Environmental Health Sciences Department Newsletter: Fall 2024

ill IHJ � ID)® [P)@ IrlCITIID@ M®��Il®�Ir lF@Ilil i@&�

Table of Contents Letter from the Chair ……………………….…………….... 3 Updates …………………………..……………………………… 4 Faculty …………………..........…………………………... 4 Students ……………………...…………………………… 6 Doctoral Graduates ................................................... 7 Alumni …………………………...………………………... 8 Staff ……………………….…………………….….……... 10 Spotlights …………..…………..…………………………..… 11 Students ……….……………….……………………..… 11 Staff …..........................................…………...…………. 12 Meet Our New Students …………………………..……. 13 PhD ………………………….….…………………………. 13 DrPH .............................................................................. 14 MPH ………….……………………………………………. 15 MPH 4+1 ….………………………………….………….. 21 MS Data Science ….……………………..……………. 21 MS Toxicology …….………………………..………..... 24 Practicum Portraits ………………………………………. 26 MPH Students …………….…………….………..…… 26 MS Students ………......……………………………….. 38 Spotlight: PrIMER .......................................................... 40 PrIMER Trainees ………………………………..………… 41 Letter from SEA ………………………………...…………. 48 Memories …………………………………….……….……… 49 Travel Fund Recipients …..…………….……….……… 55 Summer Workshops …………………………………….. 59 Center for Children’s Environmental Health ...... 61 Publications ……………………………..………………….. 62 Share Your News With Us ……..…….…………….….. 65 Credits: Alexis Grayon, 2nd Year MPH Student Janna Zikha, 2nd Year MPH Student Brandy Coleman, Academic Assistant Nina Kulacki, Director, Academic Programs

Letter from the Chair Dear EHS Family:

As we settle into this academic year, I want to take a moment to reflect on our recent community-building activities and share my enthusiasm for the engaging work happening within our department.

It was heartening to see so many of you come together at the EHS Faculty and Student Fall Social. Events like this, outside of the formal classroom setting, are vital for strengthening our bonds and fostering collaboration across different areas of our department.

I was also thrilled to see our community participate in the creation of the EHS Department Seminar Collective Norms. This initiative is a collaborative effort to create an environment that fosters respect, inclusivity, and constructive dialogue. I want to thank Dr. Matt Perzanowski for guiding us through the process. I encourage everyone to embrace these norms in our seminars and interactions, as they are essential to maintaining a strong, supportive community.

Finally, I want to highlight the impressive quality of presentations we’ve seen in our EHS Department Monday Seminars, the Applied Practice Experiences (APEx), the Program to Inspire and Mentor Undergraduates in Environmental Health Science Research (PrIMER) Symposium and seminars organized by other departmental research groups and centers. The depth of research and the clarity of communication displayed have been exceptional. What has stood out to me the most is the level of engagement during these presentations. The thoughtful questions and discussions that follow enrich our learning environment, inspire new work, and facilitate deeper connections among us all.

I look forward to more opportunities for engaging discussions and meaningful connections as we continue this journey together.

Ana Navas-Acien, MD, PhD, MPH Leon Hess Professor and Chair Department of Environmental Health Sciences

3

Updates: Faculty

Dr. Annie Nigra Over the summer, Dr. Nigra and Columbia SRP partner Missouri Breaks hosted high school researchers that participated in the EARTH program to be part of a research symposium that allowed each student to disseminate their findings to a larger Indigenous audience.

Dr. Yoshira Ornelas van Horne Dr. Ornelas van Horne was awarded the 2024 Rosenblith New Investigator Award to advance community-academic partnership with our partners at Missouri Breaks. In this partnership, Dr. Ornelas van Horne worked with students from Red Cloud Indian School and Little Wound School in South Dakota to characterize sources of air pollution and identify community-driven solutions.

4

Updates: Faculty Dr. Matt Perzanowski Congratulations to Dr. Perzanowski on being named Director of the NIEHS P30 Center for Environmental Health and Justice in Northern Manhattan! This announcement came during the P30 Center External Advisory Committee meeting where our center was joined by advisors from other universities and P30’s.

Prior to the announcement, Dr. Perzanowski held the role of interim director. We are excited to see him continue to lead the Center and guide future projects.

Dr. Diane Ré Dr. Ré was recently named Director of the PhD Program within the department. Dr. Ré is a neuroscientist focused on investigating environmental risk factors and mechanisms for neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Allison Kupsco Dr. Kupsco was recently named Director of PhD Admissions. Dr. Kupsco is an environmental toxicologist and epidemiologist whose work spans from the wet lab to data analysis.

5

Updates: Students Kevin Patterson, PhD Candidate Kevin gave an oral presentation at ISEE 2024 titled "Residential sociodemographic characteristics associated with public water arsenic and uranium concentrations, 2006-2011."

Kevin was also a panelist with Dr. Kathrin Schilling and another collaborators from University of New Mexico's Superfund Research Program Mallery Quetawki under the titled talk "Geohealth, water quality, and engagement with marginalized and environmentally overburdened indigenous communities" at the 2024 Goldschmidt Conference in Chicago on August 18-23.

Marilyn Santo, MPH 2nd Year

Marilyn was awarded a one-year National Institutes of Health Diversity Supplement grant for the project “Metal Exposure and Early Cardiovascular Risk in Adult E-Cigarette Users.”

Marisa Sobel, PhD Candidate This May, Marisa presented her work describing the association of urinary Cd with lower lung function in MESA as an oral presentation at the 2024 American Thoracic Society (ATS) meeting. Her team’s environmental exposure work was well received. The meeting was remarkably engaging, particularly in dialogue regarding best practices in methodology. ATS conducts focused poster sessions that include a moderated discussion with the selected posters. It is a format that would be helpful at other conferences and should be seriously considered.

6

Updates: Doctoral Graduates Wil Lieberman-Cribbin defended on June 6, 2024 His thesis focused on “Metal exposure estimates in established biomarkers, epigenetic biomarkers, and associations with cardiovascular outcomes in the ​Strong Heart Study​“​

Dr. Maggie Li defended on May 24, 2024 Her thesis focused on “Particulate air pollution and effects on cardiovascular health in American Indian communities​.“

Dr. Sarah McLarnan defended on July 18, 2024 Her thesis focused on “Transdisciplinary Study of Prenatal Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Exposure and Mitochondrial Toxicity.“

7

Updates: Alumni Dr. Richard Evoy, MPH ‘16 Dr. Evoy recently transitioned into the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps as a Lieutenant in the Scientist category. He also recently had a manuscript accepted for a special edition "Emerging Issues in Cannabis Surveillance and Applied Research" at the American Journal of Public Health. The article "Prevalence of Cannabis Use Among United States Workers, BRFSS 2016-2020, 15 States" should be released sometime before the end of the year.

Karen Gutensohn, MPH ‘24 This past summer Karen had the opportunity to lead a group of ten high school students through a field study program in Alaska for a month through the Strident Diplomacy Corps.

Over the four weeks they spent together, the students had the opportunity to learn about biogeography, glaciation, climate change, and indigenous cultures from professors and leaders throughout the state. They traveled around Juneau, Haines, Sitka, and the Ionian Islands, where they spent a week homesteading and learning about sustainability.

