, C. M., Hellige, K., Hernandez, H. & Novak, N. (2018). Establishing a Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership in a Rural Community in the Midwest. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action 13 (2) 201-208. DOI: 10.1353/cpr.2019.0020. PMID: 31178455. PMCID: PMD6692912.
17. Baquero, B., Kava, C. M., Ashida, S., Daniel-Ulloa, J., Laroche, H. H., Haines, H., Bucklin, R., Maldonado, A., Garcia, M. C., Berto, S., Sewell, D., Novak, N., Janz, K., Gates, C. & Parker, E. A. (2018). Active Ottumwa: Adapting Evidence-Based Recommendations to Promote Physical Activity in a Micropolitan New Destination Community. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 15 (5) 917. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15050917.
18. Gilbert, P., Haines, H., Baquero, B. & Parker, E. (2018). Respondent-driven sampling to recruit Latinos in a midwest micropolitan area: Lessons learned and recommendations for translational work. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science 2 (4) 245-248. DOI: 10.1017/cts.2018.322.
19. Reyes, J., Tripp-Reimer, T., Parker, E., Muller, B. & Laroche, H. (2017). Factors influencing diabetes self-management among medically underserved patients with type II diabetes. Global Qualitative Nursing Research 4 1-13. DOI: 10.1177/2333393617713097.

Thomas M. Peters, PhD

Dr. Peters is engaged in research on the mechanics of aerosols, including sampling and transport, instrumentation, and filter design. In addition, he conducts studies on industrial ventilation and the capture and control of workplace pollutants. He is also interested in the design of detectors and control strategies for harmful bioaerosol agents. Current projects include Ultrafine Particles in Heavy Vehicle Manufacturing; Ambient Particle Monitoring with Passive Samplers, and; Airway and Immune Response to Inhaled Endotoxin and Diesel Exhaust Particles.

Gary L. Pierce, PhD

Dr. Pierce's research seeks to understand the mechanisms that contribute to accelerated vascular aging (assessed by endothelial dysfunction and large central artery stiffness) with sedentary aging, hypertension, COPD, and preeclampsia in humans. His lab uses an integrative experimental approach, including non-invasive and semi-invasive approaches to assess vascular function in human subjects and study cells/tissues (endothelial cells, mononuclear cells, sera, adipose) from humans to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in abnormal vascular function. Dr. Pierce has specific expertise in measuring vascular endothelial function in humans via brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, limb blood flow using venous occlusion lethysmography and peripheral artery tonometry, and aortic stiffness via pulse wave velocity. In addition, he has conducted small and medium sized singlecenter randomized, controlled intervention studies (e.g., pharmacological, exercise) on vascular endothelial function and arterial stiffness in relation to metabolic, inflammation and oxidative stress outcomes in healthy young, middle-aged and older adults, and patients with end-stage heart failure and heart transplantation.

Complete List of Published Work 

Shannon Roesler, JD, LLM, MA

Professor Roesler’s scholarship focuses on issues of environmental governance, land use regulation, and climate policy, often exploring issues at the intersection of environmental regulation and constitutional law. Her work has appeared in edited volumes and leading law journals such as the Georgetown Law Journal, the Florida Law Review, and the U.C. Davis Law Review. She is also a co-author of a property law casebook and co-editor of a volume entitled Adapting to High-Level Warming: Law, Governance, and Equity.

Prof. Roesler played an instrumental role in launching the UI's Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative (HELI), which was funded with a $5 million donation from two UI Law alumni, the largest gift in the College of Law's history. As HELI's Faculty Director, Prof. Roesler supports high-impact programming and facilitates campus-wide dialogue on environmental issues, bringing together legal scholars, policymakers, scientists, and community partners. As an EHSRC Member, Prof. Roesler will facilitate new collaborations between the EHSRC and HELI, including cosponsored events, interdisciplinary environmental policy-science exchanges, and student engagement across law, environmental sciences, and public health.

Diane S. Rohlman, PhD

Dr. Rohlman is the Associate Dean of Faculty in the College of Public Health and a professor in the Department of Occupational & Environmental Health at the University of Iowa. She also holds the Endowed Chair in Rural Health and Safety. She directs the Healthier Workforce Center of The Midwest, as well as the Agricultural Safety and Health Training Program. Her research focuses on the health effects of occupational and environmental exposures, with emphasis on the increased workplace risks faced by younger employees. Her studies have examined agricultural workers in the United States and around the world, including research on the effects of pesticide exposure on adolescents and their developing nervous system. She also has studied how lifestyle factors and mental health can impact safety on the job, as well as the effect of interventions directed toward supervisors and workplace policies.

List of Published Works from Google Scholar

David L. Roman, PhD

Thoughout his career, Dr. Roman has focused on investigating novel targets for therapeutic intervention, using high throughput screening as a tool. He has longstanding interests in 1) targeting regulators of GPCR signals as novel drug targets, 2) exploiting novel targets for therapeutic intervention in cancer, 3) the development of novel methodologies to measure protein-protein interactions and function, 4) the design and implementation of high throughput technologies for lead development, and 5) the impact of environmental contaminants such as PFAS on GPCR signaling pathways.

Selected Publications:

