Newsletter
ASPIRE Center Newsletter Registration
This resource links to the ASPIRE Center’s newsletter registration page, which also includes links to read past issues.
Centers
Learn about the Centers across the nation who are working hard to Protect Kids’ Health.
CEHRT Centers are united by a common goal to improve children’s health by communicating valuable research findings to people working to keep kids well. Each Center provides infrastructure, training opportunities, data science tools, stakeholder engagement, and time-sensitive pilot grants to support the development and dissemination of evidence-informed interventions that protect children from environmental hazards where they live, go to school, and play.
Advancing Science, Practice, Programming and Policy in Research Translation for Children’s Environmental Health (ASPIRE)
The ASPIRE Center utilizes multi-disciplinary collaborations, strategic partnerships, and community engagement to address children’s environmental health issues at multiple levels (community, practice, policy). The ASPIRE Center works to: 1) Translate existing research and evidence-based interventions into best practices for community-level change; 2) Develop data precision tools to identify real-time trends and outcomes in children’s environmental health; 3) Invest in communities through pilot project funding; and 4) Provide training opportunities for students and next generation researchers.
View Resources from the ASPIRE Center
Program or Initiative
Eco-Healthy Childcare Endorsement Incentive
Eco-Healthy Child Care® is an award-winning, evidence-based program developed by the Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN). This program helps childcare professionals eliminate environmental hazards found in childcare facilities to create safer, healthier learning centers for children and childcare providers.
Video
Nurturely Enviro-Natal Health Equity Symposium
This resource directs viewers to a playlist of Naturely Enviro-Natal Health Equity Symposium videos by the OSU ASPIRE center.
Podcast
OPB’s Think Out Loud About the Risk of Wildfire Smoke to Children
In this article, which also includes an interview recording, Molly Kile, an environmental epidemiologist and the ASPIRE Administration Core Lead and Co-PI, joins other guests to discuss the impact of smokey air on young lungs.
Qualitative Stories
OSU ASPIRE Center Pilot Project Collaboration
ASPIRE awardees helped protect children by monitoring air quality in schools and community sites, paving the way for EPA-funded wildfire smoke preparedness efforts.
Article
Protecting Public Health in the Columbia River Gorge
This Oregon State University, College of Health article features OSU Extension Family and Community Health faculty member and ASPIRE Center pilot project awardee, Lauren Kraemer, MPH, associate professor of practice. The article notes how Lauren and her community partners worked together to secure grant funding to improve air quality monitoring
Infographic
Safeguarding Athletes from Wildfire Smoke
This infographic provides resources to help athletes and/or their caregivers determine if it is best to adjust outdoor practice/events due to air quality concerns.
Qualitative Stories
Superheroés del Planeta (Superheroes of the Planet)
ASPIRE awardee created a bilingual kids’ book empowering Latinx families with tools to reduce wildfire smoke risks, shared through schools, fairs, and home visits.
Video
The Ignite Children’s Environmental Health Research Colloquium (10/06/2023)
In this video, OSU ASPIRE Children’s Environmental Health Center pilot project awardees share how they are working to protect kids’ health where they live, learn, and play!
Video
The Ignite Children’s Environmental Health Research Colloquium (10/28/2022)
The Ignite Children’s Environmental Health Research Colloquium, “Protecting Children’s Environmental Health: Research to Action” event was an opportunity to promote collaborations and stimulate thought between academia, community partners, and organizations in the field of children’s environmental health. The rapid presentation style is designed to “Ignite” the audience about research ideas,
Newsletter
The March 2026 ASPIRE Newsletter: Resources on Healthy Eating and Safe Spring Cleaning
In honor of March being National Nutrition Month, the ASPIRE newsletter shared tips and resources on how to get kids to embrace healthier foods. It also shared tips and linked resources related to eating healthy on a budget. In addition to sharing nutrition-related information, the March ASPIRE newsletter shared tips
Webinar Recording
Webinar: The Power of Cooperative Extension for Research Translation
This webinar features two national Cooperative Extension leaders discussing the vital role of extension in research translation to promote health and well-being in communities. It is hosted by Allison Myers, PhD, MPH from the ASP3IRE Center Translation Core.