She says, “This was an incredible experience, and it was such an honor to support the next generation of leaders and watch them develop a love for environmental science and nature as they enter their senior year of high school and begin applying to colleges.”

8

Updates: Alumni Sarah Manderbach, MS ‘24 Sarah recently accepted a position with the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign. She is working with the Illinois State Water Survey as a Senior Scientific Specialist to conduct research on Legionella contamination within private wells. They will use the data to communicate to private well owners how important it is to test their private water sources. Other projects she hopes to start include investigations of radon concentrations in Illinois – a continuation of her thesis work, and further public health impacts of contaminated private well water.

Grant Tore, MPH ‘20 Grant Tore was a finalist in the 3rd annual Empower Your Pitch contest, a doctoral research communication competition, hosted by Doctoral Life Design Studio at Johns Hopkins University. He presented his pitch, "Heat The Silent Killer of Farmworkers," which won the 'Outstanding Public Engagement through Research Communication Award.

In June, he also competed in the interuniversity grand finale against finalists from the University of Texas at Austin and Columbia University.

9

Updates: Staff

Dr. Yunjia Lai, Post Doc Dr. Yunjia Lai has authored 14 publications and in-review manuscripts while at Columbia MSPH as postdoc under the advisory of Dr. Gary W. Miller. She works vigorously to study the functioning neural exposome in neurodegeneration through her multidisciplinary research strategies and approaches, including the eclectic use of highresolution mass spectrometry (HRMS)-based techniques for unbiased and effective assessment of molecular drivers and modifiers of disease.

In Year 2024, she has published 8 papers, including three first-author papers, two cofirst author papers and three co-authored papers, with several additional manuscripts in active submission and preparation. Her first-author papers have appeared or will appear in Science Signaling (accepted, in press), Neurology, Environmental Health Perspectives, Motor Disorders (accepted, in press), and Environmental Science & Technology (featured as ACS Editors' Choice, < 0.5% selection rates), for which she led an international consortium (a total of 46 authors, 20 institutions, and 10 countries) to provide a highly sought-after critical review paper on state-of-the-art approaches for advancing human exposomics.

10

Spotlights: Students

Opacity a

Matthew Ramey, MPH 2nd Year and Alumni Auston Locke, MPH ‘23 “This semester, I and former EHS student, Auston Locke, attended the Pennsylvania Orthopedic Society 2024 Annual Meeting in Lafayette Hill, PA. Three of our abstracts were selected for E-poster sessions and podium presentations. In these projects, we explored injury prevalence among recreational and athletic activities, specifically E-biking and flagfootball. These activities, although increasing in popularity, are largely unexplored in orthopedic and sports medicine research; thus, these studies aim to help understand the risks associated with increased participation.”

11

Spotlights: Staff

Nina Kulacki, Director, Academic Programs & PrIMER Nina Kulacki was honored with the CSTEP Outstanding Service Award at the annual CSTEP Senior Farewell and Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 3rd. This award is presented to faculty, administrators, and external partners who demonstrate exceptional commitment to CSTEP students and the program’s mission. Nina Kulacki’s recognition reflects the outstanding opportunities she and PrIMER provide to Fordham CSTEP students pursuing careers in research and health fields.

12

Meet Our New Students: PhD Ellen Bannon Hometown: North Salem, NY

Previous School: Columbia University

Hobbies/Interests: Backpacking, scuba diving, and fishing

Carlos Carrillo-Gallegos Hometown: San Gabriel, CA

Previous School: Yale University

Hobbies/Interests: Running, playing soccer, board games, and trivia

Erendira Di Giuseppe Hometown: California

Previous School: UC Berkeley Hobbies/Interests: Hiking

Fin (Fintan) Mooney Hometown: London, U.K.

Previous School: Yale University

Hobbies/Interests: I love cycling, watching footy, playing music with friends, trying funky wines, and attending concerts!

13

Meet Our New Students: DrPH Kimberly Carrasco Hometown: Chicago, IL

Previous School: Yale University

Hobbies/Interests: Traveling, playing sports, hiking, walking

Emma Kaishian Hometown: Yorktown, NY

Previous School: Mailman

Hobbies/Interests: Outdoor activities, playing piano, and watching junky tv shows

Collin Kather Hometown: Albany, NY

Previous School: University of Pennsylvania

Hobbies/Interests: Reading, city walking, roasting coffee beans

14

Meet Our New Students: MPH Jade Allmon

Certificate: Environmental Health Policy Hometown: Santa Barbara, CA

Previous School: University of California, Berkeley

Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy running, reading, and frequenting thrift stores and markets for unique items! I also was previously a vet tech so I love all things animals!

Anisa Sarah Andriyari

Certificate: Climate and Health

Hometown: Bogor, Indonesia

Previous School: Universitas Indonesia

Hobbies/Interests: Hiking, reading, going to concerts, and trying out food!

Marie Caiola

Certificate: Environmental Health Policy Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC

Previous School: Vanderbilt University

Alexandra Carlin

Hobbies/Interests: Yoga/Pilates, reading, & trying new plant-based recipes

Certificate: Toxicology

Hometown: Montclair, CA

Previous School: UC Santa Barbara

Hobbies/Interests: In my free time, I love gardening, composting, rollerblading, and lifting!

15

Meet Our New Students: MPH Charlie (Chun-Kai) Chang Certificate: Toxicology Hometown: Taipei

Previous School: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Hyunsun Choi

Hobbies/Interests: Basketball, volleyball, and visiting various museums

Certificate: Climate and Health

Hometown: Seoul, Korea

Previous School: Boston University

Hobbies/Interests: My hobby is enjoying beautiful scenery, whether through movies, Netflix shows, or musicals

Laila Gad

Certificate: Health of an Aging Society

Hometown: Staten Island, NY

Previous School: Hunter College

Narmin Guluzade

Hobbies/Interests: I love to read and am on a journey to read all books published on vampires!! Follow my goodreads (www.goodreads.com/laila2u)

Certificate: Public Health Research Methods Hometown: Sumgayit, Azerbaijan

Previous School: Azerbaijan Medical University

Hobbies/Interests: I’m an avid video gamer who also loves jigsaw puzzles and board games — and I’d be happy to find company to play with!

16

Meet Our New Students: MPH Mitsuye Hardy

Certificate: Toxicology

Hometown: Kingsburg, CA

Previous School: California State University Northridge

Hobbies/Interests: Running

Ana Hernandez Vega Certificate: Toxicology

Hometown: Salinas, CA

Previous School: UC Berkeley

Hobbies/Interests: I love the outdoors and staying active! I enjoy walks on the beach/park, hikes with beautiful views, camping, backpacking, swimming, playing sports, etc.

Sachi (Gillian) Kaneshiro Certificate: Molecular Epidemiology Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Previous School: Wellesley College

Maia Kelly

Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy Pilates and bouldering. I love exploring cities and finding cozy cafes. I also enjoy photography and painting.

Certificate: Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Hometown: Toronto, Canada

Previous School: Dalhousie University

Hobbies/Interests: I love to travel, hike, play tennis & try new foods. My family is also big on sports, so I love watching football, Formula 1, basketball with them on the weekends.

