PEPH E-News October 2013

Welcome to the October edition of the PEPH Newsletter!

October is Children's Health Month! Protecting children's health and promoting healthy environments where children live, learn and play is at the core of the PEPH community. In celebration of this month's theme, this issue of the PEPH Newsletter features several stories and resources related to children's environmental health. Read about educational materials developed to enhance pediatricians' awareness about how a child's environment affects their health. Check out EPA's two new resources, a Healthy School Toolkit and a Children's Health Month Calendar, to promote healthy environments for children. Also, read about a study that links a child's built environment and activity level. And just in time for flu season, to which young children are particularly susceptible, the CDC has released new flu vaccination outreach materials aimed at reaching American Indian and Alaskan Native populations.

Do you have an event or announcement to share with the PEPH community? Send us your news for the next issue of the PEPH Newsletter (peph@niehs.nih.gov)!

Educational Modules Help Pediatricians Connect Children's Health and Environment

Getting people to understand the link between their environment and health can be a challenge, especially at the doctor's office. The Community Outreach and Engagement Core (COEC) at the University of Cincinnati Center for Environmental Genetics (CEG) offers online Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) courses to help bridge the gap between pediatricians and nurses and environmental health issues. "Health care providers need to know about environmental triggers to disease and providing this information through CME/CNE is one viable option," said CEG COEC Director, Erin Haynes, Dr.P.H. The "Pediatric Environmental Health" module discusses concepts of pediatric environmental health and describes health effects, like atopic diseases, associated with common environmental exposures. A second module, "Environmental Management of Pediatric Asthma ," provides a scientific overview of various environmental triggers of asthma in children and intervention strategies families can use to control environmental exposures at home. Teaching physicians and nurses how to ask environmental health history questions, such as "Where does your child spend his/her time?" or "What do the adults in the household do for a living?", often leads to answers that make a significant difference in the life of a child, said module author Nicholas Newman, D.O., M.S.

The CEG COEC leveraged funds from NIEHS and the National Environmental Education Foundation to develop and disseminate the modules, which are located on the CEG COEC's Educational Materials webpage.

Windows of Susceptibility for Breast Cancer PEPH Webinar

A key focus of the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program (BCERP) is understanding specific time periods when the developing breast may be more vulnerable to environmental exposures, called "windows of susceptibility." This month's PEPH webinar, "Windows of Susceptibility to Environmental Risks for Breast Cancer - Translating Research Findings," will provide an overview on potential "windows of susceptibility" for breast cancer risk across a woman's lifetime and highlight two examples of how BCERP supported projects are translating research findings. The webinar will be held October 25, 2013 from 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. ET.

EPA/NIEHS Children's Centers Webinar on Leukemia and Lung Development

In this month's EPA/NIEHS Children's Centers webinar Catherine Metayer, M.D., Ph.D. , will discuss the effects of exposure to tobacco smoke and risk of childhood leukemia; and Monique DePaepe, M.D. , will discuss her work on arsenic exposure and fetal lung development. The webinar will be held October 9, 2013 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET.

PEPH Podcast Series

Recent insights about how the epigenome affects our health are leading to a new way of thinking about environmental exposures. In "The Epigenome," the latest podcast in the PEPH Environmental Health Chat series, Randy Jirtle, Ph.D. , discusses the link between the epigenome, the environment, and our health. Check out past podcast on the PEPH Environmental Health Chat Web page, or subscribe to the series on iTunes .

Kids Get More Exercise in "Smart Growth" Neighborhoods

According to a recent study , children who live in "smart growth" neighborhoods - developments that are designed to increase walkability and have more green space and parks - get 46% more moderate or vigorous physical activity than those living in conventional neighborhoods. Kids participating in the study wore small accelerometers and GPS devices to measure their activity levels. NIEHS grantee Michael Jerrett, Ph.D., is lead author of the study, which was published online ahead of print in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

EPA's Children's Health Month Calendar

EPA's 2013 Children's Health Month Calendar marks each day in October with a children's health tip. Great for public health professionals, teachers and parents, the calendar challenges you to see how many health tips you can follow in 31 days!

