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The University of Kentucky hosted the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and its Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHSCC) for the EHSCC annual meeting, Oct. 27-30, 2025, for the first time in Lexington, Kentucky.

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.”

Event sponsors included UL Research Institutes’ Chemical InsightsNSF/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). 

“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.” 

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Awardees

Outstanding Early Stage Investigator Poster

for exceptional potential and emerging talent in environmental earth science.

Eliane El Hayek | University of New Mexico
NM-INSPIRES: Integrative Science Program Incorporating Research in Environmental Sciences
“When innovative science intersects with the needs of public health & communities”

Diddier Prada | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
HEALS: Health and Environment Across the LifeSpan
“Circulating small molecules as potential biomarkers for uranium & radon exposure”

Frederick Adams Ekuban | University of Louisville
UofL CIEHS: Center for Integrative Environmental Health Sciences
“Environmental Forever Chemical Exposures Modify the Severity of Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease”

Maggie Murphy | University of Kentucky
UK-CARES: Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences
“Environmental Contributions to Cardiovascular Risk in Children: Preliminary Findings”

John Onukwufor| University of Rochester
EHSC: Environmental Health Sciences Center
“DMT1 as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Neurodegenerative Disorders”

 

Excellence in Environmental Health Science Poster

for outstanding contributions moving the field of environmental health science forward.

Rebecca Lauzon | University of Rochester
EHSC: Environmental Health Sciences Center
Community Engagement Core- “Breathing Easier: Enhancing Community Awareness & Action on Indoor Air Quality”

Lauren Aleksunes | Rutgers University
CEED: Center for Environmental Exposures and Disease
Science-“FRESH Connections: A Regional Initiative to Catalyze Scientific Exchange Among NIEHS P30 Centers”

Adrian Wood | University of Pennsylvania
CEET: Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology
Community Engagement Core-“Collaborative Air Quality Monitoring & Community Health Engagement in Chester, PA”

Dana Haine | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
UNC-CH: Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility
Community Engagement Core-“Exploring PFAS In NC Communities: Science Teachers and EHSCC Researchers Collaborate to Incorporate Environmental Health Research into Locally Relevant Science Learning Contexts”

Mauro Martinez | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
HEALS: Health and Environment Across the LifeSpan
Science-“Reconstructing Early Life Fluoride Exposure Using a Novel High-Resolution Dentine Biomarker”

 

People’s Choice Award

recognizing an outstanding poster as selected by peer vote.

Dana Haine | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
UNC-CH: Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility
Community Engagement Core-“Exploring PFAS In NC Communities: Science Teachers and EHSCC Researchers Collaborate to Incorporate Environmental Health Research into Locally Relevant Science Learning Contexts”