Pg. 17

Meet Our New Students: MPH Katherine Koritz

Certificate: Molecular Epidemiology

Hometown: Oak Park, IL

Previous School: Oberlin College

Kacey Langston

Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy yoga, coffee shop hopping, cooking, exploring New York's many beautiful parks, and generally wandering around. I also love painting, and I draw little cartoon illustrations for fun!

Certificate: Climate and Health

Hometown: Marco Island, FL

Previous School: University of Central Florida

Hobbies/Interests: Traveling, volunteering, meditation, being outside, reading, cooking, spending time with friends and my dog Wilson

Neena Madhure

Certificate: Environmental Health Policy Hometown: Marietta, GA

Previous School: Georgia State University

Victor Musa

Hobbies/Interests: Reading, watching TV/movies, walking, hanging out with my dog, making charcuterie boards, exploring

Certificate: Health Policy and Practice

Hometown: Freetown, Sierra Leone

Previous School: National University

Hobbies/Interests: Cooking, soccer, reading 18

Meet Our New Students: MPH Alex Olivares

Certificate: Toxicology

Hometown: Lower East Side, NYC Previous School: Hunter College

Ashmitha Seshadri

Hobbies/Interests: Basketball! I love to play, watch and discuss.

Certificate: Toxicology

Hometown: Seattle, WA

Previous School: University of Washington

Hobbies/Interests: Painting, reading, cooking, & Indian dance called Bharatanayam

Mansi Shah

Certificate: Climate and Health

Hometown: Great Neck, NY

Previous School: Boston College

Han Soros

Hobbies/Interests: Classically trained Kathak dancer (North Indian Style of Classical dance focused on storytelling, flow, and more)

Certificate: Climate and Health

Hometown: New York, NY

Previous School: Cornell University

Hobbies/Interests: I am an avid cook, gardener, artist, and musician. I probably read too much science fiction literature, and nothing makes me happier than cooking with/for other people

19

Meet Our New Students: MPH Xiaoyu Sun Certificate: Molecular Epidemiology

Hometown: Guangzhou, China

Previous School: University of Washington

Natalie VanderNoot

Hobbies/Interests: Reading, watching movies, rave - I love techno music, going to the gym, hiking

Certificate: Molecular Epidemiology

Hometown: Lebanon, NH

Previous School: George Mason University

Hobbies Interests: I like reading, watching TV & movies, science museums, live music, and exploring the city!

Audrey Wong

Certificate: Climate and Health Hometown: Millburn, NJ

Previous School: University of Pittsburgh

Hobbies/Interests: Drawing, sewing, music, video games

20

Meet Our New Students: 4+1 Celeste Paerels Hometown: Hastings on Hudson, NY

Previous School: Columbia University

Hobbies/Interests: I love to sing! I mostly sing jazz now, but I enjoy singing a bunch of different genres. I also love to travel (most especially to National Parks).

Meet Our New Students: MS Data Science Yutong Chen Hometown: Jiangxi, China

Previous School: Rutgers University

Hobbies/Interests: Badminton, hiking, e-sports, manga

Arghya Kannadaguli Hometown: Seattle, WA

Previous School: University of Washington

Hobbies/Interests: I learn and teach Kathak, a classical Indian dance form. I've been dancing since 2010. I also enjoy biking, hiking, rollerblading, and any other excuse to be outside.

21

Meet Our New Students: MS Data Science Brooklynn McNeil Hometown: San Francisco, CA

Previous School: University of Georgia

Hobbies/Interests: Backpacking, camping, running :)

Dylan Morgan Hometown: Charlotte, NC

Previous School: UNC Chapel Hill

Hobbies/Interests: Running, walking, tennis, collecting vinyls, reading

Tingcheng Pan Hometown: Ganzhou City, China

Previous School: Rutgers University New Brunswick

Hobbies/Interests: Playing PC games, reading books

Tamara Pichardo Hometown: West Nyack, NY

Previous School: Iona University

Hobbies/Interests: Binge watching shows, going to the movies, playing volleyball 22

Meet Our New Students: MS Data Science Vivian (Yuwei) Xia Hometown: Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China Previous School: University of Liverpool

Hobbies/Interests: Painting, Latin Dance, badminton and hangouts for yummy food

Helen Yousaf Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Previous School: William Paterson University

Hobbies/Interests: Cooking, reading, traveling

Wentao Zhou Hometown: Hunan, Changsha, China

Previous School: Pennsylvania State University

Hobbies/Interests: Basketball, computer games

23

Meet Our New Students: MS Toxicology Harry Burnett Hometown: Alpharetta, GA

Previous School: Georgia Institute of Technology

Hobbies/Interests: Working out, exploring new coffee places, playing with my cats, travelling

Alanna Morris Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Previous School: Carleton College

Hobbies/Interests: I love naps, reading, and weekend brunch! I also really enjoy spending time alone on long walks to explore the city, going to movie theaters, and trying out new restaurants.

Camryn Petersen

Hometown: Seattle, WA

Previous School: Seattle University

Hobbies/Interests: Fishing, reading

24

Meet Our New Students: MS Toxicology Alexander Sayan Hometown: Leonia, NJ

Previous School: Rutgers University

Hobbies/Interests: Singing choir/acapella, playing guitar, making music

Andres Silva Hometown: Bronx, NY

Previous School: Fordham University

Hobbies/Interests: Reading, drawing, writing

25

Practicum Portraits: MPH Ammar Ahmed Certificate: Health Policy and Practice Organization: H.E.A.L.T.H. For Youths Location: Remote Description: I supervised students on their public health summer projects, specifically the Staten Island community health needs assessment survey. I held weekly meetings with them and guided them toward completion, all while remaining in touch with my supervisor.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: Drove from Chicago to Toronto on my own for the first time!

Taeghan Cavanaugh Certificate: Toxicology Organization: Consulting Testing Services Inc. (CTSI) Location: Manhattan, NY Description: I assisted Lead Industrial Hygienist on-site inspections taking indoor air quality, water and fungal samples. Assisted Lead Health and Safety Specialist on site visits preparing building engineers for various state inspections and ensuring compliance with building safety regulations. Helped write reports for both IH and EHS inspections to be sent to clients.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: I celebrated the 4th of July with my family at the beach.

26

Practicum Portraits: MPH Catalina Ferreira-Dias Certificate: Climate and Health Organization: Columbia Mailman - Ami Zota’s Lab Location: New York City, NY Description: During my practicum I conducted literature reviews on several projects, collected samples for further lab inspection on metabolites, collected qualitative data, and led phone and zoom interviews. I mainly worked on two projects: 1) the Silk Press Swap Study, which is looking at the effects of hair relaxers on women of color and exploring silk presses as an intervention and 2) conducting a literature review and analysis to call attention to the looming threat climate change and hurricanes have on abortion access in the Southern United States.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: This summer I explored the city with my sister and saw some of my favorite artists perform

Alexis Grayon

Certificate: Molecular Epidemiology Organization: COVID-19 Mother Baby Outcomes (COMBO) Initiative Location: New York, NY Description: I created documentation for each survey tool that was used in the COMBO study for easy future reference (e.g., implementation at later time points, methods descriptions). I also created REDCap surveys to assess mental well-being and social support related to an event designed to foster human connection.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: I volunteered at NYC PrideFest in Greenwich Village!

