Environmental Health Sciences Research Center

University of Iowa College of Public Health

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Call for proposals – community engaged research lightning talks

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The yearly training titled “Enhancing Your Research with Equitable Community Engagement” is seeking proposals for lightning talks (7-10 mins).

This call is open to anyone in the University of Iowa community (students, staff, faculty, post-docs, community partner) and the topic is community engagement in a Public Health project. The event will be the morning of June 25th.

Please submit your proposal using the qualtrics form by Monday April 21st. https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6ljGTFz3wLtLTng

Proposal components: Title of proposed talk, describe the project (200 words or less), and describe the community engagement component (100 words or less)

People in a classroom sitting at tables with speaker presenting
The 2024 Community Engaged Research training

 

This event is sponsored by the Community Engagement Cores of the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center and Iowa Superfund Research Program.

 

Questions? Email Jackie Curnick at jcurnick@uiowa.edu

 

EHSRC Director to present UI CPH Distinguished Faculty Lecture

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“A Persistent Problem: PCB Exposure and Adverse Health Effects” by Dr. Hans-Joachim Lehmler

When: October 23, 2024, from 12:30-1:20 p.m.

Where: Callaghan Auditorium (N110 CPHB) and Zoom for those outside of Iowa City

Reception to follow in the CPHB atrium.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of 209 chemically related persistent organic pollutants that have been used in various industrial and commercial applications, such as capacitors and transformers. Despite being banned from production over 40 years ago due to their toxic effects, PCBs continue to be inadvertently produced as byproducts in manufacturing paint pigments and other industrial products.

PCBs pose significant human health risks, primarily through inhalation and dietary exposure. PCBs and their metabolites have been detected in human and animal tissues, including the brain, where they can cause various adverse health effects. For example, both laboratory and population-based studies have demonstrated that prenatal and early-life exposure to PCBs is associated with cognitive deficits, memory and learning impairments, and attention disorders in children.

Despite these well-documented effects, many questions remain about the specific mechanisms by which PCBs affect brain function. Recent studies have begun exploring the cellular and molecular pathways involved in PCB-induced neurotoxicity by focusing on brain regions and individual cells. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing targeted strategies to protect vulnerable populations, such as children and pregnant women, from the harmful effects of PCB exposure.

About Dr. Lehmler

Dr. Hans-Joachim Lehmler has been named the 2024 College of Public Health Distinguished Faculty Lecturer. He is a professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health in the University of Iowa College of Public Health, and the director of the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC).

Dr. Lehmler received an MS and PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Bonn, Germany, in 1993 and 1995, respectively. He then served in several roles at the University of Kentucky before coming to the University of Iowa in 2003.

Dr. Lehmler is an internationally recognized authority on the chemical synthesis and toxicology of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). He is at the forefront of environmental research with approximately 300 peer-reviewed publications, documenting PCBs’ toxicity, mechanisms of action, toxicokinetics, and environmental persistence.

He has directed the EHSRC since 2020. Through research and engagement, the center addresses the adverse health effects of current and emerging environmental contaminants, especially among rural and agricultural populations. He has served as deputy director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences-funded Iowa Superfund Research Program since 2020. In this role, Dr. Lehmler employs a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle public health problems associated with airborne PCBs. He also leads a highly productive chemical toxicology laboratory, supervising multiple student and postdocs. We are delighted to celebrate his creative approach to solving complex health issues through interdisciplinary research.

 

This article was originally published on the UI College of Public Health Website

 

 

September Science Cafes – Climate Change

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The EHSRC Community Engagement Core is hosting two Science Cafes in September. Both events are focused on the issue of Climate Change and feature members of the EHSRC, Dr. Jerald Schnoor and Dr. Peter Thorne. See below for more info and to register! If you would like to request accessibility accommodations please email Jacqueline-Curnick@uiowa.edu

In-Person Event: 

“Climate Change and the Looming COP26 Glasgow Meeting”

Dr. Jerald Schnoor

Wednesday, September 15th, 5-6 PM

On the lawn of the First St. Community Center

Mt. Vernon, IA

 

Virtual Event:

“Climageddon: Dire Predictions from the IPCC”

Dr. Peter Thorne

Tuesday, September 21st, 7-8 PM

Zoom

Winners Selected in Statewide Radon PSA Poster and Video Contests; EHSRC Participates

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Each year in Iowa, the American Lung Association and the Iowa Department of Public Health, in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 and the Iowa Radon Coalition host the annual statewide Iowa Radon Poster and Video Contests.