1. Wilkinson J. C., Lehmler H.-J., & Roman D. L. (2024) High-Throughput GPCRome Screen of Pollutants Reveals the Activity of Polychlorinated Biphenyls at Melatonin and Sphingosine-1-phosphate Receptors. Chemical research in toxicology 37(2):439–49. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.3c00388. PMID: 38295294. PMCID: PMC10880096
2. Roman D. L. A new angle on RGS protein modulation. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2025;46(9):829–31. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2025.07.012. PMID: 40752996
3. Dwyer, T. S., O'Brien, J. B., Ptak, C. P., LaVigne, J. E., Flaherty, D. P., Watts, V. J. & Roman, D. L. (2022). Protein-protein interaction-based high throughput screening for adenylyl cyclase 1 inhibitors: Design, implementation, and discovery of a novel chemotype. Frontiers in pharmacology 13 977742. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.977742. PMID: 36147328. PMCID: PMC9486168.
4. Cagle, B. S., Sturgeon, M. L., O'Brien, J. B., Wilkinson, J. C., Cornell, R. A., Roman, D. L. & Doorn, J. A. (2021). Stable expression of the human dopamine transporter in N27 cells as an in vitro model for dopamine cell trafficking and metabolism. Toxicology in vitro : an international journal published in association with BIBRA 76 105210. DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2021.105210. PMID: 34252731. PMCID: PMC8419135.
5. O'Brien, J. B. & Roman, D. L. (2021). Novel treatments for chronic pain: moving beyond opioids. Translational research : the journal of laboratory and clinical medicine 234 1-19. DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2021.03.008. PMID: 33727192.
6. Hayes, M. P., O'Brien, J. B., Crawford, R. A., Fowler, C. A., Yu, L., Doorn, J. A. & Roman, D. L. (2021). Fragment-Based Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Screen against a Regulator of G Protein Signaling Identifies a Binding "Hot Spot". Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology 22 (9) 1609-1620. DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000740. PMID: 33480159. PMCID: PMC8546901.
7. O'Brien, J. B., Wilkinson, J. C. & Roman, D. L. (2019). Regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins as drug targets: Progress and future potentials. The Journal of biological chemistry 294 (49) 18571-18585. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.REV119.007060. PMID: 31636120. PMCID: PMC6901330.
8. Sieng, M., Hayes, M. P., O'Brien, J. B., Andrew Fowler, C., Houtman, J. C., Roman, D. L. & Lyon, A. M. (2019). High-resolution structure of RGS17 suggests a role for Ca(2+) in promoting the GTPase-activating protein activity by RZ subfamily members. The Journal of biological chemistry 294 (20) 8148-8160. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.RA118.006059. PMID: 30940727. PMCID: PMC6527179.
9. Bodle, C. R., Schamp, J. H., O'Brien, J. B., Hayes, M. P., Wu, M., Doorn, J. A. & Roman, D. L. (2018). Screen Targeting Lung and Prostate Cancer Oncogene Identifies Novel Inhibitors of RGS17 and Problematic Chemical Substructures. SLAS discovery : advancing life sciences R & D 23 (4) 363-374. DOI: 10.1177/2472555217752301. PMID: 29351497. PMCID: PMC6342279.
10. Hayes, M. P., Soto-Velasquez, M., Fowler, C. A., Watts, V. J. & Roman, D. L. (2018). Identification of FDA-Approved Small Molecules Capable of Disrupting the Calmodulin-Adenylyl Cyclase 8 Interaction through Direct Binding to Calmodulin. ACS chemical neuroscience 9 (2) 346-357. DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00349. PMID: 28968502. PMCID: PMC6362833.
11. Hayes, M. P., Bodle, C. R. & Roman, D. L. (2018). Evaluation of the Selectivity and Cysteine Dependence of Inhibitors across the Regulator of G Protein-Signaling Family. Molecular pharmacology 93 (1) 25-35. DOI: 10.1124/mol.117.109843. PMID: 29051318. PMCID: PMC5708088.

Paul A. Romitti, PhD

Dr. Paul Romitti is a reproductive molecular epidemiologist with over 30 years of experience in surveillance and research of congenital and inherited disorders and in conducting molecular epidemiology investigations of these outcomes. He directs the Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders and Iowa Center of Excellence for Birth Defects Research and Prevention. As Registry director, Dr. Romitti leads population-based surveillance of major birth defects and maternal and pregnancy outcomes of emerging threats, along with life course surveillance for major birth defects and other congenital and inherited disorders. As Center director, he leads epidemiological studies, high-throughput genomic studies, and studies of gene-environment interaction effects.

Complete List of Published Work 

Aliasger Salem, PhD

Dr. Salem’s research expertise encompasses drug discovery, development, formulation, and delivery. He applies this expertise to develop therapies for cancer and other diseases and to advance regenerative medicine. His laboratory investigates how cancer develops and designs new strategies for cancer treatment, including approaches that use polymer particle technology, CpG oligonucleotides, and adenoviruses to generate stronger and more sustained antitumor immune responses. He also conducts federally funded investigations that evaluate the toxicity of chemicals following exposure through a variety of routes, including pulmonary delivery, and develop countermeasures to mitigate the harmful effects of such exposures.

Complete List of Published Work in My Bibliography

Jerald L. Schnoor, PhD

Dr. Schnoor conducts research in the areas of environmental health and chemistry, mathematical modeling of natural waters and groundwater, phytoremediation, water sustainability, and climate change. He is a registered professional engineer and a member of the National Academy of Engineering (elected in 1999) for pioneering work using mathematical models in science policy decisions for environmental protection. Dr. Schnoor has testified several times before Congress on pressing environmental health issues, including the environmental effects of acid deposition and the importance of passing the 1990 Clean Air Act. Dr. Schnoor brings expertise to the EHSRC in the areas of chemical exposure assessments, water sustainability and health effects, water quality modeling, and interventions involving phytoremediation.

Complete List of Published Work

Michael K. Schultz, PhD

Dr. Schultz is a subject matter expert in radiochemistry, radiopharmaceutical science, environmental radiochemistry, and nuclear science. His research platform includes quantitative redox biology and free radical chemistry toward the development of a more detailed understanding of cancer and for the development of new targeted imaging and therapy agents for cancer.

Susan Shen, MD, PhD

The Shen lab seeks to bridge basic science and health services research by exploring the intersection of nature and nurture in mental health. We draw upon tools and perspectives from a wide range of disciplines (including neuroscience, genomics, and environmental health) to dissect the complex interplay between genes and the environment. We are especially interested in how early-life and cumulative exposures influence later-life outcomes for mood disorders, psychosis, substance use, and neurodegenerative disorders. By identifying cellular endophenotypes and their molecular correlates, we aim to advance the detection and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Complete List of Published Work

Jessica C. Sieren, PhD

Dr. Sieren leads research in quantitative imaging science, developing and validating imaging biomarkers that improve the detection and monitoring of cancer and pulmonary disease. Her work integrates advanced CT technologies, including photon-counting CT, computational image analysis, imaging-pathology correlation, and multicenter clinical trial imaging to accelerate the translation of precision imaging into research and patient care.

Complete List of Published Work

Jacob Simmering, PhD

Dr. Simmering's research uses large administrative health care claims data and modern statistical methods to understand the environmental determinants of health, in particular, respiratory infections (community acquired pneumonia and Legionnaires' disease), chronic lung disorders (COPD and sarcoidosis), and neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease). In particular, he is interested in the extent to which seasonal patterns of disease may be driven by changes in pollution, weather, and sunlight. For Dr. Simmering, the use of very large, geographically extensive databases of health insurance claims and medical records provide a critical method for validating insights developed by emerging research in toxicology in the laboratory. Dr. Simmering uses this method to disentangle the constituent elements of an environmental exposure mixture through both modern statistical methods (e.g., Bayesian kernel machine regression,
generalized weighted quantile sum regression) and "experimental" design.

