Major UK-CARES Events

Thursday, December 3, 2026

3:00-4:00 PM

HKRB Seminar Room / Lobby

Save the Date! More details to follow.

The 2026 UK-CARES Membership Meeting, "Mapping the Future," successfully united a diverse network of affiliates- including scientists, educators, and community leaders- to collaborate on addressing the critical environmental health needs of Appalachia.

Through this event, we fostered cross-disciplinary alliances by exploring how we can collectively leverage critical research infrastructure, shared facilities, and resources to advance environmental health sciences research. Together, we strengthened our commitment to community engagement and translational research as the driving forces behind improving public health.

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UK-CARES co-hosted the annual John P. Wyatt, M.D. Environment and Health Symposium at the UK Gatton Student Center Ballrooms on Earth Day, April 22, 2026. 

Centered around the theme “Air Pollution and Health Science: A Double-Edged Sword,” the event united a statewide network of researchers, legal professionals, community leaders, and government officials committed to addressing critical environmental exposures impacting the Commonwealth.

Presentation of Award. Pictured L-R: Kelly Pennell, Hollie Swanson, Erin Haynes, Arden Pope, Doug Dockery, Ilhem Messaoudi, Lauren Cagle, Steve Evens, Kevin Pearson, Michael McGlue. Photo by Jeremy Blackburn | Research Communications

The symposium opened with welcoming remarks from Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton and UK Acting Vice President for Research Dr. Ilhem Messaoudi. The highlight of the morning was a powerful keynote address delivered by world-renowned air quality pioneers Dr. C. Arden Pope, III (Brigham Young University) and Dr. Douglas W. Dockery (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health). Drawing from four decades of seminal research and their recent book, Particles of Truth: A Story of Discovery, Controversy, and the Fight for Healthy Air, they explored how air pollution data has reshaped public health policies while addressing ongoing challenges to environmental science.

Key Highlights & Activities:

• Wyatt Environment and Health Award: Drs. Pope and Dockery were presented with this prestigious honor by UK Center for the Environment Director Dr. Erin Haynes and Deputy Director Dr. Michael McGlue to recognize their monumental, lifelong contributions to global clean air initiatives.
• Expert Panel Discussion: An interdisciplinary panel featuring Michael Kennedy (Director, Kentucky Division for Air Quality), Dr. Tianjun Lu (UK College of Public Health), and Shavonnie Carthens (UK J. David Rosenberg College of Law) engaged in a facilitated session exploring the crucial alignment between environmental scientific research, federal/state regulation, and grassroots community action.
• Next-Gen Science: The event spotlighted the next generation of environmental champions through interactive student and postdoctoral lightning research talks, concluding with an dynamic air quality technology fair and a book signing event.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the Wyatt family, whose continuous support enables the UK Center for the Environment and UK-CARES to advance collaborative solutions for a healthier, more sustainable Kentucky.

Read the full story 

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A look back on a successful 2025 UK-CARES at the annual State of the Science held in January. 

Presentations by 2024 & 2025 Pilot, Career Development, and Community-Engaged Research Awardees. Paper of the Year Winners.

UK-CARES celebrated environmental health research at its State of the Science annual meeting at the Healthy Kentucky Research Building. The event showcased EHS research conducted by pilot project awardees from 2024 and ’25. These included scientists from across the university and community members representing organizations in Kentucky and Ohio Appalachian communities.

Congratulations to our Paper of the Year Awardees 

2023   

SCIENCE: Cochran JP, Unrine JM, Coyne M, Tsyusko OV. Read more: PubMed

COMMUNITY: Martin KV, Hilbert TJ, Reilly M, Christian WJ, Hoover A, Pennell KG, Ding Q, Haynes EN. Read more: PubMed

2024  

SCIENCE: Kohler K, Macheda T, Hobbs MM, Maisel MT, Rodriguez A, Farris L, Wessel CR, Infantino C, Niedowicz DM, Helman AM, Beckett TL, Unrine JM, Murphy MP. Read more: PubMed

COMMUNITY: Unrine JM, McCoy N, Christian WJ, Gautam Y, Ormsbee L, Sanderson W, Draper R, Mooney M, Cromer M, Pennell K, Hoover AG. Read more: PubMed

Read the full story 

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UK-CARES hosted the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and its Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHSCC) for the EHSCC annual meeting, for the first time in Lexington!

The meeting’s theme was “Celebrating Environmental Health Science: Over 60 Years of Science, 25 Years of Community Engagement, and 10 Years of Disaster Response Research.”

“It was such a privilege hosting the Environmental Health Science Core Centers in Lexington. We welcomed more than 200 attendees from 25 institutions across the U.S., including affiliates from every NIEHS-funded P30 center,” said Erin Haynes, Dr.P.H., UK-CARES director and professor in the UK College of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health. “The meeting gave attendees an opportunity to share scientific advancement and engage community partners in the work we do.” 

Event sponsors included UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, NSF/NIH RAPID Facility, UK Office of the Vice President for Research, UK Center for the Environment and UK Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences (UK-CARES). 

Read full story here

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Advancing Environmental Health and Collaboration in Kentucky

The UK-CARES 2024 Research Summit brought together researchers, students, and community advocates dedicated to Addressing Kentucky’s Environmental Health Issues. With a core focus on expanding opportunities for research and cross-disciplinary collaboration, this year's summit highlighted actionable ways to integrate environmental health metrics into ongoing health studies.

The event kicked off with an insightful keynote address by Amanda LeFevre, Deputy Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection. LeFevre detailed the critical intersection of policy, environmental protection, and public health, underscoring how robust data and academic partnerships can drive meaningful community interventions across the Commonwealth.

Interactive Research Breakout Sessions

Attendees engaged in highly collaborative breakout sessions, diving deep into three critical environmental domains impacting Kentucky today:

• Air Quality: Exploring the health impacts of airborne pollutants, monitoring innovations, and respiratory health outcomes.
• Water Quality: Reviewing contaminants of emerging concern, watershed safety, and the health of Kentucky's waterways.
• Emerging Exposures (Climate): Discussing the rapidly evolving health challenges linked to shifting climate patterns and environmental stress.

These sessions sparked vibrant discussions, allowing scientists and public health professionals to map out new strategies, share resources, and spark future joint research projects.