Credit: NIEHS
PEPH Annual Meeting: Communication Research in Environmental Health Sciences – Environmental Health Literacy, September 22-24, 2014,  NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, NC … Graphic Credit: NIEHS

This year the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is focusing the PEPH meeting on Environmental Health Literacy (EHL).

An added feature this year are Watch Parties, so those not attending the meeting in person can gather with others, watch the meeting presentations, and have discussions. Our SRP will be hosting some Watch Parties for the live streaming (we are unable to watch other presentations live due to the time difference).  All are welcome!

Use or follow hashtag #EHL2014

Recordings are available for viewing between September 25 and September 30. Please contact Naomi Hirsch if you are interested in viewing a recording and the time you are available.  Choose from any of the presentations listed below. 

Watch Party Schedule

Monday, Sept 22nd in ALS Building room 1019

8:10 a.m. – 9:30 am
Live
Culturally Appropriate Communication: Development of Indigenous Health Indicators
Jamie Donatuto and Larry Campbell, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (via video)
Followed by our group discussion

Tuesday, Sept 23rd in ALS Building room 1019

10 :00 am
Live
A Communication Science Approach to Developing and Evaluating Environmental Health Messages
Kami Silk, Michigan State University
10:30 am.
Live
Importance of EHL to NIEHS Mission: New Partners for Research
Gwen Collman, NIEHS

Recorded Sessions

Welcome Linda Birnbaum, NIEHS
Defining EHL in Context of NIEHS’ Commitment to Community Engagement
Liam O’Fallon, NIEHS
Scope of Current NIH Research and Resources
Bill Elwood, NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
Outside Influences on EHL: What the Public Already Understands about Environmental Risks
Symma Finn, NIEHS
Defining Environmental Health Literacy Together
Marti Lindsey, University of Arizona
Influence of the Media on Understanding of Environmental Health
Katherine Rowan, George Mason University
The Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit (PEHT) and the Role of Prevention in the Clinical Setting
Mark Miller, University of California San Francisco Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit
Community Engagement through Enhanced Environmental Health Literacy
Neasha Graves, University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill
Development and Implementation of Occupational Health and Environmental Literacy Training for Various Audiences
Mitch Rosen, Rutgers University
Use of Mapping, GIS, and Spatial Statistics to Increase Environmental Health Literacy in Community Settings
Paul English, California Department of Public Health
New Tools for Measuring and Communicating Environmental Exposures and Risks
Sara Wylie, Northeastern University
Deborah Thomas, Shale Test
Breast cancer communication & Photovoice: Increasing EHL in Youth
Alexandra Anderson, Zero Breast Cancer

A field trip for 28 local 5th graders from Hoover Elementary School was held at the Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory (SARL) on May 12, 2014.  SARL, directed by Dr. Robert Tanguay, is a large state- of- the -art zebrafish facility used greatly for OSU SRP Project 3 – Systems Approach to Define Toxicity of Complex PAH Mixtures.

Robert Tanguay and Carrie Barton present about zebrafish research to 5th graders.
Robert Tanguay and Carrie Barton present about zebrafish research to 5th graders.

The SARL personnel, along with SRP Trainees and other grad students and postdocs, wanted the students to get hands-on experience and enjoy science.  Specifically the students learned all the unique features of zebrafish and how they are used in scientific research.

In 2012, curriculum was developed for visiting classes.  Students break up into five groups and rotate through various stations.

1) Tour of the Land of Zebrafish / Zebrafish Life Stage: Learn about how small the fish are and how rapid they develop.

2) Glow in the Dark Zebrafish: Learn about the different tools used in research.

3) The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Sort out dead and alive embryo, and determine the age of zebrafish.

4) Toxicity Screening: Learn how to get embryos into wells, view plates under the microscope, and identify normal and not normal fish.

5) Fish Are Like Us: Identify similarities between fish and humans.

 

Feedback from kids:

 

“This is so awesome!”