CDC Resources for Native Americans about Flu Season

Getting a flu shot this time of year is especially important for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) who more likely than other groups in the general U.S. population to get sicker from the flu, be hospitalized and even die from flu-related complications. The CDC has released new brochures, flyers, postcards, and factsheets to encourage AI/AN populations to get the flu vaccine. Visit the CDC's Web page to order free copies or download the materials.

Postdoctoral Position at Northeastern University

Northeastern University's Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute (SSEHRI) , in collaboration with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the Department of Health Sciences, seeks a postdoctoral research associate to help SSEHRI build collaborations between life scientists and social scientists. The postdoc will develop their own research in the social study of environmental health issues. This is a one-year position. Apply and learn more on the posting details Web page. Contact Phil Brown for more information.

EPA Healthy Schools Toolkit

Just as kids across the country are heading back to school, EPA Region 7 is introducing the "Healthy Schools Toolkit" designed to help school administrators and service providers keep school buildings clean, green and healthy. The web-based toolkit offers a number of resources including fliers, presentations, and factsheets on asbestos, integrated pest management, mold, lead and more.

Upcoming PEPH-Related Meetings

October 15-17, 2013: "Superfund Research Program Annual Meeting ," in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Speakers will discuss communication strategies for stronger community connections at a Research Translation and Community Engagement Core (RT/CEC) session, scheduled for October 15 before the opening reception. Registration is required for the RT/CEC session.

October 29-30, 2013: "EPA/NIEHS Children's Centers Annual Progress Review Conference " in Washington, D.C. Come celebrate 15 years of the EPA/NIEHS Children's Centers program. Register online by October 28, 2013.

November 2-6, 2013: "American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting " in Boston, Massachusetts. As always, there are many sessions focused on community engagement and environmental health. Learn more about CBPR or community perceptions about hydraulic fracturing . If you are attending APHA and are presenting, please let us know. Register online.

March 5-7, 2014: Share your innovative community health improvement project at the next "Association for Community Health Improvement Conference ," in Orlando, Florida.

March 20-21, 2014: Join the academic prevention and public health communities at "Teaching Prevention 2014: Convergence of Technology, Innovation & Collaboration ," in Washington, DC; to share and learn about the skills, infrastructure, and resources needed to practice and promote preventive health. Submit a presentation or poster abstract by October 31, 2013.

April 30-May 3, 2014: Save the date for the next "Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) Conference , The conference theme is "From Rhetoric to Reality: Achieving Authentic, Equitable & Transformative Partnerships." Registration opens December 2013. Visit the CCPH website for more information.

Funding Opportunities

Visit the PEPH Funding Opportunity Announcements page for more PEPH-related funding opportunities.

Interventions for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Native American Populations (R01). Deadlines: Letter of Intent April 15, 2014; Application May 15, 2014.

Behavioral and Social Science Research on Understanding and Reducing Health Disparities (R01 and R21) Deadlines: October 5, 2013 (R01); October 16, 2013 (R21).

Health Promotion Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Males  (R21). Deadline: October 16, 2013.

Healthy Schools: Environmental Factors, Children's Health and Performance, and Sustainable Building Practices. To understand the relationship between environmental factors and the health, safety, and performance of students and teachers. Deadline: October 8, 2013.

Toyota U.S.A. Foundation - K-12 Education Grants . Committed to enhancing K-12 math, science, and environmental science education. There is no application deadline. Only 501(c)(3) organizations can apply.

RGK Foundation Grant Program. RGK Foundation awards Education, Community, and Health/Medicine grants. RGK education grants focus on K-12 math and science teacher development; Community grants support community improvement and youth development; and Health/Medicine grants focus on children's health. Only nonprofit 501(c)(3) or 170(c) organizations should apply. See the Frequently Asked Questions Web page about the application process and funding guidelines.