Selected Publications:

1. Zhang Q, Schultz JL, Simmering JE, Kirkpatrick BQ, Weber MA, Skuodas S, Hicks T, Pierce G, Laughlin M, George B, Bertolli AX, Larson T, Thangavel R, Oya M, Meyerholz DK, Aldridge G, Fassler J, Narayanan NS. Glycolysis-enhancing α1-adrenergic antagonists have therapeutic potential in Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2026 Jul 9. doi: 10.1186/s13195-026-02135-z. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42426853.
2. Shin MR, Firouzshahi N, Liddiard G, Weis M, Simmering J, Glykys J, Schultz M, Hefti MM. Adaptive Suppression of MAPT Transcription Maintains Tau Proteostasis in Developing Human Neurons. Res Sq [Preprint]. 2025 Oct 3:rs.3.rs-7585327. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7585327/v1. PMID: 41255971; PMCID: PMC12622181.
3. Simmering JE. Using Nonprobabilistic Surveys to Measure COVID-19 Incidence. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Sep 3;7(9):e2435407. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.35407. PMID: 39348123.
4. Hart A, Aldridge G, Zhang Q, Narayanan NS, Simmering JE. Association of Terazosin, Doxazosin, or Alfuzosin Use and Risk of Dementia With Lewy Bodies in Men. Neurology. 2024 Jul 23;103(2):e209570. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000209570. Epub 2024 Jun 19. PMID: 38896813; PMCID: PMC11226317.
5. Simmering JE, Polgreen LA, Francis SL, Strom AJ, Segre AM, Polgreen PM. Using a Fitbit-based Walking Game to Improve Physical Activity Among U.S. Veterans. Mil Med. 2025 Jan 16;190(1-2):194-201. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usae280. PMID: 38829720; PMCID: PMC11737325.
6. Lee S, Harris LM, Miller AC, Cavanaugh JE, Nizar JM, Simmering JE, Abou Alaiwa MH, Polgreen LA, Polgreen PM. Risk for Dehydration and Fluid and Electrolyte Disorders Among Cystic Fibrosis Carriers. Am J Kidney Dis. 2024 May;83(5):695-697. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2023.09.011. Epub 2023 Nov 10. PMID: 37951339; PMCID: PMC11068020.
7. Hart AA, Aldridge G, Zhang Q, Narayanan NS, Simmering JE. Lower risk of dementia with Lewy bodies among users of glycolysis enhancing drugs in a new user, active comparator design. medRxiv 2023.12.05.23299455. doi: 10.1101/2023.12.05.23299455
8. Hart AA, Swenson A, Narayanan NS, Simmering JE. Rurality modifies the association between symptoms and the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener. 2024 Aug;25(5-6):517-527. doi: 10.1080/21678421.2024.2315185. Epub 2024 Feb 14. Erratum in: Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener. 2024 Aug;25(5-6):I. doi: 10.1080/21678421.2024.2326288. PMID: 38353166; PMCID: PMC11840969.
9. Lee S, Harris LM, Miller AC, Cavanaugh JE, Nizar JM, Simmering JE, Abou Alaiwa MH, Polgreen LA, Polgreen PM. Risk for Dehydration and Fluid and Electrolyte Disorders Among Cystic Fibrosis Carriers. Am J Kidney Dis. 2024 May;83(5):695-697. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2023.09.011. Epub 2023 Nov 10. PMID: 37951339; PMCID: PMC11068020.
10. Arakkal AT, Polgreen LA, Chapman CG, Simmering JE, Cavanaugh JE, Polgreen PM, Miller AC. Association between household opioid prescriptions and risk for overdose among family members not prescribed opioids. Pharmacotherapy. 2024 Feb;44(2):110-121. doi: 10.1002/phar.2891. Epub 2023 Nov 14. PMID: 37926925.
11. Wiemken TL, Khan F, Puzniak L, Yang W, Simmering J, Polgreen P, Nguyen JL, Jodar L, McLaughlin JM. Seasonal trends in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and mortality in the United States and Europe. Sci Rep. 2023 Mar 8;13(1):3886. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-31057-1. PMID: 36890264; PMCID: PMC9994397.
12. Weber MA, Sivakumar K, Tabakovic EE, Oya M, Aldridge GM, Zhang Q, Simmering JE, Narayanan NS. Glycolysis-enhancing α1-adrenergic antagonists modify cognitive symptoms related to Parkinson's disease. NPJ Parkinsons Dis. 2023 Mar 2;9(1):32. doi: 10.1038/s41531-023-00477-1. PMID: 36864060; PMCID: PMC9981768.
13. Simmering JE, Polgreen LA, Talan DA, Cavanaugh JE, Polgreen PM. Association of Appendicitis Incidence With Warmer Weather Independent of Season. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Oct 3;5(10):e2234269. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.34269. PMID: 36190731; PMCID: PMC9530968.
14. Simmering JE, Welsh MJ, Schultz J, Narayanan NS. Use of Glycolysis-Enhancing Drugs and Risk of Parkinson's Disease. Mov Disord. 2022 Nov;37(11):2210-2216. doi: 10.1002/mds.29184. Epub 2022 Aug 22. PMID: 36054705; PMCID: PMC9669185.
15. Hoth KF, Simmering J, Croghan A, Hamzeh NY; GRADS Investigators. Cognitive Difficulties and Health-Related Quality of Life in Sarcoidosis: An Analysis of the GRADS Cohort. J Clin Med. 2022 Jun 22;11(13):3594. doi: 10.3390/jcm11133594. PMID: 35806883; PMCID: PMC9267453.
16. Zhang Q, Schultz JL, Aldridge GM, Simmering JE, Kim Y, Ogilvie AC, Narayanan NS. COVID-19 Case Fatality and Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2021;84(4):1447-1452. doi: 10.3233/JAD-215161. PMID: 34690147; PMCID: PMC8841099.
17. Schultz JL, Brinker AN, Xu J, Ernst SE, Tayyari F, Rauckhorst AJ, Liu L, Uc EY, Taylor EB, Simmering JE, Magnotta VA, Welsh MJ, Narayanan NS. A pilot to assess target engagement of terazosin in Parkinson's disease. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2022 Jan;94:79-83. doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2021.11.022. Epub 2021 Nov 27. PMID: 34894470; PMCID: PMC8862665.
18. Simmering J, Stapleton EM, Polgreen PM, Kuntz J, Gerke AK. Patterns of medication use and imaging following initial diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Respir Med. 2021 Nov-Dec;189:106622. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2021.106622. Epub 2021 Sep 25. PMID: 34600163; PMCID: PMC10918686.
19. Francis SL, Simmering JE, Polgreen LA, Evans NJ, Hosteng KR, Carr LJ, Cremer JF, Coe S, Cavanaugh JE, Segre AM, Polgreen PM. Gamifying accelerometer use increases physical activity levels of individuals pre-disposed to type II diabetes. Prev Med Rep. 2021 May 30;23:101426. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101426. PMID: 34178586; PMCID: PMC8209749.
20. Hosteng KR, Simmering JE, Polgreen LA, Cremer JF, Segre AM, Francis SL, Whitaker KM, Polgreen PM, Carr LJ. Multilevel mHealth Intervention Increases Physical Activity of Older Adults Living in Retirement Community. J Phys Act Health. 2021 May 26;18(7):851-857. doi: 10.1123/jpah.2020-0592. PMID: 34039774; PMCID: PMC10170790.
21. Justice SA, Sewell DK, Miller AC, Simmering JE, Polgreen PM. Inferring patient transfer networks between healthcare facilities. Health Serv Outcomes Res Method 2022 Mar 2022: 1–152021. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10742-021-00249-5
22. Simmering JE, Welsh MJ, Liu L, Narayanan NS, Pottegård A. Association of Glycolysis-Enhancing α-1 Blockers With Risk of Developing Parkinson Disease. JAMA Neurol. 2021 Apr 1;78(4):407-413. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.5157. PMID: 33523098; PMCID: PMC7851758.
23. Simmering JE, Polgreen LA, Cavanaugh JE, Erickson BA, Suneja M, Polgreen PM. Warmer Weather and the Risk of Urinary Tract Infections in Women. J Urol. 2021 Feb;205(2):500-506. doi: 10.1097/JU.0000000000001383. Epub 2020 Sep 18. PMID: 32945727; PMCID: PMC8477900.
24. Schwartz A, Arnold N, Skinner B, Simmering J, Eberlein M, Comellas AP, Fortis S. Preserved Ratio Impaired Spirometry in a Spirometry Database. Respir Care. 2021 Jan;66(1):58-65. doi: 10.4187/respcare.07712. Epub 2020 Sep 1. PMID: 32873751; PMCID: PMC7856524.
25. Zhang Q, Schultz JL, Aldridge GM, Simmering JE, Narayanan NS. Coronavirus Disease 2019 Case Fatality and Parkinson's Disease. Mov Disord. 2020 Nov;35(11):1914-1915. doi: 10.1002/mds.28325. Epub 2020 Oct 15. PMID: 32954522; PMCID: PMC7537245.
26. Polgreen LA, Carter BL, Polgreen PM, Snyder PM, Sewell DK, Bayman EO, Francis SL, Simmering JE, Parker C, Finkelstein R. A pharmacist intervention for monitoring and treating hypertension using bidirectional texting: PharmText BP. Contemp Clin Trials. 2020 Nov;98:106169. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2020.106169. Epub 2020 Oct 7. PMID: 33038500; PMCID: PMC7686143.
27. Stapleton EM, Simmering JE, Manges RB, Chipara O, Stone EA, Zabner J, Peters TM, Herman T, Polgreen PM, Comellas AP. Continuous in-home PM2.5 concentrations of smokers with and without a history of respiratory exacerbations in Iowa, during and after an air purifier intervention. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2020 Sep;30(5):778-784. doi: 10.1038/s41370-020-0235-1. Epub 2020 May 28. PMID: 32461549; PMCID: PMC7483738.