Infographic
Wildfire Smoke: Steps to Create a Clean Room
This resource provides instructions on how to provide a clean indoor air space when air quality is unhealthy.
Bridging Research, Lung Health, and the Environment (BREATHE) Children’s Center
The BREATHE Center translates findings regarding environmental exposures that impact children’s respiratory health and interventions to reduce risk.
They use the NIEHS translational framework to put science into practice with novel, evidence- based communication strategies that inform and engage students, community members, health professionals, and policymakers to reduce harmful exposures and promote children’s respiratory health.
The Kids BREATHE Lung Health Dashboard displays relevant, actionable information with map- based visualization strategies and storyboard techniques to engage the public.
The Center’s Lung Health Ambassadors Program (LHAP) curriculum also focuses on children’s respiratory environmental health.
View Resources from BREATHE
Podcast
BREATHE Center’s Investigator, Laura Paulin, MD, MHS, Discuss the Possible Dangers of Gas Stoves
This resource provides a link to the Air and Our Health podcast. From this link, you can navigate to Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and listen to the March 28, 2022, Air and Our Health episode titled, “The Fire Inside – Gas Stoves, NO2 & Health.”
Article
Breathe Easier: How Home Ventilation Protects Health and Prevents Disease
In this article, published in Future of Personal Health, Dr. Meredith McCormack, director of BREATHE, reflects on the risk posed by poor indoor air quality and shares tips about how to reduce exposure to poor air quality. These tips include reducing the use of products that could contribute to indoor
Podcast
Dr. Bill Nelson and Dr. Stacy Cooper Speak About Pediatric Leukemia on this Episode of Cancer Matters
In this episode of the Cancer Matters podcast, Dr. Bill Nelson speaks with Dr. Stacy Cooper about the treatment of pediatric leukemia.
Podcast
Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos Discusses How Faith Leaders and Their Communities Can Play a Role in Public Health Initiatives
This resource provides a link to Episode 111 of Johns Hopkin’s Public Health On Call podcast, which features BREATHE center faculty member Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos. You can access the podcast directly on the link provided below, or listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Article
Hairdressers of Color Exposed to ‘Concerning’ Mix of Unknown Chemicals
This resource provides a link to an article, which discusses a study that found that hairdressers of color, compared to women who work in offices, have higher levels of chemicals in their bodies—some associated with salon treatments but also many more the researchers couldn’t identify.
Magazine
How to Combat Urban Heat Islands – The BREATHE Center Investigators’ Work to Model and Mitigate Dangerous Heat Islands in Baltimore City
This resource provides a link to a 2021 article published by Johns Hopkins Magazine, which discusses urban heat islands. The article features Dr. Meredith McCormack, director of CHARTER.
Infographic
Infographics on Tips to Protect Yourself from Wildfire Air Pollution, Wildfire Smoke, Asthma, and many more.
This resource provides direction to BREATHE’s resource webpage, which includes infographics focusing on a wide range of topics including indoor allergens, nutrition, wildfire smoke, asthma, and more.
Podcast
Meghan Rebuli, PhD, Discusses Her Research on the Relationship Between E-Cigarette Use and Your Body’s Immune Response to the Flu on Episode 18 of The Lung Science Podcast
In this podcast, Dr. Eric Morrell sits down with Dr. Meghan Rebuli to discuss her paper “E-Cigarette Use Alters Nasal Mucosal Immune Response to Live-attenuated Influenza Virus”.
Infographic
Tips to Protect Yourself from Wildfire Air Pollution
This infographic helps teachers, parents, and youth protect little lungs from wildfire smoke with actionable tips
The Center for Children’s Health Assessment, Research Translation, and Combating Environmental Risk (CHARTER)
Emory University has partnered with faculty from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Emory Nursing Center for Health and Risk Communication to advance the science of environmental health communication, media psychology, behavioral science, environmental health literacy and community engagement.
The Center breaks scientific findings into understandable, applicable, and actionable messages that result in direct and lasting impact on Black communities in the Atlanta region and beyond.
