The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) welcomes a new permanent Director and Chief of the Hazardous Substances Research Branch, Michelle Heacock, Ph.D. Heacock oversees SRP grants that cover exposures to hazardous substances, detection technologies, and remediation approaches.

The SRP Annual Grant Recipient Meeting, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Dec. 4-6, was hosted in collaboration with the University of New Mexico (UNM) SRP Center. Grant recipients and trainees gave important updates on SRP-supported research and how utilizing team science and engaging with community members can accelerate scientific discovery.

SRP hosted a Risk e-Learning webinar series focused on research efforts to develop tools for sampling, monitoring, detecting, and characterizing PFAS contamination. Archives for all three sessions are available on the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency's CLU-IN Training and Events Page:

• Session I - Novel Analytical Chemistry Approaches for PFAS
• Session II - PFAS Sources and Mapping
• Session III - PFAS Reference Materials, Libraries, and Passive Sampling

SRP Health Scientist Administrator Heather Henry, Ph.D., contributed to a commentary about opportunities and challenges for deploying sensor technologies following environmental disasters. Sharon Croissant, Ph.D., of the Baylor College of Medicine SRP Center; Erin Haynes, Ph.D., of the University of Kentucky SRP Center; and Jennifer Horney, Ph.D., of the Texas A&M University SRP Center, as well as other NIEHS staff, co-authored the commentary.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University (NCSU), and Duke University SRP centers hosted the North Carolina Fish Forum Oct. 25. The forum, composed of academic, government, and public stakeholders, focused on protecting communities who rely on fishing from potential contaminants. The purpose of the forum was to get input from the community about new fish consumption advisories.

Henry served on the steering committee for the fall Federal Remediation Technology Roundtable meeting, highlighting technologies to characterize PFAS. Roundtable discussions explored current best practices for PFAS site characterization, emerging technologies and methods, case studies, and current agency needs for technology transfer and future research.

Louisiana State University (LSU) and the LSU SRP Center team hosted the 2023 Pacific Basin Consortium for Environment and Health Focus Meeting, held October 30-31, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Scientists, engineers, policymakers, industry representatives, government officials, and trainees came together at the meeting, to propose and promote solutions for emerging global health issues, such as pandemics. SRP Health Specialist Brittany Trottier attended.

Monica D. Ramirez-Andreotta, Ph.D., at the University of Arizona SRP Center was featured in a Partnerships for Environmental Health podcast. She described her participatory research to address community concerns about contaminants in their gardens.

Jennifer Richmond-Bryant, Ph.D., an associate professor at NCSU and project leader with the LSU SRP Center, was featured in an NIEHS Grantee Highlight. Bryant discussed her research on the effects of air quality on human health.