Douglas R. Spitz, PhD

Hanna Stevens, MD, PhD

Hanna Stevens runs the Psychiatry and Early Neurobiological Development Lab (PENDL) at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Her research seeks to understand molecular and cellular aspects of early brain development and their relevance to psychiatric disorders. Her work is particularly focused on understanding how prenatal stress, environmental exposures and genes that play a role in early development have an impact on childhood behavior and act as risk factors for multiple psychiatric disorders. The goal of the lab is to advance mental health diagnosis and treatment of disorders across the lifespan. The lab is particularly focused on the high risk times of pregnancy and early development.

Link to Stevens Lab

Publications:

• Abbott PW; Gumusoglu SB; Bittle J; Beversdorf DQ; Stevens HE (2018) Prenatal stress and genetic risk: how prenatal stress interacts with genetics to alter risk for psychiatric illness. Psychoneuroendocrinology. Jan 30;90:9-21. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.01.019. PubMed PMID: 29407514.
• Bittle J, Stevens HE. (2018) The role of glucocorticoid, interleukin-1beta, and antioxidants in prenatal stress effects on embryonic microglia. Journal of Neuroinflammation. Feb 16;15(1):44. doi: 10.1186/s12974-018-1079-7. Pub Med PMID: 29452586.
• Gumusoglu SB, Fine RS, Bittle J, Murray S, Stevens HE. (2017) The role of IL-6 in neurodevelopment after prenatal stress. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 2017 Oct;65:274-283. PMID: 28546058.
• Salmaso N, Stevens HE, McNeill J, ElSayed M, Rena Q, Maragnoli ME, Schwartz ML, Tomasi S, Sapolsky RM, Duman R, Vaccarino FM (2016) Fibroblast growth factor 2 modulates hypothalamic pituitary axis activity and anxiety behavior through glucocorticoid receptors. Biological Psychiatry. 2016 Sep 15;80(6):479-89. PMID: 27133954.
• Lussier SJ, Stevens HE. Delays in GABAergic Interneuron Development and Behavioral Inhibition after Prenatal Stress. Dev Neurobiol. 2016. doi: 10.1002/dneu.22376. PubMed PMID: 26724783.
• Hamed AM, Kauer AJ, Stevens HE. Why the Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Matters. Front Psychiatry. 2015;6:168. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00168. PubMed PMID: 26635643; PMCID: PMC4659921.
• Brotnow L, Reiss D, Stover CS, Ganiban J, Leve LD, Neiderhiser JM, Shaw DS, Stevens HE. Expectant Mothers Maximizing Opportunities: Maternal Characteristics Moderate Multifactorial Prenatal Stress in the Prediction of Birth Weight in a Sample of Children Adopted at Birth. PLoS One. 2015;10(11):e0141881. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141881. PubMed PMID: 26544958; PMCID: PMC4636431.
• Stevens, H. E., Vaccarino, F. M. (2015). How animal models inform child and adolescent psychiatry. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(5), 352-9. PMID: 25901771.
• Fine, R. S., Zhang, J. & Stevens, H. E. (2014). Prenatal stress and inhibitory neuron systems: implications for neuropsychiatric disorders. Mol Psychiatry, 19(6), 641-51. PMID: 24751963.
• Stevens, H. E., Su, T., Yanagawa, Y. & Vaccarino, F. M. (2013). Prenatal stress delays inhibitory neuron progenitor migration in the developing neocortex. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38(4), 509-21.
• Stevens, H. E., Jiang, G. Y., Schwartz, M. L. & Vaccarino, F. M. (2012). Learning and memory depend on fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 functioning in hippocampus. Biol Psychiatry, 71(12), 1090-8.
• Vaccarino, F. M., Urban, A. E., Stevens, H. E., Szekely, A., Abyzov, A., Grigorenko, E., Gerstein, M. & Weissman, S. (2011). The promise of stem cell research for neuropsychiatric disorders. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 52(4), 504-16.

David A. Stoltz, MD, PhD

Dr. Stoltz's research focuses on the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis related airway disease with a particular emphasis on studying airway epithelial and smooth muscle cells, the role of paraoxonases (PONs) on Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum-sensing regulation, mucociliary clearance, and advanced airway imaging modalities and analysis. In collaboration with other investigators at the University of Iowa, Dr. Stoltz has overseen the development of the CF pig model for over 15 years. He directed and participated in the development of the surgical correction of the meconium ileus
phenotype followed by the genetic correction of this phenotype. A major goal of his current research is to better understand the role of CFTR in airway epithelial, mucus, and smooth muscle cell biology, using a variety of techniques and complementary approaches.

Complete List of Published Work

Betsy Stone, PhD

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Center Affiliation and Expertise: Particle Science Thematic Area

Research in the Stone group focuses on the advancement of methodology to study the chemical composition of particulate matter in the atmosphere, or aerosols. Aerosols play an important role in regulating global climate by reflecting solar radiation and altering cloud formation and lifetime. Elevated levels of particulate matter also negatively affect human health. The chemistry of aerosols is complex and varies drastically across different regions of the world. Dr. Stone's research targets the organic fraction of ambient aerosol, which constitutes an average of half of particulate mass and remains the most poorly understood component due to its chemical complexity, variety of sources, and ability to transform in the atmosphere. Her laboratory develops new methodology to study organic compounds and functional groups in aerosols and apply these techniques to different environmental settings.