View Resources from CHARTER
Qualitative Stories
Advancing Maternal Health Through Generative Report Back
For Emory MD/PhD candidate Jasmin Darville, maternal and child health is more than an academic interest. It’s a calling shaped by her lived experience, clinical training, and a deep commitment to Black mothers and babies.
Qualitative Stories
Brunswick’s Fight for Clean Water: Youth-Led Change in Coastal Georgia
Dr. Llewellyn Cornelius from the University of Georgia School of Social Work secured CHARTER pilot funding to engage local youth in assessing community health and well-being.
Video
C-Chem2 Videos
The Center for Children’s Health, the Environment, the Microbiome, and Metabolomics (C-CHEM2) examines how environmental exposures affect infants during pregnancy and after birth. Specifically, C-CHEM2 researchers are studying the complex interactions of toxicant exposures, the microbiome, and the metabolome and their impact on birth outcomes and infant health and neurodevelopment
Qualitative Stories
CHARTER’s Children’s Environmental Health (CEH) Day Celebration: Interactive Fun for a Healthier Future
CHARTER joined the nationwide celebration of Children’s Environmental Health (CEH) Day in 2025 with two exciting events designed to engage, educate, and empower families.
Qualitative Stories
Clinicians for Clean Air: Turning Data into Action for Georgia’s Kids
Dr. Preeti Jaggi, Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University and her team have built a state-wide movement to expose the critical link between clean air and children’s health.
Podcast
Dr. Shawana Moore, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC & Other Nursing Leaders Share Stories of Nursing Resilience and How They’ll Be Celebrating #NursesWeek2022
In this podcast episode, Dr. Sandy Cesario, Dr. Shakira Henderson, and Dr. Shawana Moore discus personal stories of nursing resilience, and the ways in which they’ll be celebrating Nurses Week.
Qualitative Stories
Ears on the Ground
Emory Nursing’s CHARTER project teamed up with Science for Georgia and several other environmental groups to organize and host an environmental health and climate conference in Valdosta, Georgia, in June 2025. This event brought together groups from around the state to share ideas and build stronger partnerships around environmental health.
Magazine
Emory Nursing Magazine – Fall 2022
This resource provides access to the fall 2022 issue of the Emory Nursing magazine, which is titled “Caring for the Future – Students: The Heart of the New Emory Nursing Learning Center.”
Video
Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
This resource provides a link to the YouTube channel for Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, home of CHARTER. The channel posts a variety of videos that are excellent resources for nursing professionals, current students, and prospective students.
Qualitative Stories
From Concern to Action: Mapping Pollution and Empowering Communities in South Fulton
Science for Georgia secured a CHARTER translational planning grant to to show public environmental data alongside community information using GIS mapping.
Article
Home is Where the Health Is
This article features Dr. Carmen Marsit, Director of CHARTER’s development core, and Dr. Amina Salamova, a CHARTER pilot grantee. The article highlights some of the public health triumphs, such as the Food Safety Modernization act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Back to Sleep campaign, which continually work to
Video
Know Better Live Better: Emory C-CHEM2
This resource is an informational video, which discusses common environmental health hazards in the home and provides tips on how to transition to safer practices and products.
Video
Podcast Episode With Dr. Kalisha Bonds: Community Engagement in Research, the Impact of Elder Care on Caregivers, & Alzheimer’s Research
In this podcast episode, the host of the podcast “Mental Health Trailblazers, Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up” speaks with Dr. Kalisha Bonds Johnson, PhD, MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC. Dr. Bonds Johnson is currently an Assistant Professor, Tenure track at Emory University’s Nell Woodruff School of Nursing. Her research focuses on the mental
Qualitative Stories
Protecting Our Children: A Community Environmental Health Forum for youth with Asthma
Asthma forum in Gloster, MS empowers families with tools to manage asthma, raising awareness of pollution’s impact on children’s health.
Toolkit
Social Media Toolkit
This toolkit includes health posts and reels that you can use and share on your own accounts.