27

Practicum Portraits: MPH Mufei Guo Certificate: Molecular Epidemiology Organization: Center for Children's Environmental Health Location: On Campus Description: My teammate and I analyzed data collected from the community on their rice preference and arsenic in their urine and rice sample. We also made report back posters on those topics.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: I went traveling with my family.

Maya Hajny Fernandez Certificate: Climate and Health Organization: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Communicable Diseases Location: Hybrid (42-09 28th St, Queens, NY 11101 and remote) Description: I interviewed people who have tested positive for Salmonella and other foodborne disease about their potential exposures using a standardized questionnaire. I also tracked and summarized New York City clusters and outbreaks of Salmonella.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: My favorite thing I did for fun this summer was traveling to Montreal to see my first Formula 1 race.

28

Practicum Portraits: MPH Kameelah Hollis Certificate: Climate and Health Organization: Universidad de Cienfuegos Location: Cienfuegos, Cuba Description: My practicum included agricultural site visits to create a map highlighting those important to the Cuban culture. Additionally, I am writing a literature review looking at socio-environmental education surrounding pollution in Cienfuegos Bay. Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: My favorite thing I did this summer was drink honey directly from a Melipona beehive.

Mugdha Kinjawadekar Certificate: Infectious Disease Epidemiology Organization: Heluna Health, Columbia World Projects Location: Remote (NYC) Description: I worked two jobs this summer - one, as a student researcher for a project on combatting household air pollution in Ghana, for which I designed survey tools. I also assisted the Alameda County Public Health Department in the implementation of photovoice as an evaluation for county-funded health programs. In my role, I was the photovoice liaison with community partners. I also designed and facilitated capacitybuilding workshops with the partners.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: I bicycled a lot around Manhattan!

29

Practicum Portraits: MPH Julie Kinoshita Certificate: Food Systems Organization: Environmental Working Group Location: Remote Description: I wrote memos to brief the legal team on current scientific literature and data as well as on current policies and regulations regarding toxic chemicals in various industries. I also contributed to a blog post that reviewed, evaluated, and compared chemical safety actions taken under the previous Trump Administration and the current Biden Administration.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: Travelled to Greece for a wedding!

Aidan Lee Certificate: Infectious Disease Epidemiology Organization: Columbia Eco-Epidemiology Lab Location: New York, NY Description: I worked across several projects in the lab analyzing the transmission of and public perception of tick-borne diseases in urban greenspaces. Activities included field work, writing and conducting surveys, and data cleaning and analysis.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: Went to the beach!

30

Practicum Portraits: MPH Niki (Nicole) Leshgold Certificate: Climate and Health Organization: NYLCV Location: New York, NY Description: I am a researcher on a current project with NYLCV trying to lower the current action level of lead in drinking water in school districts from 5 ppb to 1 ppb. We are writing a report that will be published at the end of the year -- my responsibilities include data collection, extraction, analysis, and helping to write up the report. I also sit in on meetings with my boss, including coalition meetings with other organizations, candidate interviews, and meetings with city council members.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: I went hiking!

Chia-Yi (Julia) Lin Certificate: Molecular Epidemiology Organization: Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health Location: On Campus Description: I analyzed data to determine the association between rice preparation methods and urinary arsenic levels. After getting the analysis results, I designed infographics, including graphs and general recommendations from the analysis results, which are easier for participants to understand.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: Talking to several professors during the weekly meeting.

31

Practicum Portraits: MPH Brooke Lovett

Rocky (Raquel) Mack

Certificate: History, Ethics and Law Organization: APTIM Location: Baton Rouge, NYC, D.C., Dallas Description: I wrote technical approaches to request for proposals (RFPs) to bid for new business opportunities. I authored a public health blog series on the importance environmental health, climate change, radon, and heat resilience cities. I was deployed to Louisiana for two weeks to the GOHSEP Hurricane Ida Non-Congregate Housing Project to gain hands-on field work in disaster management and community involvement. I visited Fort Belvoir Nuclear Power Plant to do hands-on work with the nuclear decommissioning team and federal partners regarding the safe storage of radioactive materials. I wrote executive summaries for each section of the 2024 Sports Sustainability Index and analyzed individual participants data to provide them with feedback.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: Toured Fort Belvoir Nuclear Power Plant to learn about decommissioning.

Certificate: Environmental Health Policy Organization: NYLCV Location: 30 Broad St. NY 10004 Description: We were responsible for locating test results for lead in drinking water for all NYC and NY-state public schools. We then extracted any test results that were >1.00 ppb. Additionally, we reached out to schools where the data was inaccessible. We are also included in recent policy and advocacy discussions regarding lead in drinking water.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: My favorite this I did for fun this summer was dress up in a lead pipe costume and attend a hearing in NYC for work!

32

Practicum Portraits: MPH Eva Neumann Certificate: Toxicology Organization: ICF Location: Remote Description: I support systematic literature reviews that identify environmental exposure relationships with health outcomes for public sector clients. I assist with projects at various phases, including full text screening and data extraction.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: Traveled around California

Jordyn Pykon Certificate: Climate and Health Organization: The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and The Fund for Public Health Location: 125th Worth Street, NY Description: My primary responsibility was interviewing mobile food vendors and commissary operators about their sanitation practices and business operations. I also interviewed restaurants that have been implicated in foodborne illness outbreaks for the CDC's National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS). In addition, I create survey instruments, write a manuscript focused on commissary rules in other jurisdictions, and write food safety stories for the NYC Environment and Health Data Portal.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: My favorite thing I did this summer for fun was going to a jazz club.

33

Practicum Portraits: MPH Matthew Ramey Certificate: Toxicology Organization: Kleiman Laboratory Location: Washington Heights, NY Description: I am assessing the health hazards associated with far-UVC exposure, a wavelength of radiation capable of inactivating airborne viruses. To do so, I monitor the eye function and composition in murine models using a variety of assays. Additionally, I will be starting a study focusing on human eyes in the near future.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: Using my newfound free time to explore skateparks in New York City!

Marilyn Santo Certificate: Health Policy and Practice Organization: Dr. Ana Navas-Acien Location: Mailman School of Public Health Description: My practicum is based on blood DNA methylation data on the strong heart study involving the Native American population. My work involves research, reading research articles, and R coding.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: Walking outside and occasionally going out into the city.

34

Practicum Portraits: MPH Naomi Simon-Kumar Certificate: Applied Biostatistics and Public Health Data Science Organization: mistEO Location: Kerala, India Description: For my practicum at mistEO, I conducted a scoping review on climate and health risk assessment frameworks: cataloguing the various frameworks described in the literature for assessing climate and health risks and impacts, in addition to identifying the relevant indicators and metrics used across selected frameworks. Additionally, I prepared a market analysis brief examining global trends in climate and health financing and existing climate and health risk assessment tools. These deliverables supported mistEO's project to create an AI-driven digital platform for climate health risk assessment.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: Trekking in the Canadian Rockies with my family!