Publications:

• Milani, A. M.; Al-Naiema, I. M.; Stone, E. A.; Detection of a secondary organic aerosol tracer derived from personal care products. In press at Atmospheric Environment, doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.118078.
• Hughes, D. D.; Christiansen, M.; Milani, A.; Vermeuel, M. P.; Novak, G. A.; Alwe, H. D.; Dickens, A. F.; Pierce, R. B.; Millet, D. B.; Bertram, T. H.; Stanier, C. O.; Stone, E. A.; PM2.5 chemistry, organosulfates, and SOA formation during the 2017 Lake Michigan Ozone Study. Atmospheric Environment, 244, 117939, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.117939.
• Perkins, R.; Vazquez de Vasquez, M.; Beasley, E.; Hill, T.; Stone, E. A.; Allen, H.; DeMott, P.; Relating Structure and Ice Nucleation of Mixed Surfactant Systems Relevant to Sea Spray Aerosol. In press at The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2020, 124, 2, 8806-8821, doi: 10.1021/acs.jpca.0c05849.
• Hasenecz, E.; Jayarathne, T.; Pendergraft, M.; Santander, M.; Mayer, K.; Sauer, J.; Lee, C.; Gibson, W.; Kruse, S.; Malfatti, F.; Prather, K.; Stone, E. A.; Marine bacteria affect saccharide enrichment in sea spray aerosol during a phytoplankton bloom. In press at ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 2020, 4, 9, 1638-1649, doi: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.0c00167.
• Lee, H.; Wigley, S.; Lee, C.; Or, V.; Hazenecz, E. S.; Stone, E. A.; Grassian, V. H.; Prather, K. A.; Tivanski, A. V.; Physicochemical Mixing State of Sea Spray Aerosols: Morphologies Exhibit Size Dependence. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 2020, 4, 1604-1611, doi: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.0c00153.
• Saikawa, E.; Wu, Q.; Zhong, M.; Avramov, A.; Ram, K.; Stone, E. A.; Stockwell, C. E.; Jayarathne, T. J.; Panday, A. K.; Yokelson, R. J.; Garbage Burning in South Asia – How important is it to regional air quality? Environmental Science & Technology, 2020, 54, 16, 9928-9938, doi: 10.1021/acs.est.0c02830.
• Hughes, D. D.; Mampage, C.; Jones, L.; Liu, Z.; Stone, E. A.; Characterization of atmospheric pollen fragments during springtime thunderstorms. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 2020, 7, 6, 409-414, doi: 10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00213.
• Stapleton, E. M.; Simmering, J. E.; Manges, R. B.; Chipara, O.; Stone, E. A.; Zabner, J.; Peters, T. M.; Herman, T.; Polgreen, P. M.; Comellas, A. P.; Continuous in-home PM2.5 concentrations of smokers with and without a history of respiratory exacerbations in Iowa, during and after an air purifier intervention. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, 2020, 30, 778-784, doi: 10.1038/s41370-020-0235-1.
• Lee, H. D.; Morris, H. S.; Laskina, O.; Sultana, C.; Lee, C.; Jayarathne, T. ; Cox, J.; Wang, X.; Hazenecz, E.; DeMott, P.; Bertram, T. H.; Cappa, C. D.; Stone, E. A.; Prather, K. A. ; Grassian, V. H.; Tivanski, A. V.; Organic Enrichment, Physical Phase State, and Surface Tension Depression of Nascent Core-Shell Sea Spray Aerosols During Two Phytoplankton Blooms. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 2020, 4, 4, 650-660, doi: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.0c00032.
• Islam, M. R.; Jayarathne, T.; Simpson, I. J.; Werden, B.; Maben, J.; Gilbert, A.; Praveen, P. S.; Adhikari, S.; Panday, A. K.; Rupakheti, M.; Blake, D. R.; Yokelson, R. J.; DeCarlo, P. F.; Keene, W. C.; Stone, E. A.; Ambient air quality in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal during the pre-monsoon: Concentrations and sources of particulate matter and trace gases. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2020, 20, 2927-2951, doi: 10.5194/acp-20-2927-2020.
• Stapleton, E. M.; Manges, R.; Parker, G.; Stone, E. A.; Peters, T. M.; Blount, R. J.; Noriega, J.; Li, X.; Zabner, J.; Polgreen, P. M.; Chipara, O.; Herman, T.; Comellas, A. P.; Indoor particulate matter from smoker homes induces bacterial growth, biofilm formation and impairs airway antimicrobial activity. A pilot study. Frontiers in Public Health, 2020, 2, 418, doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00418.
• Al-Naiema, I. M.; Offenberg, J.; Lewandowski, M.; Madler, C. J.; Kettler, J.; Fang, T.; Stone, E. A.; Secondary organic aerosols from aromatic hydrocarbons and their contribution to fine particulate matter in Atlanta, Georgia. Atmospheric Environment, 2020, 223, 117227, doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2019.117227.
• Vermeul, M. P.; Novak, G. A.; Alwe, H. D.; Hughes, D. D.; Kaleel, R.; Dickens, A. F.; Kenski, D.; Czarnetzki, A.; Stone, E. A.; Stanier, C. O.; Pierce, R. B.; Millet, D. B.; Bertram, T. H.; Sensitivity of Ozone Production to NOx and VOC along the Lake Michigan Coastline. Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, 2019, 124, doi:10.1029/2019JD030842.
• Parker, G. J.; Ong, C. H.; Manges, R. B.; Stapleton, E. M.; Comellas, A.; Peters, T. M.; Stone, E. A.; A novel method of collecting and chemically char of airborne indoor particulate matter. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 2019, 19, 11, 2387-2395, doi: 10.4209/aaqr.2019.04.0182.
• Hasenecz, E.; Kaluarachchi, C. P.; Lee, H.; Tivanski, A. V.; Stone, E. A.; Saccharide Transfer to Sea Spray Aerosol Enhanced by Surface Activity, Calcium, and Protein Interactions. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 2019, 3, 11, 2539-2548, doi: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.9b00197.
• Zhong, M.; Saikawa, E.; Avramov, A.; Chen, C.; Sun, J.; Ye, W.; Ye, W.; Keene, W. C.; Yokelson, R. J.; Jayarathne, T.; Stone, E. A.; Rupakheti, M.; Panday, A. K.; Nepal Ambient Monitoring and Source Testing Experiment (NAMaSTE): Emissions of particulate matter and sulfur dioxide from vehicles and brick kilns and their impacts on air quality in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2019, 19, 8209-8228, doi: 10.5194/acp-19-8209-2019.