Program or Initiative
The Connecting the Dots (CTD) project
Connecting the Dots (CTD) is a family-centered approach that uses home visiting and coaching to connect families with resources to improve overall family well-being. In CTD, families are engaged during the mother’s prenatal period and continue through the child’s first two years of life. CTD navigators (Social Workers) will work
Book
The HIDDENURSE: How to Become a Public Health Nurse
“The Hidden Nurse: How to Become a Public Health Nurse” is intended for individuals who want to know more about nursing as a profession, the importance of public health nursing, and how to become a public health nurse.
Qualitative Stories
Virtual Hurricanes, Real Impact: CHARTER Enhances Extreme Weather Preparedness in East Point (GA)
Explore CHARTER’s VR hurricane experience from East Point, Georgia’s Earth Day event—learn, prepare, and build resilience for extreme weather.
Podcast
Why Nurses Have Endless Possibilities With Carolyn Clevenger
Dr. Carolyn Clevenger is a gerontological nurse practitioner, Professor and Associate Dean for Transformative Clinical Practice at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. Dr. Clevenger serves as the Clinical Director and a practicing nurse practitioner at the Emory Integrated Memory Care Clinic. She earned her BSN
The NYU Collaborative Center in Children’s Environmental Health Research and Translation
The Center serves as a resource for the CEH community by:
(1) developing meaningful prevention and intervention strategies that have promise to scale
(2) adapting these strategies for diverse populations or settings, to achieve higher population-wide impact
(3) rigorously quantifying the impacts of manufacturing changes, policy interventions, or dietary and other behavioral interventions designed to reduce exposure.
The cross-cutting themes of NYU Center include: intervention testing, implementation science, health equity and economic evaluation.
NYU CEHRT is also home to two Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) cohort centers, and therefore extremely well-poised to integrate new knowledge about emerging exposures likely to emerge from ECHO and the broader CEH community.
View Resources from the NYU Collaborative Center in Children's Environmental Health Research and Translation
Program or Initiative
Collaborative Center in Children’s Environmental Health Research and Translation (CEHRT) Pilot Project Program
This resource provides access to the webpage of NYU Langone’s Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards Collaborative Center in Children’s Environmental Health Research & Translation.
Qualitative Stories
Envisioning Climate Resilient and Equitable Open Spaces for Boston’s Chinatown
Chinatown residents gain tools to fight environmental injustice through CEHRT-funded climate education, data-sharing, and culturally relevant workshops.
Qualitative Stories
Evaluating the effectiveness of a perinatal environmental health education intervention in reducing maternal and infant exposure to EDCs
Dr. Aleksandra Buha has successfully developed and initiated a prenatal environmental health education intervention to reduce maternal and infant exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals with the help of the CEHRT grant at the University of Belgrade.
Article
Millions of Preterm Births and Thousands of Infant Deaths Linked to Plastic Chemicals
On March 30th, 2026, CNN published an article titled “Millions of Preterm Births and Thousands of Infant Deaths Linked to Plastic Chemicals,” which highlighted a recent study co-authored by Dr. Leonardo Transande, director of the Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards at NYU Langone Health. The study quantified the
Philadelphia Regional Center for Children’s Environmental Health (PRCCEH)
The Philadelphia Regional Center for Children’s Environmental Health is dedicated to developing and implementing effective strategies to bring children’s environmental health research to the community, policy-making, and healthcare.
The Center’s goal is to improve the health and wellness of children across the country, by first starting in Philadelphia and the surrounding region.
The children in this area face many environmental threats and health problems– asthma, lead poisoning, air pollution and toxic chemicals.
Together, the Center’s partners and member researchers work to implement real-world solutions and interventions in Philadelphia to serve as a model for success elsewhere.
View Resources from PRCCEH
Video
About the Center Videos
This resource provides a link to a YouTube playlist, which includes four videos from the PRCCEH center.
Webpage
Academy for Environmental Exposure Reduction
In this 8-week Saturday morning program, 12 high school students will learn about EDC research and how they can select safer personal care products. Participants will collaborate with University of Pennsylvania researchers, learn how to read labels and study the impacts of EDCs on human health. To finish this program,
Factsheet
Air Pollution Prescriptions
This resource provides free access to factsheets related to air quality-related environmental exposures.
Factsheet
Asbestos Prescriptions
This resource provides free access to factsheets about asbestos exposures.
