The Division of Environmental Health is the academic home for multiple investigators who study the broad and complex health impact of environmental chemicals and the biological responses they elicit across the life course. This research seeks to protect public health by understanding, elucidating, and preventing diseases that arise from environmental exposures.
The Division has a diverse research portfolio. A particular strength is expertise on exposure biomarkers and the emerging field of exposomics. Central resources of the Division are the Senator Frank Lautenberg Environmental Health Sciences Laboratory and the Laboratory for Innovation in Precision Exposomic Medicine. These laboratories, co-located on the same floor, provide state-of-the-art expertise and instrumentation in exposure biology that enable studies on neurodevelopment, respiratory health, reproductive health, puberty, obesity, and many other public health priorities.
Division members collaborate within the Department and beyond on health risks from exposure to a broad range of chemicals including pesticides, environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals, metals, and air pollution. This work involves studies that take place across the United States as well as internationally (e.g., Mexico, Italy, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Japan, Bangladesh, India, Australia). Division faculty have built a large and successful program in environmental health, established state-of-the-art environmental sciences laboratories that house components of three national NIH programs [two for the Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource (HHEAR), one for the Center on Health and Environment Across the LifeSpan, a P30 Core Center].
Currently, the Division of Environmental Health houses 14 faculty as well as numerous postdoctoral scientists and research staff who work under their supervision. Faculty have expertise on comprehensive assessment of environmental exposures, the ensuing biological responses, and communication of that information to relevant communities. The wide range of expertise among members contributes to the Division’s success in receiving substantial environmental health research funding. Of note, Division faculty funding includes the first ever NIH Director’s New Innovator/DP2 grant for environmental health research as well as a RIVER/R35 grant (only six are awarded per year by NIEHS). Several NIH center, R01, and R21 grants are held by faculty, as well as K grants by postdoctoral fellows supervised by Division faculty.
Our faculty are also recognized internationally for their innovations and as thought leaders in the field of exposomics. This is evidenced by more than six patent applications, the launch of the first start-up company by the Department (Linus Biotechnology Inc.), licensing agreements with outside groups, and commercial partnerships.
Faculty
Manish Arora, BDS, MPH, PhD
Director, Division of Environmental Health
Vice Chairman, Department of Environmental Medicine
Chitra Amarasiriwardena, PhD
Syam S. Andra, PhD
Christine Austin, PhD
Jia Chen, ScD
Priyanthi Dassanayake, PhD
Sarah Evans, PhD
Leon Hsu, ScD
Itai Kloog, PhD