• Wu, G.; Ram, K.; Fu, P.; Wang, W.; Zhang, Y.; Liu, X.; Stone, E. A.; Pradhan, B. B.; Dangol, P. M.; Panday, A. K.; Wan, X.; Bai, Z.; Kang, S.; Zhang, Q.; Cong, Z.; Water-Soluble Brown Carbon in Atmospheric Aerosols from Godavari (Nepal), a Regional Representative of South Asia. Environmental Science & Technology, 2019, 53, 7, 3471-3479, doi: 10.1021/acs.est.9b00596.
• Chen, Y.; Xu, L.; Humphry, T.; Hettiyadura, A. P. S. ; Ovadnevaite, J .; Huang, S.; Poulain, L.; Schroder, J. C.; Campuzano-Jost, P.; Jimenez, J. L.; Hermann, H.; O’Dowd, C.; Stone, E. A.; Ng, N. L.; Response of Aerosol Mass Spectrometer to Inorganic Sulfates and Organosulfur Compounds and Applications in Field and Laboratory Measurements. Environmental Science & Technology, 2019, 53, 9, 5176-5186, doi: 10.1021/acs.est.9b00884.
• Lee, H.; Kaluarachchi, C. P.; Hasenecz, E. S. ; Zhu, Z.; Popa, E.; Stone, E. A.; Tivanski, A. V.; Effect of dry or wet substrate deposition on the organic volume fraction of core-shell aerosol particles. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 2019, 12, 2033-2041, doi: 10.5194/amt-12-2033-2019.
• Hughes, D.; Stone, E. A.; “Organosulfates in the Midwestern United States: Abundance, composition, and stability.” Environmental Chemistry, doi:10.1071/EN18260
• Hettiyadura, A. P. S. ; Al-Naiema, I. M. J.; Hughes, D.; Fang, T.; Stone, E. A.; “Organosulfates in Atlanta, Georgia: Anthropogenic influences on biogenic secondary organic aerosol formation.” Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2019, 19, 3191-3206, doi: 10.5194/acp-19-3191-2019.
• Lee, H.; Kaluarachchi, C. P.; Hasenecz, E. S. ; Zhu, Z.; Popa, E.; Stone, E. A.; Tivanski, A. V. “Effect of dry or wet substrate deposition on the organic volume fraction of core-shell aerosol particles” Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 2019, 12, 2033-2041,doi: 10.5194/amt-12-2033-2019.
• Schill, S. R.; Burrows, S. M.; Hasenecz, E. S.; Stone, E. A.; Bertram, T. H.; “The impact of divalent cations on the enrichment of soluble saccharides in primary sea-spray aerosol.” Atmosphere. 2018, 9(12), 476, 10.3390/atmos9120476.
• Al-Naiema, I. M.; Hettiyadura, A. P. S.; Wallace, H. W.; Sanchez, N. P.; Madler, C. J.; Cevik, B. K.; Bui, A.; Kettler, J.; Griffin, R. J.; Stone, E. A.; “Source apportionment of fine particulate matter in Houston, Texas: Insights to secondary organic aerosols” Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2018, 18, 15601-15622, doi:10.5194/acp-18-15601-2018.
• Khan, Z. Y.; Kettler, J.; Khwaja, H. A.; Naqvi, I. I.; Malik, A.; Stone, E. A.; Organic Aerosol Characterization and Source Identification in Karachi, Pakistan, Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 18 (10), 2550-2564, 10.4209/aaqr.2017.12.0579
• Hettiyadura, A. P. S.; Xu, L.; Jayarathne, T. ; Skog, K.; Guo, H.; Weber, R. J.; Nenes, A.; Keutsch, F.; Ng. N. L.; Stone, E. A.; Source Apportionment of Organic Carbon in Centreville, AL using Organosulfates in Organic Tracer-based Positive Matrix Factorization, Atmospheric Environment, 2018, 186, 74-88, 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.05.007
• Al-Naiema, I.; Wang, Y.-Q.; Zhang, Y.-X.; Sheesley, R. J.; Stone, E. A.; Source apportionment of fine particulate matter organic carbon in Shenzhen, China by chemical mass balance and radiocarbon methods, Environmental Pollution, 2018, 240, 34-43, doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.04.071.
• T. Jayarathne; C. E. Stockwell; Gilbert, A.; Daugherty, K.; M. A. Cochrane; K. C. Ryan; E. I. Putra; B. H. Saharjo; A. D. Nurhayati; I. Albar; R. J. Yokelson; E. A. Stone; Chemical characterization of fine particulate matter emitted by peat fires in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, during the 2015 El Niño Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2018, 4, 2585-2600, doi: 10.5194/acp-18-2585-2018.
• Bertram, T.; Cochran, R. E.; Grassian, V. H.; Stone, E. A.; Sea Spray Aerosol Chemical Composition: Elemental and Molecular Mimics for Laboratory Studies of Heterogeneous and Multiphase Reactions. Chemical Society Reviews, 2018, doi: 10.1039/C7CS00008A.
• Jayarathne, T., Stockwell, C. E., Bhave, P. V., Rathnayake, C.M., Islam, M.R., Praveen, P.S., Panday, A. K., Adhikari, S., Maharjan, R., Goetz, J.D., DeCarlo, P. F., Saikawa, E., Yokelson, R. J., & Stone, E. A. Nepal Ambient Monitoring and Source Testing Experiment (NAMaSTE): Emissions of particulate matter from wood and dung cooking fires, brick kilns, generators, trash and crop residue burning. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2018, 18, 2259-2286, doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-2259-2018.
• Cochran, R. E.; Laskina, O.; Trueblood, J.; Estillore, A.; Morris, H. S.; Jayarathne, T.; Sultana, C.; Lee, C.; Lin, P.; Laskin, J.; Laskin, A.; Dowling, J.; Qin, Z.; Cappa, C. D.; Bertram, T. H.; Tivanski, A. V.; Stone, E. A.; Prather, K. A.; Grassian, V. H.; Molecular Characterization of Sea Spray Particles: Influence of Ocean Biology on Particle Composition and Interaction with Water. Chem 2017, 2, 655-667, doi: 10.1016/j.chempr.2017.03.007.
• Rathnayake, C.; Kettler, J.; Metwali, N.; Jayarathne, T.; Huang, Y.; Thorne, P.; O’Shaughnessy, P.; Stone, E. A.; Influence of Rain on the Abundance of Bioaerosols in Fine and Coarse Particles Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2017, 17, 2459-2475, doi:10.5194/acp-17-2459-2017.
• Al-Naiema, I.; Stone, E. A.; Evaluation of Anthropogenic Secondary Organic Aerosol Tracers from Aromatic Hydrocarbons Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2017, 17, 2053-2065, doi: 0.5194/acp-17-2053-2017
• Al-Naiema, I.; Roppo, H.; Stone, E. A. Quantification furandiones in ambient aerosol Atmospheric Environment, 2017, 153, 41-46, doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.01.002.
• Hettiyadura, A. P. S.; Jayarathne, T.; Baumann, K.; Goldstein, A. H.; de Gouw, J. A.; Keutsch, F. N.; Skog, K.; Stone, E. A.; Qualitative and quantitative analysis of atmospheric organosulfates in Centreville, Alabama. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2017, 17, 1342-1359, doi: 10.5194/acp-17-1343-2017.