Deepshika Verma

Certificate: Environmental Health Policy Organization: Coffee Elf Inc. Location: New York, NY Description: I got to do market analysis on sustainable personal care products to determine the value in the market for new launches. I also designed both a sustainable marketing plan and report for B2B investors.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: My cousin's big fat Indian wedding was one of my summer highlights!

35

Practicum Portraits: MPH Audrey (Zhiyu) Wei Certificate: Applied Biostatistics and Public Health Data Science Organization: University of Washington Location: Remote Description: Digitizing maps for health data across all counties in the United States. Update and upload shapefiles of digitized county maps to an online coding work bench.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: I went to Japan and had a wonderful 8-day trip.

William (Mingye) Xie Certificate: Applied Biostatistics and Public Health Data Science Organization: Waterfront Plan Location: Bronx, NY Description: I am responsible for data collection in different neighborhoods green space conditions and compared to Bronx. I made health assessments based on the data.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: Walk through the Bronx community and on field works.

36

Practicum Portraits: MPH Carina Yiu Certificate: Food Systems Organization: EWG Location: Remote Description: I conducted research pertaining to current critical issues in food systems. I looked into food brands making false claims about their environmental impact and new food chemicals entering the market and bypassing FDA regulation through the GRAS loophole.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: Travel

Janna Zilkha

Certificate: Toxicology Organization: NYC DOHMH, and Columbia MSPH Location: New York, NY (for both) Description: At the DOHMH, I have had the privilege of working to improve the agency's and city's understanding of the latest information related to indoor air quality interventions. This has included contributing to updated "Guidelines on Indoor Mold Growth Assessment and Remediation", which will be published later this year. I am looking forward to continuing this work as an intern through the fall! As a research assistant in the Kleiman Lab, I have been given the opportunity to conduct metal analyses in hair from sea lions. By comparing samples from different healthy and sick populations, we are hoping to use this data as clues to identify specific potential adverse health risks. I am continuing this project into the fall and will work with partnering labs to develop a manuscript.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: I went to Illinois for the Fourth of July!

37

Practicum Portraits: MS Gajapriya Gajapathi Track: Toxicology Organization: The Trustees of Columbia University In City of New York Location: Columbia Mailman School Description: Soil and water sample preparation for arsenic analysis, quantification of arsenic using XRay Fluorescence at Lamont, interpreted and reported soil arsenic data to plan further remediation strategies.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: Exploring New York

Ananda Kimm-Drapeau Track: Toxicology Organization: Weill Cornell Medicine Location: New York, NY Description: I have the honor of working closely with all Principal Investigators in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension on cutting-edge translational studies focused on further understanding and optimizing kidney transplant outcomes. My primary responsibilities include screening and enrolling patients; managing patient research visits; collecting biospecimens from patients; creating patient education materials; gathering and analyzing clinical and patientreported data; writing regulatory applications; and developing protocol SOPs. Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: I took up a new hobby: bouldering!

38

Practicum Portraits: MS Sarah Manderbach Track: Toxicology Organization: Professor Norman Kleiman Location: Remote from Pennsylvania Description: I produced a thesis report on my findings with my research on radon concentrations and climate change in Pennsylvania. I developed a PowerPoint presentation on my findings for my peers.

Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: I went to the Adirondacks with my friends and visited Tupper Lake!

Karen Ni Track: Toxicology Organization: Columbia University Location: William Black Building Description: I tested a collection of urine samples from a large cohort study to determine selenium speciation. All urine samples were tested using HPLC-ICP-MS. Favorite thing you did for fun last summer: Went to a concert in Boston with friends.

39

Spotlights: PrIMER Isaac Mullings Isaac was awarded full funding for a Fulbright research grant to pursue work on Peripheral Neuropathy in Ghana.

“Thank you for the support and love you all have shown, and I can't wait to take every one of you along the journey to becoming a Physician researcher.”

Z'Dhanne Williams Z’Dhanne recently signed a contract with the National Institutes of Health - National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to participate in PrIMER for the past 2 years. I couldn't have accomplished this without the guidance and support of Allison and the other mentors in the program. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to continue establishing my career as a clinician-scientist.”

40

PrIMER Trainees

Grace Cammarata Faculty Mentor: Julie Herbstman

Home Institution: New York University

Project: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: Returning Exposure Results to the Washington Heights & South Bronx Communities Located at the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH), my research project consists of two interrelated components: 1) the report of individual exposure results to study participants; and 2) the report of aggregate exposure results to the broader community.

The first component of my research is the report back of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure results to Washington Heights and South Bronx-based study participants. PAHs are a group of over 1,000 chemicals that act as environmental pollutants and have been associated with unhealthy birth outcomes, respiratory and neurodevelopmental outcomes, and cancer. Study participants include members of the Fair Start Cohort at CCCEH, which was created to understand the impact of prenatal and early life environmental exposures among mother-child dyads living in urban environments. These participants were a part of a longitudinal study in which they wore a silicon wristband for 48 hours during their third trimester of pregnancy.

Through lab analysis at Oregon State University (OSU), these wristbands detect up to 63 PAHs.

Community outreach is the second component of my research experience. To further disseminate the results of CCCEH studies, I engaged in conversations on PAHs and air pollution reduction strategies with members of the greater Washington Heights community. At the center of both reporting back research results and disseminating research to community members, lies prioritizing the translation of Environmental Health data to approachable, ethical, and culturally sensitive information and recommendations. This translation is essential to research acting as a form of advocacy and, specifically, Environmental Health research increasing environmental justice.

41

PrIMER Trainees

Claudia Dabie Faculty Mentor: Brandon Pearson

Home Institution: Fordham University

Project: Investigating Neurotoxic Effects of Chronic Uranium Exposure Since the summer of 2023, I have been working on Columbia University's Superfund project, focusing on the validation of immunohistochemical markers related to brain toxicity. Our project initially explored the impact of chronic drinking water exposure to metals like arsenic and uranium on neurological health in mice. These hazardous metals, prevalent in rural areas of the U.S. Northern Plains and Indigenous communities, are known to contribute to cardiovascular diseases and are suspected neurotoxins. Building on our earlier findings, our current research has expanded to investigate the neurotoxic effects of chronic uranium exposure. In addition to using mouse models, we are now incorporating Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a secondary model system. This approach allows us to assess uranium’s impact on neuronal health and cognitive function more comprehensively. Our hypothesis is that even low doses of uranium will adversely affect synapse development, increase neuroinflammation, DNA damage, and oxidative stress in the brain, and potentially impair body growth. C. elegans, with its short lifespan and well-characterized biology, serves as a valuable tool for measuring toxicity and evaluating neurological endpoints.

The aim of this research is to deliver a thorough and sensitive assessment of uranium's neurotoxic effects, with implications for understanding and addressing community health concerns in vulnerable populations. By combining insights from both mouse models and C. elegans, we seek to generate crucial data that will inform intervention strategies and enhance our understanding of metal-induced neurotoxicity.

