Environmental Health & Toxicology
The Meharry Environmental Health & Toxicology Hub, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, provides consultation, and training in sampling, analyses, and interpretation of data pertaining to environmental toxicants to the investigators and trainees from Meharry and other collaborating HBCU institutions. In addition to analytical and environmental chemistry, the Hub employs in vitro (sub cellular preparations, cell cultures) and in vivo (animal models) approaches to unravel the chemical behavior and metabolic fate of persistent toixicants in the body. We also use biomarkers (markers of exposure, effect, and susceptibility) to investigate the pathways that underlie environmentally-induced diseases.
To continually enhance and refine technology, the Environmental Health & Toxicology Hub also embarks on method development. The new technologies developed could be integrated into the curriculum to train undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, these technologies could be useful for research purposes (preparing grant applications and manuscripts).
We welcome collaborations from interested faculty. Our major interests are:
• Analyses of Environmental & Biological Samples for Trace Pollutants
• Analytical Method Development & Validation
• Biomarkers in Environmental & Public Health
• Health Disparities in Exposure to Toxicants & Disease Development
Past Performance
Research accomplishments within the school have been funded by federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Science Foundation, and the American Cancer Society.
