PEPH E-News December 2013

PEPH Community Well Represented at APHA

Antonio Tovar (left) from the Farmworker Association of Florida and Jennifer Runkle from Emory University presented a web-based training tool for female farmworkers at an APHA poster session.

The PEPH community had a strong presence at the annual American Public Health Association (APHA) meeting held last month in Boston, Massachusetts. Our colleagues shared many successful and innovative environmental health research projects; see the PEPH at APHA listing for a full view of the range and number of the projects presented this year. While all the highlights from APHA are too numerous to share, take a moment to read about a research partnership between the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, University of Florida, and Farmworker Association of Florida that is working to characterize and prevent occupational exposures among Latino farmworkers. The group presented several studies funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) through the Research to Action program. The PI of the project, Linda McCauley, R.N., Ph.D., stated that "The APHA annual meeting was an outstanding venue for PEPH investigators to share results of their work and our community members were excited to be included and raise awareness about these important farmworker health and safety issues."

One study presented by the group explored how female nursery and fernery workers in Florida perceive their risk for occupational and environmental hazards, particularly those related to health and pregnancy. The researchers used information from focus groups, interviews, biomarkers, and two community advisory boards to develop and then deliver a comprehensive training curriculum targeted at female farmworkers of reproductive age. Study results showed that most women worked in the fields while they were pregnant and that their perception of risk did not match levels of contamination. The research team went on to translate these results into a culturally acceptable web-based training tool with information on pregnancy health, pesticide safety, heat stress, ergonomic risk factors, and prevention measures. The online format of the training is a cost-effective and accessible way to advance health promotion and protective behaviors during pregnancy for female farmworkers.

Tox Town Curriculum

The National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Tox Town Curriculum Based Units are a great way for teachers to get middle school students interested in environmental health. The lessons expand on Tox Town, NLM's visually engaging website where students can explore the connection between health and the environment, by including hands-on experiments and communication and social action activities. The curriculum, "Discovering the Connection: Your Environment, Your Health," was designed to help teachers supplement or start an afterschool science club. Topics include water quality, air quality, and chemicals in the home. The lessons also emphasize the importance of science to informed citizenship.

Clean Air Projects

The Clean Air Projects  website is another great one stop shop for K-12 educational resources about the link between air quality and human health. Created by the National Jewish Health Children's Environmental Health Center, the website offers lesson plan packets that use an investigative framework and hands on activities to help students understand how air quality is connected to our health, environment, energy consumption, economy, and quality of life.

Web-Based Environmental Health Atlas

The Canadian Environmental Health Atlas (CEHA)  is an interactive website you can use to raise awareness about how environmental influences affect our health. A multidisciplinary team of researchers recently launched the CHEA as a resource that synthesizes Canadian environmental health research across a range of topics and provides a comprehensive view of environmental health in Canada. In addition to case studies, maps, and videos, CHEA also links to relevant publications and recent health topics in the news. NIEHS grantee Bruce Lanphear, M.D., was a contributing epidemiologist on the multidisciplinary team that created the tool.

ACAT Seeks Environmental Health and Justice Coordinator

The Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT) seeks a full-time Environmental Health and Justice Coordinator to facilitate projects. The goal of all of ACAT's projects is to assure justice by advocating for environmental and community health. The coordinator will regularly work and interact with local, state, national, and international policymakers as well as leaders from Alaska tribes, health care professionals, labor unions, faith-based organizations, educators, environmentalists, youth, seniors, and other non-governmental organizations. See the job posting for details.

EPA/NIEHS Children's Centers Webinar on the Environment and Obesity

The December EPA/NIEHS Children's Centers webinar will focus on obesity and the environment. The webinar will feature presentations by Karen Peterson, Sc.D., from the University of Michigan and Andrew Rundle, Ph.D., from Columbia University. The webinar will be held December 11, 2013 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET.

PEPH Environmental Health Chat Podcast Series

Share your thoughts and ideas! We would like to hear from you and get ideas for 2014 podcasts (podcast@niehs.nih.gov). For the last year, this podcast series has highlighted ways researchers work with community groups to understand and address environmental health issues. Check out past podcasts on the Environmental Health Chat Web page, or subscribe to the series on iTunes .

