Stories of Success
NIEHS-funded scientists work in a variety of disciplines, performing groundbreaking research into how the environment influences the development and progression of disease. Through these Stories of Success we invite you to explore the people behind the research in stories that you won't find in a scientific journal. Read about NIEHS grantees who are developing new technologies to better measure environmental exposures and their effects on our body; partnering with communities to help them understand the effects of pollution; and cultivating tomorrow's environmental health scientists.
Featured DERT Success Stories
NIEHS Grantee Finds Immunotoxic Effects for PFCs in Children
Philippe Grandjean, M.D.
NIEHS grantee Philippe Grandjean, M.D., published one of the first studies to link childhood exposure to perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) with immune system deficiency. Read more...
Mapping Pesticide Exposure Reveals Association with Parkinson's Disease
Beate Ritz, M.D., Ph.D.
NIEHS grantee Beate Ritz, M.D., Ph.D., uses geographic information systems (GIS) technology to study links between pesticide exposure and risk for Parkinson’s disease. Read more...
High School Teacher’s Research Experience Benefits Students
Tyler Beach
Tyler Beach spent a summer conducting environmental health research at the University of Rochester thanks to support from an NIEHS administrative supplement grant. He can draw upon this summer research experience when teaching science at Greece Athena High School in Rochester, N.Y. Read more...
Undergraduate Researchers Contribute to Melanoma Research
James Hoerter, Ph.D.
James Hoerter, Ph.D., is working to understand the causes of melanoma, a type of skin cancer that claims around 8,000 lives each year in the United States. He is funded through an NIEHS Academic Enhancement Research Award (AREA), a program designed to support small-scale research projects at institutions where primary focus is undergraduates. Read more...
ONES Awardee Studies Ion Channels Activated by Environmental Irritants
Sven-Eric Jordt, Ph.D.
Sven-Eric Jordt, Ph.D., investigates sensory neuron ion channels called transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. The ion channel is found in large numbers in the eyes, where it causes tears, as well as in the throat and larynx, where it initiates the coughing reflex.His early research linked these channels to pain sensing, and more recently he found that the channels are also responsible for the watery eyes and coughing reactions some people have when exposed to cigarette smoke and other environmental irritants. Understanding how TRP channels work could lead to new pain medicines, asthma therapies, and ways to counteract chemical warfare agents. Read more...
Researchers Partner with Community to Study Traffic-related Air Pollutants at Schools
Patrick Ryan, Ph.D.
Patrick Ryan, Ph.D., is examining the impact of traffic-related pollutants on asthma in inner-city schools through a community-based research project called the Cincinnati Anti-Idling Campaign study. The study involves University of Cincinnati researchers partnering with the Cincinnati Health Department and the Cincinnati Public Schools to develop and implement an anti-idling campaign aimed at reducing children's exposure to traffic-related air pollution while traveling to and attending school. Read more...
Wearable Monitor Tracks Individual Exposures to Air Pollution
Nongjian (NJ) Tao, Ph.D.
A wearable monitor developed by NIEHS grantee Nongjian (NJ) Tao, Ph.D., tracks and transmits real-time information on multiple air pollution components to which a person comes in contact. This personal exposure information can help researchers identify gene-environment interactions that lead to various health effects. Read more...