• Jayarathne, T.; Sultana, C.; Lee, C.; Malfatti, F.; Cox, J. L.; Pendergraft, M. A. ; Moore, K. A.; Azam, F.; Tivanski, A. V.; Cappa, C. D.; Bertram, T. H.; Grassian, V. H.; Prather, K. A.; Stone, E. A.; Enrichment of Saccharides and Salts in Sea Spray Aerosol During two Phytoplankton Blooms. Environmental Science & Technology, 2016, 50 (21) pp 11511-11520, doi:10.1021/acs.est.6b02988.
• Gosselin, M.I.; Rathnayake, C. M.; Crawford , I.; Pöhlker, C.; Fröhlich-Nowoisky; J., Schmer; B., Després, V.; Engling, G.; Gallagher, M.; Stone, E. A.; Pöschl, U.; Huffman, J. A. Fluorescent Bioaerosol Particle, Molecular Tracer, and Fungal Spore Concentrations during Dry and Rainy Periods in a Semi-Arid Forest Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2016, 15165-15184, doi:10.5194/acp-16-15165-2016.
• C. E. Stockwell; T. Jayarathne; M. A. Cochrane; K. C. Ryan; E. I. Putra; B. H. Saharjo; A. D. Nurhayati; I. Albar; D. R. Blake; I. Simpson; E. A. Stone; R. J. Yokelson; Field measurements of trace gases and aerosols emitted by peat fires in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia during the 2015 El Niño Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2016, 16, 11711-11732, 10.5194/acp-16-11711-2016.
• C. E. Stockwell, T. J. Christian, J. D. Goetz, T. Jayarathne, P. V. Bhave, S. Adhikari, P. S. Praveen, R. Maharjan, P. F. DeCarlo, E. A. Stone, E. Saikawa, D. R. Blake, I. Simpson, R. J. Yokelson, A. K. Panday; Nepal Ambient Monitoring and Source Testing Experiment (NAMaSTE): Emissions of trace gases and light-absorbing carbon from wood and dung cooking fires, garbage and crop residue burning, brick kilns, and other sources Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2016, 16, 11043-11081, doi:10.5194/acp-16-11043-2016
• Rathnayake, C.; Metwali, N.; Baker, Z.; Jayarathne, T.; Thorne, P.; O’Shaughnessy, P., Stone, E. A.; Urban enhancements of bioaerosols in the Midwestern United States. Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, 2016, 121 (9), 5071-5089, doi:10.1002/2015JD024538.
• Cochran, R. E. ; Jayarathne, T. J.; Stone, E. A.; Grassian, V. H.; Selectivity across the interface: A test of surface activity in the composition of organic enriched aerosols from bubble bursting. Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2016, 7, 1692-1696, doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.6b00489
• Estillore, A. D.; Qin, Z.; Hettiyadura, A. P. S.; Humphrey, T.; Stone, E. A.; Grassian, V. H.; Deliquescence and hygroscopic growth of organosulfates. Environmental Science & Technology, 2016, 50 (8) 4259-4268, doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b05014.
• ​Cochran, R. E.; Laskina, O.; Jayarathne, T.; Laskin, A.; Laskin, J.; Lin, P.; Sultana, C.; Cappa, C. D.; Bertram, T. H.; Prather, K.; Grassian, V. H.; Stone, E. A. Characterization of anionic surfactants in fine and coarse fractions of nascent sea spray aerosol. 2016, 50 (5), 2477-2486, doi: 10.1021/acs.est.5b04053.
• Jayarathne, T.; Rathnayake, C. M.; Stone, E. A. Local impacts on primary and secondary aerosols in the Midwestern United States. Atmospheric Environment, 2016, 130, 74-83, doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.09.058.
• Al Naiema, I., Mudukotuwa, I.; Estillore, A.; Grassian, V. H., Stone, E. A. “Impacts of Co-firing Biomass on Emissions of Particulate Matter to the Atmosphere” Fuel, 2015 162, 111-120, doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2015.08.054.
• Hettiyadura, A. P. S.; Stone, E. A.; Kundu, S.; Baker, Z.; Geddes, E.; Richards, K.; Humphry, T. "Determination of atmospheric organosulfates using HILIC chromatography with MS detection" Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 2015, 8, 2347-2358. doi:10.5194/amt-8-2347-2015
• Downard, J.; Singh, A.; Bullard, R.; Jayarathne, T.; Rathnayake, C. M.; Simmons, D. L.; Wels, B. R.; Spak, S. N.; Peters, T.; Beardsley, D.; Stanier, C. O.; Stone, E. A. "Uncontrolled combustion of shredded tires in a landfill - Part 1: Characterization of gaseous and particulate emissions" Atmospheric Environment, 2015, 104, 195-204. doi: 10.1016.j.atmosenv.2014.12.059
• Singh, A.; Spak, S. N.; Stone, E. A.; Downard, J.; Bullard, R.; Pooley, M.; Kostle, P. A.; Mainprize, M. W.; Wichman, M. D.; Peters, T.; Beardsley, D.; Stanier, C. O. "Uncontrolled combustion of shredded tires in a landfill ‐ Part 2: Population Exposure, Public Health Response, and an Air Quality Index for Urban Fires" Atmospheric Environment, 2015, 104, 273-283. doi: 10.1016.j.atmosenv.2015.01.002
• Laskina, O.; Morris, H. S.; Grandquist, J. R.; Qin, Z.; Stone, E. A.; Tivanski, A. V.; Grassian, V. H. “Size Matters in the Water Uptake and Hygroscopic Growth of Atmospherically Relevant Multi-Component Aerosol Particles” Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2015, doi: 10.1021/jp510268p
• Jayarathne, T.; Stockwell, C. E.; Yokelson, R. J.; Nakao, S., Stone, E. A. "Emissions of fine particle fluoride from biomass burning" Environmental Science & Technology, 2014, 48 (21): 12636-12644. doi: 10.1021/es502933
• Staudt, S.; Kundu, S.; He, X.; Lehmler, H.; Lin, Y.; Cui, T.; Kristensen, K.; Glasius, M.; Zhang, X.; Weber, R.J.; Surratt, J.D., Stone, E. A. “Aromatic organosulfates in atmospheric aerosols: synthesis, characterization, and abundance” Atmospheric Environment, 2014, 94, 366-373. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.05.049
• Kundu, S; Stone, E. A. "Composition and sources of fine particulate matter across urban and rural sites in the Midwestern United States" Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 2014, 16 (6), 1360 - 1370. doi: 10.1039/C3EM00719G
• Kundu, S.; Quraishi, T.; Yu, G.; Suarez, C.; Keutsch, F.; Stone, E. A. “Evidence and Quantitation of Aromatic Organosulfates in Ambient Aerosols in Lahore Pakistan Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2013, 13: 4865-4875.
• Stone, E. A; Nguyen, T.T.; Pradhan B. B.; Dangol, P. M., Assessment of biogenic secondary organic aerosol in the Himalayas. Environmental Chemistry, 2012, 9, 263-272, invited manuscript.
• Stone, E. A.; Yang, L.M.; Yu, L.E.; Rupahketi, M., Characterization of Organosulfates in Atmospheric Aerosols at Four Asian Locations, Atmospheric Environment, 2012, 47, 323-329.