Examples of past podcasts:

• Protecting Children from Contaminants at School
• The Epigenome
• Mercury in Seafood

PEPH Webinar Series

The PEPH webinar series highlights a range of research from our PEPH community. Tune into the NIEHS YouTube Channel to watch past PEPH webinars, including: 

• Communication Research  
• Household Air Pollution and Child Health

Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Funding Opportunity

The EPA's Office of Environmental Justice has issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for the 2014 Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program. The EJCPS Program is designed to help eligible non-profit and Native American communities understand and address exposure to multiple environmental hazards at the local level. Applications are due February 18, 2014. Interested applicants are invited to participate in a series of conference calls with EPA to address questions about the EJCPS program and this solicitation. Access the pre-application assistance calls by dialing 1-866-299-3188 and entering the code 202-564-1771 when prompted. Conference call dates and times: 

• Tuesday, December 3, 2013: 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET 
• Wednesday, December 11, 2013: 4:00-5:30 p.m. ET 
• Thursday, January 9, 2014: 7:00-8:30 p.m. ET 
• Wednesday, January 15, 2014 (en Español): 4:00-5:30 p.m. ET 
• Saturday, January 25, 2014: 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET 
• Wednesday, February 5, 2014: 5:00-6:30 p.m. ET

Upcoming PEPH-Related Meetings

February 13-15, 2014: "New Partners for Smart Growth Conference " in Denver, Colorado. See a new brochure for conference sessions focused on equitable development and environmental justice. A special half-day Equitable Development Workshop will be held the first day of the conference. Pre-registration and a $25 fee are required to attend the workshop.

March 5-7, 2014: "Association for Community Health Improvement Conference ," in Orlando, Florida. This year's conference theme is The Critical Role of Community in Moving from Individual to Population Health.

March 20-21, 2014: "Teaching Prevention 2014: Convergence of Technology, Innovation & Collaboration ," in Washington, DC; share and learn about the skills, infrastructure, and resources needed to practice and promote preventive health.

March 26-28, 2014: "National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program ," in Washington, DC, will focus on the needs and challenges of communities, governments, tribes, and other groups with an interest in environmental justice. Register by February 25, 2014.

April 30-May 3, 2014: "Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) Conference ," in Chicago, Illinois. Registration is now open. There are also several preconference workshops of interest to the PEPH community.

May 7-9, 2014: "National Training Conference on the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and Environmental Conditions in Communities ," in Arlington, Virginia. The conference will include sessions on pollution prevention, environmental justice, and environmental public health, along with TRI and other sources of environmental information.

May 27-31, 2014 or June 9-13, 2014: "Summer Institutes on Critical Participatory Action Research ," at the City University of New York Graduate Center in New York City. The 5-day trainings introduce the theory, methods, and ethics of critical participatory action research to graduate students, faculty, and members of community-based organizations. Apply by January 6, 2014.

Funding Opportunities

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

Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHS CC) (P30). An EHS CC is designed to establish leadership and support for programs of excellence in environmental health sciences by providing scientific guidance, technology, and career development opportunities for promising investigators. Deadlines: March 22, 2014 (Letter of Intent); April 22, 2014 (Application).

NIH Revision Awards for Creating Virtual Consortium for Translational/Transdisciplinary Environmental Research (ViCTER) (R01). The purpose of the ViCTER program is to foster and promote transdisciplinary collaborations and/or translational research efforts among researchers who have come together in common interest around a particular environmental stressor(s). Deadlines: February 4, 2014 (Letter of Intent); March 4 2014 (Application).

Outstanding New Environmental Scientist (ONES) Award (R01). To identify Early Stage Investigators who intend to make a long-term commitment to environmental health research and assist them in launching a research program focused on understanding how environmental exposures affect people's health. Deadlines: January 28, 2014 (Letter of Intent); February 28, 2014 (Application).

Chronic Condition Self-Management in Children and Adolescents (RO1 and R21 ). To encourage research to improve self-management and quality of life in children and adolescents with chronic conditions. Deadlines: February 5, 2014 (R01); February 16, 2014 (R21). EPA's Environmental Education Grants Program. To support environmental education projects that increase the public's awareness about environmental issues. Deadline: February 4, 2014.

EPA's Environmental Education Grants Program. To support environmental education projects that increase the public's awareness about environmental issues. Deadline: February 4, 2014

Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Funding Opportunity . EPA will fund projects to help communities understand and address exposure to multiple environmental risks at the local level. EPA is hosting a series of pre-application assistance calls to address questions about the EJCPS program and this solicitation. Deadline: February 18, 2014.

Research on the Health Determinants and Consequences of Violence and its Prevention, Particularly Firearm Violence (RO1 , RO3 , R21 ). Deadlines: February 5, 2014 (R01); February 16, 2014 (R03 and R21).

Translational Research to Improve Diabetes and Obesity Outcomes . Deadline: February 5, 2014. Research on the Health Determinants and Consequences of Violence and its Prevention, Particularly Firearm Violence (R01, R03, R21). Deadlines: February 5, 2014 (R01); February 16, 2014 (R03 and R21).

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

Behavioral and Social Science Research on Understanding and Reducing Health Disparities (RO1 and R21 ). Deadlines: February 5, 2014 (R01); February 16, 2014 (R21).

Health Promotion Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Males (RO1 and R21 ). Deadline: February 5, 2014 (R01); February 16, 2014 (R21).