Research Publication
Associations of Early Life Ambient PM2.5 Exposure With Asthma Risk in a Cohort of Preterm Infants with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Three members of PRCCEH, Dr. Scott A. Lorch, Dr. Heather H. Burris, and Dr. Timothy Nelin, recently collaborated with 13 other authors to publish an article that examined weather exposure to fine particulate matter during the first year after discharge from the NICU for infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is
Factsheet
Research Publication
Asthma treatment response modified by fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone among Black children: A reanalysis of the AsthmaNet Best African American Response to Asthma Drugs trial
This study, authored by Dr. Jane Clougherty and a team of researchers from PRCCEH, focuses on the air pollutants in the efficacy of asthma treatments in Black children, who experience a higher disease burden than children from other racial groups. The study assessed 224 Black children who were randomized to
Qualitative Stories
Chester Community Asthma Prevention Program
In Chester, CAPP empowers families to fight asthma. 99 homes reached, CHWs provide meds, training & support where it’s needed most.
Training or Course
Compounded Environmental Injustice Requires Compounded Solutions: 12th Grade Curriculum
This curriculum unit is designed for 12th grade Social Science classes to learn about
environmental overburden in vulnerable communities and investigate why these communities get stuck with the burden.
Training or Course
Curriculum for Grades 5-8 : A Journey Through Water’s Path and Its Challenges
This resource provides free access to a curriculum aimed at teaching students in Grades 5-8 about the water cycle. Understanding the water cycle is foundational to understanding the challenges of flooding in cities like Philadelphia and in developing strategies to enhance resilience. This unit guides students through the nexus of
Qualitative Stories
Environmental Health Consultations with Built to Last
Built to Last + PRCCEH: Safer homes, healthier families. Environmental consults cut asthma flares, lead risks & boost well-being in Philly households.
Training or Course
Equipping the Canary to be an Agent of Change: Educating Students to be Activists
This curriculum unit examines America’s use of lead and will empower students to express their desire to take action for better practices in dealing leftover lead.
Research Publication
Exposure to a Low Dose Mixture of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Alters the Brain Transcriptome and Animal Behavior
In February, a handful of PRCCEH research members collaborated with other authors from the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelaman School of Medicine to publish results of their study, which found that exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can have adverse neurological and neurodevelopmental effects at doses well below commonly studied levels.
Factsheet
Extreme Weather Prescriptions
This resource provides free access to factsheets related to extreme weather.
Factsheet
Flood Preparation and Management Guide for Philadelphia
This resource provides free access to a guide that is designed to help users prepare for a flood event.
Webpage
Hazard Assessments for Asbestos in Schools
In partnership with the Philadelphia Healthy Schools Initiative, PRCCEH has designed a program to use federally required Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) reports on the condition of asbestos in each school and analyze the hazard that it poses.
Article
How Scented Candles and Fires Could Affect Your Lungs this Holiday Season
In this article, Dr. McCormack, director of the BREATHE center, shares how children are more susceptible to air pollution due to their lung size, which leads to comparatively greater doses of exposure to pollutants relative to their body size. She also provides a handful of recommendations for reducing pollutant
Training or Course
Imagine a Day Without Clean Water: Middle School English Language Learners Advocate for Clean Water for All
This curriculum unit teaches English Language Learners about the water contaminants and the health risks
associated with contaminated water worldwide. Students will learn strategies to reduce lead exposure in their homes and their local cultural communities.
Webinar Recording
Incorporating Extreme Weather Into Your Curriculum
This resource provides access to a free webinar series for teachers in the Philadelphia region and beyond.Sessions explore how extreme weather is affecting temperature, air quality and water in Philadelphia, with a focus on children’s health. Free lesson plans and a curriculum are also linked!
Factsheet
Lead Prescriptions
This resource provides free access to factsheets about exposures to lead.
Training or Course
Methods to the Madness – Activities for the Teaching of Research Methods in AP Research Using Environmental Science
This resource provides free access to a unit plan designed for the high school course, AP Environmental Science.