Iowa citizens ages 9-14 are invited to create a radon poster that will increase public awareness of radon gas and encourage others to test their homes. A committee will select the top five winning posters from throughout the entire state of Iowa to receive monetary prizes. The school that submits the most entries wins $200.

Concurrently, high school students are invited to submit entries to the Iowa Radon Video Contest, for which three top prizes are awarded.  As a member of the Iowa Radon Coalition, EHSRC Coordinator Nancy Wyland has participated in judging this event for the past three years in representation of the Center.

“The submissions are quite creative, and the students work hard on their entries,” Ms. Wyland offered.  It’s a great event that engages young adults in environmental awareness and the dangers of radon, which is particularly prevalent in Iowa.”

Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, radioactive gas produced by the natural decay of uranium in the soil. Exposure to elevated radon levels increases the risk of developing lung cancer. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and is the number one cause of death in homes, surpassing falls, poisoning, fires, choking, and drowning. As all Iowa counties are considered at high risk, this contest provides an opportunity to educate Iowa youth and the general public. By participating in this activity, students learn about radon and how to reduce their risk of exposure.

Wyland added, “Our Center has a longstanding research interest in radon and its environmental health impacts, so we’re proud to participate in this educational activity through our membership in the Iowa Radon Coalition.”

Poster Contest Winners can be viewed here:  https://www.lung.org/local-content/ia/radon-poster

The Top Ten Video Contest Winners can be viewed here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsIpNVMVEwiiT0UM6ax1cHFBVWkAD65G2

The EHSRC has a longstanding history of radon research, including studies of residential radon in Iowa, research on outdoor concentrations, and testing of monitoring devices. Recently, EHSRC Member Bill Field and Co-PI Ka Kahe (Columbia University Health Sciences) received an NIH R01 titled, “Residential radon exposure and stroke risk: the REGARDS study.”  This project will examine the association between radon exposure and stroke risk and to investigate whether geographic variation of radon concentration is related to the distribution of stroke rate in the U.S.

2020 Distinguished Faculty Lecture coming Dec 2

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The College of Public Health’s Distinguished Faculty Lecture will take place on December 2, 2020, from 12:30-1:30 P.M. This year’s lecture will be given by EHSRC member, Dr. Fred Gerr, and will provide an overview of historical and current occupational injury and illnesses among meat packing plant workers.

Dr. Gerr has served as a professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health for the last 18 years. He has been the director of both the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health and the Occupational Medicine Residency Training Program in CPH for many years. He has taught Occupational Health Practice, Occupational Medicine, and Interpreting Occupational Health Research. His research focuses on occupational and environmental risk factors for neurological impairment and musculoskeletal disorders. He has made significant contributions in the specialty of occupational and environmental medicine.

2020 CPH Distinguished Faculty Lecture | December 2 at 12:30 P.M.

Join via Zoom (https://uiowa.zoom.us/j/93121351181)

Upcoming events of EHSRC

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We are excited to announce the dates for some of our regular EHSRC programs!

 

Human Toxicology and EHSRC Research Seminars:

Fridays at 10:45 am View info  here 

Research Translation Mini Seminar Series view poster here

Mini Seminar Series calendar poster download

Specific Aims Review Meetings:

View info here

Specific Aims review meetings are available upon request.

 

Science Cafes:

View here

Fall 2019 dates  are:

September 12- 5 pm in Mt. Vernon

September 17- 7 pm in Fairfield

October 17- 5 pm in Mt. Vernon

October 22- 7 pm in Fairfield

November 14- 5 pm in Mt. Vernon

November 19- 7 pm in Fairfield

EHSRC Hosts NIEHS Core Centers Meeting

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On June 19-21, 2019, the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC) hosted the annual meeting of the 23 national NIEHS Core Centers funded to conduct research, training and community engagement in the environmental health sciences.  The meeting is traditionally hosted at one of the Center sites, and this year, the University of Iowa’s EHSRC was selected.

On the evening of June 19, a small delegation of meeting participants from NIEHS and UI toured three local farms – Morning Glory Farms, Broulik Farms and Mallie Farms – to discuss current farming practices in the Midwest.  Following, a community forum which attracted approximately 110 people was held in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, where a series of speakers talked about water quality concerns in the state.

Over the course of the next two days, approximately 200 participants joined the full meetings in the College of Public Health Building, with a social event at Hancher Auditorium on the evening of June 20.