 

“Best field trip ever!”

 

“Cool!”

 

More information about zebrafish

Diana Rohlman, CEC Program Coordinator, presented at the Contemporary Northwest Tribal Health Conference. The conference was hosted at the World Trade Center in Portland, Oregon on March 28-29, 2014.

View Presentation

Evolution of a Robust Tribal-University Research Partnership to Investigate Tribal Exposures and Build Scientific Capacity 

The Northwest Portland Area Indian Board posted all of the Conference Presentations.

The overall theme of the conference was around community-driven or community-based participatory research to advance the area of health research within Tribal communities.There were some fantastic ‘big-data’ presentations by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB) looking at intake and outtake data from federally funded clinics.  ~Diana Rohlman, Presenter, Contemporary Northwest Tribal Health Conference

Shared Highlights

The Community Engagement Core (CEC) takes OSU SRP Center expertise on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and applies it to the needs of community partners.
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) has been a key partner for CEC.

CTUIR is located in Eastern Oregon, so one of the limitations to overcome is distance. One reason the partnership has thrived is because the CTUIR has scientific capacity and resources, which is unique amongst Tribal nations. Both partners are bringing scientific expertise to the table.

Graduate students gain knowledge and experience with Tribes by participating in the CEC research projects.
Graduate students gain knowledge and experience with Tribes by participating in the CEC research projects.

Five Key Features of the OSU SRP Tribal-University Partnership

  1. Utilizes Community-based Participatory Research
  2. Builds scientific and cultural capacity between CTUIR and OSU researchers
  3. Utilizes data sharing agreements to protect Tribal rights
  4. Develops culturally appropriate risk reduction strategies with CTUIR
  5. Disseminates knowledge through journals, newsletters and community meetings to provide Tribal perspectives on research practices. (See the OSU SRP web site for extensive resources that include collaborative publications and presentations.)

Staci Simonich (OSU SRP Leader, Project 5) served as a panelist at the  “HEALTH EFFECTS OF FINE PARTICLES FROM VEHICLE EMISSIONS” Meeting on April 1, 2014.

The meeting was hosted in Washington D.C. by the Institute of Medicine, and sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the Energy Future Coalition, with the American Lung Association and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.  See Agenda

Workshop breaks provided further discussion time for Staci Simonich, left, and Frederica Perera of Columbia University. (Photo courtesy of Paula Whitacre)
Workshop breaks provided further discussion time for Staci Simonich, left, and Frederica Perera of Columbia University. (Photo courtesy of Paula Whitacre)

NIEHS and NTP Director Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., described the purpose of the meeting in her opening remarks. “This workshop assembles a panel of leading researchers to present the current state of our knowledge on the potential effects of UFPs with aromatics, as well as the research strategies needed to address this emerging environmental public health issue,” she said.

According to Staci Simonich, Ph.D, China and India are the world’s largest PAH emitters, but the U.S. emits the most per person. Her lab has shown that air masses containing PAHs routinely travel great distances, such as across the Pacific Ocean.

Read more  in the May 2014 issue of the NIEHS Environmental Factor.

Robert Tanguay presenting at the Norcal SOT Spring Symposium. (Photo Credit: Cal Dept. of Pesticide Regulation)
Robert Tanguay presenting at the Norcal SOT Spring Symposium. (Photo Credit: Cal Dept. of Pesticide Regulation)

Robert Tanguay (Leader, Project 3, Director, Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Lab) traveled to California on April 29-20 for the Norcal SOT Spring Symposium .  His presentation “Rapid In Vivo Assessment of Bioactivity in Zebrafish: High Content Data for Predictive Toxicology” was well received by scientists from the California Dept. of Pesticide Regulation, California EPA, and many others participating via the webcast.

Review and download slides from the event: http://www.slideshare.net/OSU_Superfund/tanguay-cal-epa
More images are shared by the California Dept. of Pesticide Regulation on Facebook.