42

PrIMER Trainees

Sheldon Garrick Faculty Mentor: Norman Kleiman

Home Institution: Fordham University

Project: Assessing the Mutagenic Potential of 222nm Far-UVC Using the Ames Test

Studies have established that 222nm far-UVC light is an effective antimicrobial technology against airborne pathogenic microbes in occupied indoor spaces. Lingering safety concerns remain, and therefore, it is essential to understand the mutagenic potential of far-UVC before establishing widespread use in healthcare and public settings. My project will determine the mutagenic dose response to 222 nm far-UVC light in bacteria (Salmonella typhimurium) using a form of the Ames assay. This information will better inform scientists and policymakers as they evaluate the risk-toreward ratio of using this new technology.

43

PrIMER Trainees

Edgar Gracia Faculty Mentor: Anirban Basu

Home Institution: New York University

Project: Mapping Uranium (U) Movement in San Luis Valley Groundwater Using 'Isoscapes’ Uranium (U) represents an often-overlooked contaminant within US public drinking water systems, with 63.1% of records from US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show detectable U, while average U concentration of 2.1% of community water exceed the EPA’s maximum contamination limit. In response to this issue, my research focuses on understanding the background redox processes within aquifers which governs the release and removal of uranium, and to track the evolution of uranium concentrations around private wells and ultimately identify safe zones within the aquifers of San Luis Valley.

44

PrIMER Trainees

Ria Mahju Faculty Mentor: Howie (Haotian) Wu Home Institution: Rutgers University

Project: Investigating the effects of Creatine Supplementation on the Metabolome

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound in the body, playing a vital role in energy production, particularly within muscle tissue and during high-intensity activities. It is also a common supplement used to increase muscle mass and exercise performance.

However, the effects of creatine supplementation on the metabolome remains unknown. Our project aimed to explore how creatine supplementation influences the metabolome and the associated metabolic pathways. I analyzed data from a controlled clinical trial, where creatine supplementation was introduced to a previously nonsupplementing population. Under the guidance of Dr. Haotian Wu, I analyzed how supplement dosage and duration affected metabolite concentrations using multivariable regression models and other statistical methods to enhance our understanding of creatine metabolism and its broader health implications.

45

PrIMER Trainees

Daysi Martinez Faculty Mentor: Kathrin Schilling

Home Institution: Fordham University

Project: Menstrual Cycle-Related Vaginal pH Variations on Metal Leaching from Tampons Previous research has identified a wide range of metals in tampons, including toxic metals such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium, which are known to have harmful health effects. Since these metals can be absorbed directly through the vaginal canal into the bloodstream—bypassing first-pass metabolism by the liver—their presence is a significant health concern. In this study, we investigated how variations in vaginal pH throughout the menstrual cycle influence the leaching of these metals from tampons. By understanding under which pH, metals are more likely to be released, we aim to assess the potential risks to users and improve the safety of menstrual products.

46

PrIMER Trainees

Manuela Montoya Faculty Mentor: Marcela Tamayo y Ortiz Home Institution: Hunter College

Project: Bridging Science to Community: Reporting and Advising Back to Participants This research project focused on reporting findings back to participants in a rural community in Guanajuato, Mexico, where water sources are heavily contaminated with fluoride and arsenic. The study included a pilot assessment of the health impact on children by measuring toxic metals in their water and urine, and examining biomarkers related to kidney health.

The project aimed to bridge scientific findings with community awareness, emphasizing the importance of effective communication strategies to make scientific data accessible and actionable for non-expert audiences. It also focused on engaging the community in understanding health risks and promoting practical measures to reduce exposure to contaminants. The challenges of conducting research in resource-limited settings were highlighted, along with the need for comprehensive interventions and sustained community education efforts to improve water quality and public health.

47

Letter from SEA Dear EHS Family,

We would like to thank everyone for joining us at our events thus far. We loved meeting you all at our General Body Meeting and the recent trip to the New York Botanical Gardens (NYBG)! We are looking forward to our upcoming Fall 2024 Sea of Thoughts event.

As the 2024 SEA E-Board comes to a close, we would like to share our thoughts on our favorite aspects of being a part of the club this year!

President - Janna Zilkha (she/her)

It was so amazing to get to know the rest of the board as well as our amazing club members. Being involved in SEA has been a fun addition to my time at Mailman and I will cherish these memories! Can’t wait for SEA of Thoughts later this semester and looking forward to seeing what events the new board hosts in the Spring!!

VP Community Outreach - Krishna Arun (she/her)

SEA has been a lovely part of my Mailman experience, and I am so grateful to have been part of such a wonderful community of people. Planning and running our events have been a meaningful way to stay involved on campus. I’m excited to continue meeting students through our last couple of events and I’ll miss this exec group dearly as we transition out of these roles. I can’t wait to chat with everyone at our last SEA of thoughts!

VP Finance - Rocky Mack (she/her)

I was so grateful to be on SEA's board this year and had the opportunity to build strong connections with my fellow board members. Meeting many of you at our General Body Meeting was a great time to catch up and talk about the exciting events planned for this semester. Be sure to join us for our upcoming SEA of Thoughts event to explore environmental topics—and snag some SWAG!

VP Communications - Catalina Ferreira-Dias (she/they)

Being a part of SEA’s E-board was one of the best experiences I had at Mailman. Getting to know the rest of the board and having conversations with members was very rewarding. Looking forward to seeing you at our last couple events this semester!

Shout out to Nina and Brandy for helping make this semester's events a reality and supporting the club as we transition into the spring.

Love,

Your SEA E-Board (Janna, Catalina, Rocky, and Krishna) Follow us on social media and campus groups to stay up to date on future events!

Instagram: @seacolumbia Campus groups: Students for Environmental Action on Campus groups

48

Memories: Garden Party

49

Memories: PrIMER Lunch & P30 Retreat

50

Memories: PrIMER Presentations

51

Memories: APEx Presentations

52

Memories: Faculty Dinner

53

Memories: Chili Cook-Off

54

Travel Fund: Recipients Tess Bloomquist, PhD Candidate “Tess is so thankful for the opportunity to have attended ISEE this year! She presented on gestational phthalate exposure and mitochondrial DNA copy number. She left the meeting excited about many new ideas.”

Ilan Cerna-Turoff, Post Doc “Dr. Ilan Cerna-Turoff attended the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) Conference in Santiago, Chile from August 25-28, 20242024, and gave an oral presentation on research conducted with Dr. Annie Nigra's lab. Ilan described analysis of regulatory changes to drinking water arsenic levels and adverse birth outcomes for the state of California, using a quasiexperimental design. In addition, he co-chaired a panel on drinking water and health. “

Alana Ferris, PhD Candidate “I had the opportunity to attend ISEE 2024 in Santiago, Chile in August thanks to the EHS Travel Fund. I presented work examining the utility of silicone wristbands as an exposure assessment tool for phthalates and compared wristbands to urinary biomarkers leveraging the Fair Start cohort at Columbia's Children's Center. It was wonderful to learn about the cutting-edge research being conducted in the field of environmental health and to have the opportunity to connect with other trainees and scientists in the field.”

55

Travel Fund: Recipients Sharon Kulali, PhD Student “I attended the Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology in Santiago, Chile, this past August. It was a highlight of my year, offering the opportunity to engage with ongoing research in environmental epidemiology and connect with experts and peers from around the world. In addition to the conference, I thoroughly enjoyed exploring Chile's culture, tasting local cuisine, and discovering the beauty of the country. The experience was both academically enriching and personally rewarding.”