The conference agenda included sessions for the Community Engagement Cores, the Center Administrators, and the scientific community.  Keynote presentations were delivered on the first day by Dr. Jerald Schnoor, UI Department of Engineering on A new paradigm for supplying safe drinking water, and Dr. Detlef Knappe from North Carolina State University on Drinking water contaminants in the Cape Fear watershed.

Concurrent breakout sessions were held on a variety of topics including Disaster Research Response, Emerging Issues with Pesticides, and Reporting Back Research Results, among others.  Poster sessions featured the research of early stage investigators, and New EHSCC Research was highlighted in a series of lightning presentations on Day 2.  In addition, three presentations and a panel discussion were held on Emerging issues with electronic nicotine delivery systems (E-cigarettes).

NIEHS Director, Dr. Linda Birnbaum delivered a stimulating presentation on perfluoralkyl substances, an emerging class of water pollutants, entitled PFAS: Emerging but Not New.

(Article by Nancy Wyland)

Members of the Community Engagements Cores participate in discussion activity during a CEC session.

 

The NIEHS team and EHSRC planning team talks with farmer Donna Warhover at Morning Glory CSA.

 

Community Tour group photo at Broulik Farms.

 

Dr. Edith Parker (Dean of College of Public Health), Dr. Peter Thorne (Director of EHSRC), and Dr. Linda Birnbaum (Director of NIEHS)

For more information on the program and speakers view the meeting booklet here:  EHSCC 2019 Annual Meeting Program Booklet

Community Engagement Core Hosts Environmental Journalism Summit

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The Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC) hosted more than 40 journalists, researchers, and students on March 5, 2019, to discuss challenges and opportunities in the field of science communication and environmental reporting. The summit, held at Drake Community Library in Grinnell, Iowa, aimed to increase journalists’ interest in reporting about environmental issues, as well as to help researchers better communicate effectively to general audiences.

Part of the mission of the EHSRC Community Engagement Core is to improve environmental health literacy. Bringing together journalists with environmental health researchers is one way to increase the public access to science. For this event, the EHSRC collaborated with IowaWatch, the UI School of Journalism and Communications, the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination (CHEEC), and the Center for Prairie Studies at Grinnell College.

Speakers included journalists Amy Mayer from Iowa Public Radio and Lyle Muller from IowaWatch along with University of Iowa faculty and researchers from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Colleges of Engineering, Medicine, and Public Health. Chris Martin from the Department of Communication Studies and Digital Journalism at the University of Northern Iowa and his daughter, a student journalist from the award-winning Cedar Falls High School newspaper, The Tiger Hi-Line, gave a presentation about engaging high school student journalists in environmental reporting.

Journalists from media outlets across the state participated, including the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, The Des Moines Register, Estherville News, the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and Iowa Public Radio. Numerous students were in attendance as well with representation from the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, Grinnell College, and Muscatine Community College.

The event included panel discussions about science in the media and nitrates in water, hands-on activities about environmental storytelling, and a brainstorming session to generate environmental topics for future reporting. Darrin Thompson, a PhD candidate in occupational and environmental health, discussed his research on neonicotinoids, and Peter Thorne, professor and head of occupational and environmental health and director of the EHSRC, gave a presentation about his experiences as chair of the EPA Science Advisory Board. Participants also engaged in a group literature discussion to comment on real stories that have been published recently in Iowa.

This story is also published on the College of Public Health Website

 

You can view 5 of the sessions from the Environmental Journalism Summit. View them here

Challenges to Providing Safe Drinking Water in the Midwest – A Symposium

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On September 21-22, 2017, a statewide symposium was held at Drake University in Des Moines to examine various impediments to providing safe drinking water in the Midwest.  The symposium was co-sponsored by several University of Iowa centers, including the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC), Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination (CHEEC), Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER), and the UI Public Policy Center.  Partnering organizations included the University of Northern Iowa, Drake University, The Iowa Public Health Association, Iowa League of Cities, the Iowa Association of Water Agencies, the Iowa Environmental Council and the Central Iowa Drinking Water Commission.

Over the course of a day and a half, 13 speakers delivered presentations and participated in panel discussion on subjects such as the Health Impacts of Nitrate in Drinking Water, New Technologies and Approaches for Mitigating Unregulated Contaminants in Drinking Water, Health Impacts from Drinking Water Treatment, New and Emerging Threats, Ordering our Priorities, and Communicating with the Public on Drinking Water Issues.

Approximately 150 people attended the symposium, including water regulators, researchers, state legislators, students, educators, and environmental and public health representatives from across Iowa.

Speakers represented several universities, both in Iowa and nationwide, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the press, and various water and environmental organizations and agencies.