Homes that survived the Marshall Fire hid another disaster inside

This commentary originally appeared on The Conversation. On Dec. 30, 2021, one of the most destructive wildfires on record in Colorado swept through neighborhoods just a few miles from our offices at the University of Colorado Boulder. The flames destroyed over 1,000 buildings, yet when we drove through the affected neighborhoods, some houses were still completely intact right next to homes where nothing was left to burn. Although the people who lived in these still-standing…

Four JPB Fellows Represent Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers

Four researchers affiliated with NIEHS Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) Core Centers have been selected to join the JPB Environmental Health Fellowship Program, administered by the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University. The competitive program supports junior faculty from U.S. institutions who study how social and environmental factors influence health disparities in under-resourced communities. The new fellowship class includes Max Aung, Ph.D., of the University of Southern California;…

2022 Pathfinding Partnerships Award: Rapid-Response Science after the Marshall Fire

This Award recognizes the quick-response science and service conducted by a set of pathfinding partners at the first signs, during and after the Marshall Fire roared through Superior and Louisville, Colorado, at the end of 2021. A diverse team of researchers set to work immediately, collaborating seamlessly to figure out how to serve citizens in the short term as well as in the long term with weather and fire assessments…

UAlbany Researchers Awarded $3 Million to Study Disparities in Black Maternal and Infant Health

ALBANY, N.Y. (Dec. 15, 2022) — In the United States, Black mothers and their infants disproportionately experience negative health outcomes in the first postpartum year, compared to non-Black families. University at Albany researchers recently received $3 million from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to investigate social and environmental causes of these disparities. Findings from the five-year study will inform strategies aimed at improving Black maternal-infant health. “Discrepancies in postpartum…

Historic redlining has enduring impact on power plant siting

A new study connects present-day emissions burdens with historic discrimination in the U.S. housing market more than 80 years ago. Between the lines: It’s no secret that environmental health hazards aren’t equally distributed, with Americans of color disproportionately exposed to air pollution, but the mechanisms fueling some of these systemic inequities are typically less quantified. Driving the news: A study published Thursday in the journal Nature Energy measures the influence of redlining, a discriminatory housing practice, on fossil…

Daylight Saving Time sheds light on lack of sleep’s disproportionate impact in communities of color

As the United States rolled back the clocks one hour this month to observe the end of Daylight Saving Time, many people got a bit more sleep than usual – but some not as much as others. Growing evidence shows that lack of sleep and sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, remain more prevalent in Black, Asian, and Hispanic or Latino communities, and these inequities can have long-term detrimental implications…

Podcast: Houselessness and the environment: a roundtable

People experiencing houselessness are amongst those most affected by extreme cold, extreme heat, wildfires, and other weather exacerbated by climate change. The Water We Swim In team wanted to learn more about houselessness and its ties to the environment – especially because Wisconsin’s already frigid winters and hot summers might become more erratic. We sat down with 7 community leaders and researchers from Boston to Portland to talk about the…

ASU recycles research-supporting helium amid global shortage

Sorry to burst your bubble, but helium is in short supply worldwide. This lighter-than-air gas is known for making party balloons float, but it has many other important uses, including medical imaging, making microchips and testing rockets. To make the most of its supply, Arizona State University has equipped its Magnetic Resonance Research Center with a sustainable system that recycles the helium it uses for research. There, scientists are working to…

MyDzung Chu

Assistant Professor Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies Tufts Medical Center Tufts University School of Medicine Boston, Massachusetts mydzung.chu@tuftsmedicine.org Fellowship Project: Social and Environmental Drivers of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Among Asian Immigrant Women MyDzung T. Chu, PhD, MSPH, is a Faculty Researcher at the Center for Community-Engaged Medicine in the Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies and the Director of the ADAPT (Addressing Disparities in Asian Populations through Translational Research)…

EPA Appoints Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee

JPB Fellow Dr. Jennifer Roberts has been appointed to the Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee (CHPAC). CHPAC is a body of external representatives from a cross-section of stakeholder perspectives including research, academia, healthcare, legal, state, environmental organizations, and local and tribal governments. CHPAC advises EPA on regulations, research, and communications related to children’s environmental health. Members of the committee are appointed by EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. Learn more.