Superfund Research Program

This Progress in Research webinar series will showcase federally funded researchers developing curricula and educational programs focused on emergent technologies in the sphere of occupational health and safety. Over the three sessions, awardees will highlight their research projects, accomplishments, and demonstrate research products – included in this group of researchers are SRP’s seven R25 grant recipients. SRP is also pleased to welcome participation from the NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH).

Session I — Friday, April 26th | 1:00 – 3:00 PM ET
The first session will feature three R25 grant recipients from SRP’s portfolio including projects hosted by the City University of New York, Purdue University, and the University of California – Los Angeles. 

City University of New York (CUNY): Brian Pavilonis, Ph.D., and Homero Harari, Sc.D., will plan to discuss the work their grant has facilitated in support of training and research opportunities for industrial hygiene students in New York City. They will also showcase a sensor technology employed in nail salons to monitor indoor hazardous airborne contaminants and the risks posed to nail technicians.

University of California, Los Angeles: Candace Tsai, Ph.D., will discuss how her grant provides professional training through academic curricula, research experiences, and continuing education courses in industrial hygiene and environmental health sciences to graduate students and industrial hygienists in the Southern California region. This presentation will also include several research results accomplished by graduate student trainees in the topics of electronic waste recycling and assessment, 3D printing evaluation, virtual reality applications to firefighters’ workplace and potential biological effects associated with green solvent use as emerging alternatives. Additionally, current progress of UCLA’s training program and emerging technology course will be summarized.

Purdue University: Ellen Wells, Ph.D., will introduce and provide the current status of her NIH R25 Distance Education and Training on Emerging Contaminants and Technologies (DETECT) project, which is a collaboration between faculty at Purdue University, the University of Toledo, and the University of South Florida. Goals of the project are to provide educational resources in the areas of Emerging Contaminants, Emerging Technologies, and Safety Management Systems.

Speakers include:

  • Brian Pavilonis, Ph.D., CUNY & Homero Harari, Sc.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine
  • Ellen Wells, Ph.D., Purdue University
  • Candace Tsai, Ph.D., UCLA
  • Moderator: Danielle Carlin, Ph.D., NIEHS SRP

Session II — Friday, May 3rd | 1:00 – 3:00 PM ET
The second session will feature three R25 grant recipients from SRP’s portfolio including projects hosted by the University of Minnesota, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Michigan. Speakers include:

  • Rachael Jones, Ph.D., UCLA
  • Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
  • Stuart Batterman, Ph.D., University of Michigan & Kermit Davis, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati
  • Moderator: Eric Persaud, Dr.P.H., NIEHS WTP

Session III — Friday, May 17th | 12:00 – 2:00 PM ET
The third session will feature one R25 grant recipient from SRP’s portfolio, hosted by the University of Utah, as well as a grant recipient from WTP and a representative from NIOSH’s Office of Extramural Programs. Speakers include:

  • Cesar Bandera, Ph.D., Cell Podium
  • Darrah Sleeth, Ph.D., University of Utah & Rod Handy, Ph.D., University of Utah
  • Elizabeth Maples, Ph.D., CDC NIOSH
  • Moderator: Sudha Pandalai, M.D., CDC NIOSH