Thimmasettappa Thippeswamy, DVM, MVSc, PhD, PgCert HE & TL

Dr. Thippeswamy's research focuses on neuroinflammation, epileptogenesis, and neurotoxicity, with the goal of developing disease-modifying therapies for neurotoxins-induced epilepsy, including acute exposure to organophosphates, and related neurological disorders. His NIH-funded program investigates glial-neuronal signaling, nitric oxide synthase, Src/Fyn kinase pathways, oxidative stress, and neurodegeneration in experimental models of epilepsy. His work has led to novel therapeutic discoveries, multiple patents, and translational strategies aimed at preventing epilepsy and mitigating long-term neurological injury.

Link to Thippeswamy Lab

Complete List of Published Work

Darrin Thompson, PhD

Dr. Thompson’s research focuses on documenting exposure to emerging contaminants and assessing their associated health risks. He is the Associate Director of UI’s Center of Health Effects of Environmental Contamination (CHEEC), a state-sponsored research center focused on improving the environmental quality and public health. His work examines pesticide mixtures and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through biomonitoring, environmental monitoring, and epidemiological studies. He is particularly interested in understanding the relationships between these exposures and human health outcomes.

Link to Dr. Thompson's CHEEC Profile

Complete List of Published Work

Peter S. Thorne, PhD

Dr. Thorne is University of Iowa Distinguished Chair and Professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health. His research interests are in environmental risk factors for inflammatory lung diseases and immunomodulation, the health impacts of climate-exacerbated disasters, and the toxicity of emerging and persistent environmental pollutants. Dr. Thorne has served the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on their Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology and as Chair of the Committee on Toxicology and the Aircraft Cabin Air Quality Committee. From 2011 to 2017 and 2021-2025, he served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) and served as Chair of the SAB from 2015-2017. Dr. Thorne was a member of the NIH National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council from 2003-2007.

Dr. Thorne served as EHSRC Director from 2001-2020 and as Deputy Director from 1995-2000 and 2020-2026. He founded the EHSRC's Pulmonary Toxicology Facility (PTF) in 1994 and served as its Director until 2026. In addition to his leadership in the EHSRC and the PTF, Dr. Thorne was principal investigator of the AESOP Project (a community-based research study of PCB exposures) and leads research on the toxicity of inhaled PCB mixtures for the Iowa Superfund Research Program. He also is engaged in the development of medical countermeasures to treat respiratory injuries from chemical threat agent. Dr. Thorne is internationally recognized for his discoveries of the exacerbation of asthma and other respiratory diseases associated with domestic and occupational exposures to bioaerosols. His laboratory collaborates extensively providing exposure assessments for children’s environmental health studies.

Complete List of Published Works

Robert B. Wallace, MS, MD

Jun Wang, PhD, MS

Dr. Wang's current research involves satellite remote sensing and Earth system modeling, focusing on aerosols, radiative transfer, fires, air-land interaction, air quality, and weather. His specialized fields of knowledge include interaction between atmospheric composition and extreme weather; impacts of aerosols on air quality and weather; and interdisciplinary research related to cloud and trace gases, air quality and public health, irrigation, land use, fire, agriculture and extreme weather, as well as solar and wind energy and Earth Science education.

Kai Wang, PhD

Dr. Kai Wang serves as the biostatistician for the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC) and is a Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Iowa. He has extensive expertise in statistical modeling and analysis of complex biomedical and environmental data, including high-dimensional omics data (genomics, sequencing, microarray, and imaging), clustered and correlated data (family studies, repeated measures, and longitudinal data), categorical outcomes, and time-to-event data.

Dr. Wang directs the Data Management and Analysis Core of the Iowa Superfund Research Program, which focuses on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other environmental pollutants. He is actively engaged in methodological research, with recent work emphasizing mediation analysis, Mendelian randomization, and spatial transcriptomics.

Dr. Wang has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications spanning toxicology, environmental health sciences, biostatistics, and bioinformatics. He also serves on the editorial boards of Briefings in Bioinformatics and PLOS Genetics.

List of Published Works

Shannon Lea Watkins, PhD

Dr. Watkins is a scholar of public health whose work aims to illuminate social and structural barriers that individuals face in achieving their full health potential in order to inform efforts that promote health equity. Her current work investigates patterns of tobacco initiation, progression, product switching, and cessation, with specific interests in adolescent and young adults, non-cigarette tobacco products (e.g. e-cigarettes), characterizing flavors, and co-use with cannabis. This work informs interventions to promote cancer prevention and reduce tobacco-related health disparities. Another thread of research has focused on urban environments, particularly understanding social and environmental impacts of citizen engagement in caring for urban environmental resources and evaluating evidence, determinants, and outcomes of urban forest inequity. She approaches her research with an interdisciplinary lens and employs a variety of methodological approaches, including epidemiological and econometric techniques, qualitative methods, meta-analysis, and spatial analysis. A core component of her research program is engagement with public and policy stakeholders and public dissemination of her work.

George J. Weiner, MD

Michael J. Welsh, MD

The Welsh laboratory emphasizes research in two main areas. The first focuses on cystic fibrosis (CF), a common lethal genetic disease in which lung disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality. Welsh and his colleagues are discovering the pathogenesis of airway disease, elucidating the impact of environmental exposures on disease pathogenesis and respiratory defenses, and developing novel treatments. The second focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Welsh and his colleagues are investigating the pathophysiological basis of protein aggregates and developing treatments to prevent or delay the progressive neuron loss.

Complete List of Published Work

Joseph Zabner, MD

Center Affiliation and Expertise: Inflammation and Innate Immunity

Dr. Zabner has significant experience at basic CF research, clinical CF research, and the care of patients with lung disease, including CF. Several aspects of his research would be best classified as translational research. His basic research focuses in two areas, gene transfer to airway epithelia, including the basic mechanisms and development of new approaches to gene transfer, and investigation of the pathogenesis of CF airway disease, including mechanisms of electrolyte transport and bacterial killing. The main goal of his current gene therapy efforts include work is to improve efficiency of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to the airways. Dr. Zabner's laboratory is also involved in delineating mechanisms of altered NaCl concentration in the airway surface fluid (ASF) of CF as compared to non-CF epithelia. To address these questions, he uses primary cultures of normal and CF airway epithelia to measure ion concentrations of ASF. Three different methods including ion-selective electrodes, measurement of ASF in which the capillary pressure of the cilia is replaced by osmotic pressure from a non-absorbed osmolyte, and radioactive tracers studied at equilibrium, are used to address these issues. The results of these studied are central to understanding how the lack of CFTR Cl- channels causes CF lung disease.

http://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/labs/zabner/

Complete List of Published Work