Research in the Department of Environmental Medicine spans a variety of programs, groups, and laboratories, all with a common commitment to increasing wellness and preventing illness both locally and globally. We do so by investigating the fundamental causes, preventive measures, and treatments of avoidable illness and by promoting health, and by working to eradicate environmental and occupational triggers of, and reactions to, disease.
Department of Environmental Medicine Research
The Department of Environmental Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is a recognized leader in clinical, translational, and basic science research. Our mission is to understand, prevent, and treat diseases rooted in environmental exposures—many of which begin before birth and continue across the lifespan.
As national pioneers in exposomics, we explore how environmental factors interact with biology to shape health outcomes. Our department integrates expertise across environmental health, occupational medicine, biostatistics, and behavioral science to advance knowledge and drive innovation in environmental health research.
Institute for Exposomic Research
The Institute works to advance our understanding of the lifelong effects of environmental exposures on health and translate research findings into new strategies for prevention and treatment.
Divisions
Our Divisions have diverse research portfolios. They are Biostatistics, Environmental Epidemiology, Environmental Health, International Health, Occupational Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Community Health, and Social Work and Behavioral Science.
Laboratories
Anchored by the state-of-the-art Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Environmental Health Sciences Laboratory, our thriving laboratories bring together world-class facilities and a dynamic, multidisciplinary team of scientists. We work collaboratively to uncover how thousands of environmental factors shape human health—and to develop real-world solutions that drive change locally and globally.,The PACER lab complements this work with a state-of-the-art assessment of physiologic health to gauge the impact of environment on our minds and bodies.
Programs and Centers
Center on Health and Environment Across the LifeSpan (HEALS)/NIEHS P30 Core Center
The Center is the umbrella under which we organize environmental health research across Mount Sinai.
Human Health Exposure Assessment Resource (HHEAR)
The Human Health Exposure Assessment Resource (HHEAR) is an NIH-funded program designed to advance our understanding of how environmental exposures influence health across the life course. HHEAR offers researchers access to high-quality exposure assessment services, including state-of-the-art laboratory analyses of biological and environmental samples, advanced statistical support, and expert consultation on study design and data interpretation. Our Laboratory Hub plays a central role in this effort—measuring both targeted and untargeted environmental exposures. By supporting NIH-funded studies, we help uncover how early-life exposures shape health, development, and disease risk across the lifespan.
Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)
Along with researchers at other institutions around the country, Mount Sinai researchers are working to enhance existing cohorts of more than 50,000 pediatric subjects who will be followed over the course of the seven-year project.
New York-New Jersey Occupational Safety & Health Center (NYNJERC)
The NYNJERC is the hub of education and research in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in Federal Region 2, comprising the states of New York and New Jersey, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U. S. Virgin Islands.
Pediatric Environmental Health Clinic
The Pediatric Environmental Health Clinic provides outpatient clinical evaluations and coordinated services for children with known or suspected exposures to environmental toxins. The clinic focuses on helping families and communities promote healthy environments where children live, play, and learn.
Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU)
Founded in 1999, the PEHSU translates research into practice, providing clinical consultation and education to families, health care professionals, public health officials, and community organizations who have concerns regarding children's environmental health.
Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health
The Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health have been national and international leaders in the treatment of occupationally caused or exacerbated diseases as well as in the research on environmental toxins, which began over 60 years ago with Dr. Irving Selikoff’s research connecting asbestos exposure and cancer.
WTC Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence
The WTC Health Program provides medical monitoring and treatment to responders and survivors for physical and mental health conditions related to the events of September 11th, 2001. The Mount Sinai Clinical Center of Excellence administers monitoring and treatment for workers and volunteers (responders), and faculty conduct research on effective diagnostic procedures and treatments for WTC-related health conditions.
Data Centers
HHEAR Data Center for Data Science
In addition to the HHEAR Lab Hub, we also host the HHEAR Data Center in partnership with a research team at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). The Center provides statistical analysis, data integration, and interpretation services to extramural researchers.
World Trade Center Health Program General Responder Data Center
The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program General Responder Data Center (GRDC) is charged with the data capture, management, analysis, and public health surveillance of the 9/11 general responder cohort. The GRDC fulfills these responsibilities using the physical and mental health, exposure, occupational, and socioeconomic data generated by the five WTC Health Program General Responder Clinical Centers of Excellence in the NYC metropolitan area, and the Nationwide Provider Network.