Research Publication
Newer New Jersey Secondary School Teachers Study, 2021-2023: Insights Pertaining to Indoor Air Quality and Safety
Dr. Derek Shendell, PRCCEH research member and professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Justice at the Rutgers School of Public Health, recently co-authored a study that provided training to New Jersey public secondary school teachers and asked them to complete online surveys about safety and
Brochure
PRCCEH Brochure
This resource provides access to a brochure, which gives a high level overview of the PRCCEH center.
Newsletter
PRCCEH Newsletter
This resource provides a link to an archive of past PRCCEH newsletters as well as a link to join the PRCCEH mailing list.
Video
PRCCEH Seminar Recordings
This resource is a youtube playlist that is comprised of recordings of seminars hosted by the Philadelphia Center for Children’s Environmental Health. Seminars feature a variety of speakers and cover a variety of children’s environmental health topics.
Webpage
PRCCEH Website
This resource provides a link to PRCCEH’s website, which includes webpages on each of the center’s focus areas, its programs and resources, and news and events.
Factsheet
Prescriptions for Prevention Program
This resource provides free access to factsheets for a variety of environmental exposures.
Webinar Recording
Race to Research: Plastics, Microplastics and Human Health Webinar Recording
In this webinar, Dr. Megan J. Wolff presented a lecture on what is known and what is being researched about the impacts of plastics on human health. She also highlighted how children’s health can be impacted by exposures to plastics and delved into what solutions exist. Dr. Wolff is the
Research Publication
Sociodemographic Predictors of PFAS Exposure Among a Combined Sample of U.S. pregnant Women: an Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Public-Use Dataset Analysis
In December of 2025, PRCCEH members Dr. Kristen Lyall and Dr. Anneclaire J De Roos collaborated with four other authors to publish a study, which evaluated differences in exposure to 14 Per- and polyfluroalkyl substances (PFAS) by sociodemographic factors amongst pregnant women in the U.S. The study found that higher
Brochure
Street Tree Planting Brochure
This brochure guides Philadelphia property owners, businesses, and associations on how to request to plant a tree in their neighborhood.
Training or Course
Teachers Institute of Philadelphia Environmental Health Curriculum
The Teachers Institute of Philadelphia (TIP) at the University of Pennsylvania enables public school teachers from around Philadelphia to enroll in semester-long seminars taught by university professors.The content will include the PRCCEH Center’s focus areas: asthma, air pollution, lead and endocrine disrupting chemicals. This resource provides a link to be
Research Publication
The Association of Gestational Phthalate Exposure with Social Skills and Problem Behaviors in Adolescents
This recent study was co-authored by Dr. Aimin Chen, Co-Director of PRCCEH and Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Researchers analysed maternal urine samples from parent-offspring pairs recruited between 2003 and 2006, which were collected at
Webinar Recording
Webinar Recording: Assessing Childhood Exposure to Toxic Metals from 3-D Printing
Thomas Gluodenis, PhD, Professor at Lincoln University of PA discusses his pilot project research into potential toxic metal exposure from the 3-D printing process. This research was funded by the Philadelphia Regional Center for Children’s Environmental Health.
Webinar Recording
Webinar: Identifying and Addressing Lead Exposure Knowledge Gaps
Harriet Okatch, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor at Thomas Jefferson University, speaks about her experience implementing a lead education program to youth and trying to communicate lead education to the public. This project was part of Harriet’s PRCCEH pilot project funded in 2024-2025.
Webinar Recording
Webinar: Take the Lead on Lead: Telehealth Based Primary Prevention of Childhood Lead Poisoning
This resource features a presentation by Noah Buncher, DO, FAAP, General Pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, South Philadelphia Clinic. Dr. Buncher discusses his past and current pilot projects on telehealth education and primary prevention of childhood lead poisoning.
Video
Webinars for Childcare Providers
This resource provides a link to a PRCCEH webpage, which allows free access to webinars that childcare providers can watch to learn more about how to protect the health of their students. Each webinar will focus on an environmental health topic relevant to childcare providers throughout PA, such as the
Southern California Center for Children’s Environmental Health Translational Research (SC-CEHRT)
Near-roadway and regional air pollution, industrial releases, goods movement and growing oil and gas production in urban areas vulnerable to wildfires all threaten to increase the burden of environmental disease. In California and worldwide, these threats disproportionately affect children, especially in marginalized communities and communities of color.