Danielle Medgyesi, PhD Candidate

56

“It was an absolute pleasure to join as a participant and presenter at the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology 2024 annual conference in Santiago, Chile. The conference kicked off with a captivating presentation by Dr. Ricardo Rozzi, a Chilean philosopher, on the Ethics of Cohabitation. For me, it was one of the most impactful talks, as it highlighted how our environmental research relates to the broader context of humanity's interconnectedness with nature, and what it means to be ethical caretakers of this earth. It was also a great privilege to be part of a drinking water session in which I shared our study results on community water uranium and arsenic and chronic kidney disease risk. Best of all, it was a wonderful opportunity to see collaborators at other organizations, including my previous mentors Drs. Rena Jones and Mary Ward from the National Cancer Institute. Thank you to the EHS department for supporting these types of opportunities!”

Travel Fund: Recipients Grace Santos, PhD Student “This summer I attended ISEE in Santiago, Chile with the EHS travel fund. I presented a poster on my first semester research rotation work with Robbie Parks on associations between ADRD-related mortality and climate vulnerability. I attended many informational sessions about maternal and child health, metals exposures, community-based research and more. I learned about different career fields I can pursue after completing my doctoral research degree and had a wonderful time exploring Chile!”

Marisa Sobel, PhD Candidate “At the end of the summer, I had the privilege to travel to Santiago, Chile for the 2024 International Society of Environmental Epidemiology. I presented our work describing differences in metal exposure in the MESA cohort during a metals-focused session on the last day. At the conference I was able to reconnect with friends and colleagues from my years at Columbia and network with like-minded folks in the field. It was a lovely bonus to spend the morning after the conference with my PhD cohort exploring the beautiful city.”

57

Travel Fund: Recipients Allison Stewart, PhD Student “I really enjoyed attending ISEE in Chile. It was great spending time with other students and faculty from EHS and I was able to present at a conference for the first time, which was very rewarding. Santiago was a beautiful backdrop for the conference.”

Jiyeon Suh, Post Doc “Attending the SMB 2024 in Seoul with the support of the EHS travel fund was a valuable experience that enabled me to present my research and engage with experts in the field.”

58

Skills for Health and Research Professionals (SHARP) Join us on January 9-10, 2025 for the PI Crash Course: Skills for Future or New Lab Leaders! Gain exposure to fundamental leadership and management skills and tools needed for success in your lab in this livestream, online training.

Meet Our New Director Timur Pakay joined the SHARP team as Director of the program in August. He comes to us from Columbia Law School where he was Director of the Reuben Mark Initiative for Organizational Character and Leadership and Director of the JD/MBA Program. Before his experience at the Law School, Timur worked with Columbia Engineering where he was instrumental in growing a wide portfolio of executive education and non-degree programs, and helped develop a hybrid AI executive certificate program. Timur is excited to continue to evolve this program to bring even more value to SHARP attendees.

2024 Recap

30 Training Topics

120+ Instructors

850+ Attendees

In-Person & Online

Thank you to all the EHS faculty members, researchers, staff, and students involved. Your effort has been instrumental in the success of the SHARP program!

EHS Training Directors, Session Leaders, and Panelists: Joel Capellan, Joan Casey, Julie Herbstman, Vrinda Kalia, Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou, Norman Kleiman, Allison Kupsco, Yunjia Lai, Gary Miller, Robbie Parks, Frederica Perera, Matthew Perzanowski, Sen Pei, Jeremy Porter, Diane Re, Randolph Singh, Cecilia Sorensen, Lewis Ziska, Ami Zota Scholarship Committee: Anne Nigra, Brandon Pearson, Diane Re Staff: Meaghan Doherty, Nader Elmehdawi, Fernando Luque, Timur Pakay, Erica Tyler Student Assistants: Abdullah Hassan, Spencer Rudy, Emma Seguljic Workshop Fellows: Tess Bloomquist, Kathryn Burford, Tanya Butt, Danielly De Paivas, Jocelyn Dicent, Vivian Do, Alana Ferris, Abigail Gaylord, Carolyn Gigot, Sharon Kulali, Christine Kuryla, Wending Li, Wil Lieberman-Cribbin, Catherine Lucey, Irene Martinez Morata, Danielle Medgyesi, Kevin Patterson, Grace Santos, Eva Siegel, Marisa Sobel, Allison Stewart, Millie Tung Administrative Changes: Mary McPoland and Abby Welbourn are no longer with the program, but their commitment to SHARP is deeply appreciated and we wish them all the best!

Looking Forward to Summer 2025 Explore our trainings and join our email list to be the first to know our Summer 2025 training dates.

EHS Doctoral Students and Postdocs: Become a Workshop Fellow Workshop Fellow opportunities are available for many trainings. Assist with a training and attend a training of your choice at no cost! More details will be available in the coming months.

59

Superfund Research Program Dr. Christian Dye Dr. Dye is an SRP trainee who was recently awarded a K99 for his project “The epigenetic basis of socioeconomic determinants of cardiometabolic health in American Indians.” His conceptual model explains how many socioeconomic factors impact cardiometabolic health.

Goldschmidt 2024 Conference Various Columbia SRP trainees were in attendance (Arijeet Mitra, Kevin Patterson, Adelina Rolea) along with SRP Project 2 coPI's Kathrin Schilling and Anirban Basu.

Practical Climate Action for Caribbean Health Professionals: A How-To Series After successfully training over 500 health professionals from the Caribbean in the Climate and Health Responders course last spring, GCCHE launched a "How-To Series." The next session, on October 16, 2024, will focus on Climate Communication with Patients.

This webinar will cover integrating climate-related counseling into clinical practice, including during screenings, history taking, condition management, and aftercare planning. CME/CPD credits will be available for professionals from the region.

60

Center for Children’s Environmental Health

ECHO Study Milestone - In recognition of the ECHO team's success, the Center hosted the ECHO 400 Milestone Celebration.

The Center has been buzzing with study visits the last few months since we secured funding from the National Institutes of Health, NIHS, for the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. ECHO combines observational and intervention research to answer big questions about how influences on early human development— even before conception—affect us throughout our lives and across generations.

This July we celebrated the enrollment of over 400 new study participants by the Center's ECHO Research team. As of October, we have enrolled 742 individuals in the study - we are well on our way to meeting our research recruitment goals. The success is due to the perseverance, dedication and finesse of a great research team.

61

Publications Please check out some of the amazing work being published by our community! These publications are listed in chronological order, by initial publication. Faculty, students, and staff names are bolded: Chung, M. K., House, J. S., Akhtari, F. S., Makris, K. C., Langston, M. A., Islam, K. T., Holmes, P., Chadeau-Hyam, M., Smirnov, A. I., Du, X., Thessen, A. E., Cui, Y., Zhang, K., Manrai, A. K., Motsinger-Reif, A., Patel, C. J., & Members of the Exposomics Consortium. (2024). Decoding the exposome: data science methodologies and implications in exposome-wide association studies (ExWASs). Exposome, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/exposome/osae001

Berberian, A. G., Perera, F., Arunachalam, S., Levy, J. I., Buckley, L., Arter, C., Coomes, K. E., & Buonocore, J. J. (2024). Children’s health impacts from a proposed decarbonization policy in the transportation sector in the Eastern United States.

