July 2020: News and Updates
A monthly newsletter from the Center of Human Health and the Environment
2020 CHHE OUTSTANDING MEMBER AWARD

Please join me in congratulating Drs.  Michael Bereman  and  Mike Cowley  for being selected to receive the  2020 Center for Human Health and Environment Outstanding Member Award . This award is given in recognition of their outstanding contributions to environmental health science and the Center.

Dr. Bereman’s work is focused on underlying mechanisms of etiology of ALS and the development of innovative and quantitative analytical methodologies. He has been a leader of the proteomics initiative within the CHHE since his arrival in 2013 and this has grown under his leadership to a more advanced Systems Technologies Core and partnership with METRIC.

Dr. Cowley’s work is aimed at understanding how the developmental environment can program susceptibility to metabolic disease later in life through modulating imprinted gene activity early in life. He has advanced the stature of the Center through his research and through his role as Co-leader of CHHE's Environmental Epigenetics and Genetics Research Interest Group and participation in the High School Teacher’s Summer Program and community engagement .
 
Their names will be engraved on the CHHE Outstanding Member Plaque located in the CHHE suite. Under normal circumstances these awards would be announced face-to-face at our CHHE min-retreat, however, we have no idea when this would be possible! Congrats to Michael and Mike!
Highlighted Story

Natalie Cataldo (ECU student) had a life changing experience participating during our first GenX Exposure Study data collection in Wilmington, NC in November (2017). On the car ride back to Greenville, after the data collection weekend, she and another ECU MPH student decided to complete a dual MPH-MSEH (Masters of Science in Environmental Health). The publication below is Natalie’s thesis for her MSEH degree, which was published this month in the Journal of Medical Entomology. Natalie is currently working for the Craven County Health Department as an Environmental Health Specialist.
Kudos
Congratulations to Michael Cowley for being awarded an NIEHS R01 entitled "The Imprinted Gene Network in the Programming of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by Early Life Cadmium Exposure".
Co-I's: Scott Belcher and Anna Mae Diehl(Duke)
4/2020 to 3/2025 ($ 1,584,395)

Congratulation to Beth Lucas for being awarded an NIMH R01 entitiled "A Sex-specific Circuit for Emotional Memory"
6/2020 to 3/2025 ($1,886,786)

Wilfred Lopez Perez, student of Jun Ninomiya-Tsuji, received an NIH Predoctoral NRSA (F31). This prestigious award for students that have advanced to PhD candidacy, supports graduate student-proposed research and mentorship projects for 2-3 years. Congratulations, Wilfred!

Congratulation to Emilie Rissman for being the 2020 Recipient  of the Daniel S. Lehrman Lifetime Achievement Award in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology   
We want your good news! Please send it to Jackie Broughton or Jane Hoppin.
V ijay Sivaraman got promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure at NCCU. Congratulations!

Nadine Kotlarz is highlighted in the N&O.
Read more here . Way to go!

GenX Exposure Study hosted a virtual community meeting in Fayetteville.
Go here for more!

We say good bye to Kym Gowdy who accepted a faculty position at Ohio State in April. Congratulations, we will miss you!
Community Engagement
The CEC will be releasing a call for proposals to the Community Grant Program later this month. Please share the information with any community partners or stakeholders who may be interested. For more information on the program,  click here . 
Interest Groups News
 Environmental Epigenetics and Genetics Interest Group
Leaders:   David Aylor   and  Mike Cowley
This group will build a community of faculty, staff and students interested in the mechanisms and consequences of interactions between the environment and the epigenome. We will discuss current trends, exchange ideas, share technical knowledge, and foster collaborations with the goal of addressing outstanding questions in the field.

Behavior and Neuroscience Interest Group
Leader:   Emilie Rissman
This group will focus on research examining the influences of the environment on issues in Neuroscience. Examples of the environment include sensory, diet, behaviors, neurotoxicants, etc. Goals include increasing research collaborations, grant submissions, enhancing trainee presentation skills and our presence at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.


Pulmonary Interest Group
Leader:  Vijay Sivaraman
This group will work to establish collaborations between basic and translational scientists and clinicians that are interested in understanding mechanisms behind environmental exposures and lung diseases. We will hold meetings at both NCSU and ECU to facilitate exchange of ideas and expertise that will result in interdisciplinary groups that can apply for external funding opportunities.

Emerging Contaminants Interest Group
Leader: Jane Hoppin . 
Are you studying PFAS, BMAA, green space, nanoparticles, other emerging topics of interest? If so, think about joining the Emerging Contaminants Research Interest Group. 
Career Development
All investigators but particularly Early Stage Investigators are encouraged to work with the  Career Development Core  in development of their grants. Talk to  Nanette Nascone-Yoder   to set up a chalk talk to help organize ideas for your next proposal.
Reminders 
Remember to cite our  CHHE grant   P30ES025128 in publications if CHHE has provided you services, facility core use, seed/pilot project funds etc. NIH tracks this as an important CHHE metric.
 
CHHE Resources and Facilities Page for NIH Grants  is available on the CHHE   website .
PINS:  Remember when submitting your grants, be sure to select "Center for Human Health and the Environment" as a center in PINS.

CHHE Cited Publications 

Click  here   to check them out!