The mission of the Southern California Center for Children’s Environmental Health Translational Research is to reduce the burden of childhood air pollution-related diseases by building an innovative framework for multidirectional engagement in which communities, government and civil society use science to develop solutions, with a focus on environmental justice.
The theme of the Center is Urbanism, Air Pollution, Children’s Health, and Environmental Justice. The Center framework includes novel approaches to youth engagement and community science, urban design and policy solutions, and communication and public knowledge to imagine an LA without fossil fuels.
View Resources from SC-CEHRT
Article
A Decade After Exide Shut Down: The Death Cycle of Plastic
In this High School LA Times article, author Emily Estrada shares how residents in Maywood California are concerned about contamination of a nearby toxic site the their neighborhood.
Research Publication
Agricultural Burning in Imperial Valley, California and Respiratory Symptoms in Children: A Cross-Sectional, Repeated Measures Analysis
Smoke from the burning of agricultural fields can contain air toxins. This study examines the relationship between agricultural burning, individual-level exposure to agricultural burn smoke, and parent-reported respiratory symptoms in children.
Qualitative Stories
Asian Pacific Island Forward Movement Workshops
USC CEHRT partnered with Asian Pacific Island Forward Movement to teach youth in polluted communities how to monitor air quality and advocate for cleaner air.
Webinar Recording
Be Heard Seminar Series
This resource explains the background and goals of the Be Heard webinar series and includes a link to watch past webinar recordings.
Research Publication
Community Led Air Quality Research in the San Gabriel Valley
Air pollution, particularly fine particulate matter (PM2.5), poses significant health risks, especially in disadvantaged communities with limited air quality monitoring. This study evaluates PM2.5 concentrations in the San Gabriel Valley cities of Alhambra and Monterey Park
through two community-engaged research efforts: (1) monitoring PM2.5 levels at identified pollution hotspots
Research Publication
Exceptional Use: Examining Methyl Bromide Applications in California 2016–2022
Dr. Jill Johnston, Co-director of SC-CEHRT, and Dr. Yoshira Ornealas Van Horne, a previous pilot project awardee, published a study on methyl bromide applications in California. Methyl bromide (MeBr) is a developmental, neurologic, and respiratory toxicant that has historically been used as a pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide in the shipping
Infographic
Infographic: Schools and Heat
This infographic provides tips for students, parents, teachers, and community members on how to protect health during heat waves.
Infographic
Infographics from Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center
The Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center (SCEHSC) is a collaborator of the Southern California center for Children’s Environmental Health Translational Research Translation. This resource provides a link to the SCEHSC infographics webpage.
Infographic
Infographics from UCI’s Community & Environment Research Lab
University of California Irvine’s (UCI) Community & Environment Research Lab is a collaborator of SC-CEHRT. This resource provides a link to the Community & Environment Research Lab’s infographic webpage.
Infographic
Methyl Bromide and Health Infographic
Methyl bromide (MeBr) is a developmental, neurologic, and respiratory toxicant that has historically been used as a pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide in the shipping and storing of goods. MeBr was set to phase out of use by 2005, but the Clean Air Act allows for certain exemptions. This infographic provides
Research Publication
Particulate Matter Levels and Children’s Lung Function in a Rural Cohort Near a Drying Saline Lake
Dr. Jill Johnston, Co-director of the Southern California Center for Children’s Environmental Health Research Translation, recently co-authored an article titled, “Particulate matter levels and children’s lung function in a rural cohort near a drying saline lake,” alongside a team of researchers from University of Southern California (USC), UC Irvine, University
Research Publication
Perceptions and Experiences of Environmental Health and Risks Among Latina Mothers in Urban Los Angeles
This resource provides access to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California and Columbia University. It is one of the first studies to describe how Latina mothers perceive and experience environmental health risks during pregnancy and early childhood.