Environmental Research Letters, 19(4), 044001. https://doi.org/10.1088/17489326/ad2e73 Zhao, Y., Lai, Y., Konijnenberg, H., Huerta, J. M., Vinagre-Aragon, A., Sabin, J. A., Hansen, J., Petrova, D., Sacerdote, C., Zamora-Ros, R., Pala, V., Heath, A. K., Panico, S., Guevara, M., Masala, G., Lill, C. M., Miller, G. W., Peters, S., & Vermeulen, R. (2024). Association of Coffee Consumption and Prediagnostic Caffeine Metabolites With Incident Parkinson Disease in a Population-Based Cohort. Neurology, 102(8), e209201. https://doi.org/doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000209201 Wright, R. O., Makris, K. C., Natsiavas, P., Fennell, T., Rushing, B. R., Wilson, A., & Members of the Exposomics Consortium. (2024). A long and winding road: culture change on data sharing in exposomics. Exposome, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/exposome/osae004 Tore, G., Green, J. G., Noguchi, J., Echevarría-Ramos, M., Peters, J. L., Levy, J. I., Botana Martinez, M. P., & Ceballos, D. M. (2024). Development and evaluation of two educational sessions on take-home lead exposure prevention for construction workers and their families. Annals of Work Exposures and Health, 68(7), 702-712. https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxae047 Shearston, J. A., Upson, K., Gordon, M., Do, V., Balac, O., Nguyen, K., Yan, B., Kioumourtzoglou, M. A., & Schilling, K. (2024). Tampons as a source of exposure to metal(loid)s. Environment International, 190, 108849. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2024.108849

62

Publications Patterson, K. P., Nigra, A. E., Olmedo, P., Grau-Perez, M., O’Leary, R., O’Leary, M., Fretts, A. M., Umans, J. G., Best, L. G., Goessler, W., Cole, S. A., & Navas-Acien, A. (2024).

Geographic and dietary differences of urinary uranium levels in the Strong Heart Family Study. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-024-00695-6 Lai, Y., Koelmel, J. P., Walker, D. I., Price, E. J., Papazian, S., Manz, K. E., CastillaFernández, D., Bowden, J. A., Nikiforov, V., David, A., Bessonneau, V., Amer, B., Seethapathy, S., Hu, X., Lin, E. Z., Jbebli, A., McNeil, B. R., Barupal, D., Cerasa, M., Xie, H., Kalia, V., Nandakumar, R., Singh, R., Tian, Z., Gao, P., Zhao, Y., Froment, J., Rostkowski, P., Dubey, S., Coufalíková, K., Seličová, H., Hecht, H., Liu, S., Udhani, H. H., Restituito, S., Tchou-Wong, K.-M., Lu, K., Martin, J. W., Warth, B., Godri Pollitt, K. J., Klánová, J., Fiehn, O., Metz, T. O., Pennell, K. D., Jones, D. P., & Miller, G. W. (2024). HighResolution Mass Spectrometry for Human Exposomics: Expanding Chemical Space Coverage. Environmental Science & Technology, 58(29), 12784-12822. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c01156 Hua, X., Zhou, H., Wu, H. C., Furnari, J., Kotidis, C. P., Rabadan, R., Genkinger, J. M., Bruce, J. N., Canoll, P., Santella, R. M., & Zhang, Z. (2024). Tumor detection by analysis of both symmetric- and hemi-methylation of plasma cell-free DNA. Nature Communications, 15(1), 6113. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50471-1 Martinez-Morata, I., Schilling, K., Glabonjat, R. A., Domingo-Relloso, A., Mayer, M., McGraw, K. E., Galvez Fernandez, M., Sanchez, T. R., Nigra, A. E., Kaufman, J. D., Vaidya, D., Jones, M. R., Bancks, M. P., Barr, R. G., Shimbo, D., Post, W. S., Valeri, L., Shea, S., & Navas-Acien, A. (2024). Association of Urinary Metals With Cardiovascular Disease Incidence and All-Cause Mortality in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Circulation, 150(10), 758-769. https://doi.org/doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.069414 Lai, Y., Ay, M., Hospital, C. D., Miller, G. W., & Sarkar, S. (2024). Seminar: Functional Exposomics and Mechanisms of Toxicity—Insights from Model Systems and NAMs. Environmental Health Perspectives, 132(9), 094201. https://doi.org/doi:10.1289/EHP13120 Sorensen, C., Barboza, C., Berry, P., Buss, D., Campbell, H., Hadley, K., Hamacher, N., Magalhaes, D., Mantilla, G., Mendez, A., Polson-Edwards, K., Stewart-Ibarra, A., & Torres, I. (2024). Pan American climate resilient health systems: a training course for health professionals. Rev Panam Salud Publica, 48, e83. https://doi.org/10.26633/rpsp.2024.83

63

Publications McGraw, K. E., Schilling, K., Glabonjat, R. A., Galvez-Fernandez, M., Domingo-Relloso, A., Martinez-Morata, I., Jones, M. R., Nigra, A., Post, W. S., Kaufman, J., Tellez-Plaza, M., Valeri, L., Brown, E. R., Kronmal, R. A., Barr, R. G., Shea, S., Navas-Acien, A., & Sanchez, T. R. (2024). Urinary Metal Levels and Coronary Artery Calcification: Longitudinal Evidence in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 84(16), 1545-1557. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2024.07.020 Perera, F. (2024). Policies to curb fossil fuel pollution and mitigate climate change benefit child and adult health and the economy, but assessments can do better.

Environmental Research Letters, 19(11), 111007. https://doi.org/10.1088/17489326/ad7d20 Fandiño-Del-Rio, M., Tore, G., Peng, R. D., Meeker, J. D., Matsui, E. C., & Quirós-Alcalá, L. (2024). Characterization of pesticide exposures and their associations with asthma morbidity in a predominantly low-income urban pediatric cohort in Baltimore City.

Environmental Research, 263, 120096. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.120096 Wu, H. C., Lai, Y., Liao, Y., Deyssenroth, M., Miller, G. W., Santella, R. M., & Terry, M. B. (2024). Plasma metabolomics profiles and breast cancer risk. Breast Cancer Research, 26(1), 141. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13058-024-01896-5 Gad, L., Keenan, O. J., Ancker, J. S., Unruh, M. A., Jung, H. Y., Demetres, M. R., & Ghosh, A. K. (2024). Impact of Extreme Weather Events on Health Outcomes of Nursing Home Residents Receiving Post-Acute Care and Long-Term Care: A Scoping Review. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 25(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2024.105230 •

64

We enjoy sharing news about our EHS Family with the community and we want to hear from you!

Please send us information about your accomplishments, awards, presentations, publications, pictures, and any noteworthy EHS updates you’d like to share.

Email Nina Kulacki at njk2128@columbia.edu with your submissions.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Be well and keep in touch!

65