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Your Environment. Your Health.

Centers of Excellence on Environmental Health Disparities Research

The Centers of Excellence on Environmental Health Disparities Research program is a collaborative effort supported by NIEHS, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that encourages basic, biological, clinical, epidemiological, behavioral, and/or social scientific investigations of disease conditions that are known to be a significant burden in low socioeconomic and health disparate populations. The Centers, funded through a P50 grant mechanism, support research efforts, mentoring, capacity building, research translation, and information dissemination, and are designed to address program-specific research priorities.

The boxes below show the primary areas of research of the five EHD Centers along with key questions they are addressing related to health disparities.

workers

Cumulative effects

How do the cumulative effects of exposures to multiple environmental chemical contaminants combine with the effects of social stressors to affect health, and what is the role of genetics and epigenetics in relation to these exposures?

houses in desert

Differential exposures

How are different socioeconomic groups exposed differentially to environmental hazards and what are the drivers for such exposure scenarios?

smokestack

Land use considerations

How do different land uses and land use decision-making processes contribute to environmental health disparities, and what approaches can communities take to reduce these impacts?

built environment

Built environment

How does proximity to transportation infrastructure affect the levels and types of exposures? How does poverty contribute to indoor and outdoor air pollution in residential settings?

environmental sustainability

Environmental sustainability

How do sustainable approaches reduce disproportionate health burdens and build community resilience? How will improvements in environmental health literacy enable a sustainable lifestyle?

people talking

Community engagement in research

How can researchers provide culturally sensitive translation of findings to stakeholders, promote engagement with community members, and build capacity in environmental health literacy and risk prevention?

Program Contacts

NIEHS Program Staff

Claudia Thompson, Ph.D.
Branch Chief, Population Health Branch
P.O. Box 12233
Mail Drop K3-04
Durham, N.C. 27709

Tel 984-287-3330
Fax 919-541-4937
thompso1@niehs.nih.gov

Liam O'Fallon, M.A.
Health Specialist
P.O. Box 12233
Mail Drop K3-12
Durham, N.C. 27709

Tel 984-287-3298
Fax 919-316-4606
ofallon@niehs.nih.gov

NIMHD Program Staff

Nishadi Rajapakse, Ph.D.
NIMHD Program Director
BG 2DEM RM 800
Mail Stop 5465
6707 Democracy Blvd
Bethesda, MD 20817
Tel 301-496-4338
chandima.rajapakse@nih.gov
Michael Sayre, Ph.D.
NIMHD Program Director
BG 2DEM RM 800
Mail Stop 5465
6707 Democracy Blvd
Bethesda, MD 20817
Tel 301-435-0962
sayrem@mail.nih.gov

NIMHD Program Webpage

EPA Program Staff

Maggie Breville, Ph.D.
Project Officer for National Center for Environmental Research
USEPA Headquarters
William Jefferson Clinton Building
Mail Code: 8723P
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
Tel 202-343-9779
breville.maggie@epa.gov
Sylvana Li, Ph.D.
Water, Health, and Innovation Division Director
USEPA Headquarters
William Jefferson Clinton Building
Mail Code: 8725R
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
Tel 202-564-7634
li.sylvana@epa.gov

EPA Program Webpage

NIEHS Grants Management

Lisa A. Edwards
Grants Management Officer, Superfund
Tel 984-287-3258
Fax 301-480-2725
archer@niehs.nih.gov

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