Research Publication
Prenatal Exposure to Extreme Heat and Autism in Children
This study — which was co-authored by SC-CEHRT Co-Director, Dr. Rob McConnell — examined the associations of temperatures during pregnancy on autism diagnoses across a retrospective birth study cohort that followed 294,937 children from 2001 to 2014 and recorded if autism was diagnosed by age 5. Maximum and minimum day
Research Publication
Prenatal Exposure to Wildfire and Autism in Children
This recent study was also co-authored by SC-CEHRT Co-Director, Dr. Rob McConnell. It utilized a pregnancy cohort from the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Healthcare system to investigate the effect of prenatal wildfire exposure on autism development in offspring by comparing mean wildfire PM2.5 concentration, number of days of smoke exposure,
Research Publication
Researchers in the Division of Environmental Health at USC and Kaiser Permanente Southern California found a significant increase in the risk of severe outcomes for COVID-19 patients exposed to air pollutants
This resource provides access to a study conducted by researchers in the Division of Environmental Health at USC and Kaiser Permanente Southern California. The study investigates the association between air pollution and COVID-19 severity.
Article
Toxic Dust from California’s Shrinking Salton Sea is Harming Children’s Lung Growth – Our Study Tracked the Impact in 700 Kids
On April 3rd, the Los Angeles Times published an article titled “For Water and Mining Policy Near the Salton Sea, Keep in Mind Local Children’s Health” and The Conversation published an article titled, “Toxic Dust from California’s Shrinking Salton Sea is Harming Children’s Lung Growth — Our Study Tracked the
Webinar Recording
Webinar: East Palestine, Ohio- Best Practices for Academic-Community Collaboration
This webinar is part of the BeHeard Series. It is hosted by SC-CEHRT Co-Director, Dr. Jill Johnston, and features Erin Haynes, DrPH, MS and Misti Allison, MPH.
Webinar Recording
Webinar: Unveiling Health Communication for Social Media
This webinar was a part of the Be Heard! Seminar Series. In this webinar, Dr. Lanphear, Dr. Tamayo-Ortiz, and Dr. Buralli discussed best practices for leveraging social media for health communication. This webinar was in collaboration with the International Society For Children’s Health and the Environment, University of San Paulo,
National Coordinating Center: Children's Environmental Health Network (CEHN)
CEHN is a national organization with 30 years of experience leading the field of children’s environmental health across sectors.
CEHN’s commitment to supporting, synthesizing, and sharing rigorous independent science, its long history of convening diverse audiences, and the trust that it has earned among communities and stakeholders, positions CEHN well to act as the national hub for collecting, sharing, and exchanging CEH knowledge.
CEHN works collaboratively with the funded CEHRT Centers to advance the overall goals of the CEHRT Program, facilitate cohesiveness and collaboration across the network, and leverage the collective science into meaningful action for the public. CEHN serves as the National Coordinating Center through a partnership with Emory’s CHARTER Center
View Resources from CEHN
Factsheet
Children’s Environmental Health 101 Factsheet
This factsheet covers the basics of children’s environmental health, why it matters, who it impacts, and how we can protect kids’ health.
Factsheet
Children’s Environmental Health State Profiles
Where children live, learn, play, and work can influence their health. This is especially pertinent at the community or neighborhood level, but state level information can be informative as well.
Multiple factors can contribute to a state’s environmental health profile, including: regional, geographic, and meteorological conditions; population sizes; economies; major
Factsheet
Eco-Healthy Child Care® Resources
Eco-Healthy Child Care® factsheets and FAQs to help child care providers identify and reduce health hazards in learning environments. Available in English and Spanish.
Infographic
Fragrance Free: Healthy Air for Little Lungs
Infographic in Spanish and English for childcare providers with simple, low-cost steps to cleaner air by reducing exposure to fragrance chemicals.
Curriculum
Putting it into Practice Training Resource: A Developmental Approach to Pediatric Environmental Health
This presentation helps healthcare providers understand the following principles of
toxicology at each stage of development:
– Environmental sources of exposure to toxicants
– Routes of absorption
– Metabolism of toxicants
– Distribution to target tissues
– Sensitive target tissues
– Health effects
Infographic
Using Doormats: Small Step, Big Protection
Infographic in Spanish and English for child care providers with simple, low-cost steps to protect kids’ health using doormats to catch dirt and chemicals.