At the core of the Mount Sinai Institute for Climate Change, Environmental Health, and Exposomics is our NIEHS-funded Center on Health and Environment Across the LifeSpan (HEALS).
CENTER UPDATES
HEALS Pilot Grants Program, Steered by New Director, Marks First Decade
This year, the Center on Health and Environment Across the LifeSpan (HEALS) Pilot Projects Program marks its ten-year anniversary. The Program bears a robust track record of providing seed funding for groundbreaking research that has identified key environmental drivers of human health.
HEALS Invites 2024 Pilot Project Applications
Mount Sinai Center on Health and Environment Across the LifeSpan (HEALS) is pleased to announce its 16th call for pilot grant proposals. The Center’s aim is to foster innovative research and multidisciplinary collaborations in the field of environmental health sciences. This funding opportunity invites researchers from diverse disciplines to submit proposals for pilot projects that…
2023 Awarded Pilot Proposal: Exposure to Artificial Light at Night and Sleep Disruption in Adolescents from Mexico City
PI: Ivan Gutierrez-Avila, PhD Abstract Sleep disruption is a growing public health problem, with adolescents experiencing a dramatic decline in sleep duration in recent years. At the same time, exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN), a ubiquitous and understudied environmental exposure, has been on the rise globally. Of particular interest are short-wave ALAN sources…
2023 Awarded Pilot Proposal: Community-Led Air Quality Monitoring for Environmental Justice and Public Health in the Lower East Side
PI: Sofia Curdumi Pendley, PhD, MPH Abstract As a result of inequitable policies and planning, the Lower East Side (LES) of NYC is disproportionately burdened by poor air quality and consequential health impacts. Nestled alongside the FDR Drive, a power plant, and the ongoing East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project, the LES is inundated by…
2023 Awarded Pilot Proposal: Impact of Prenatal PFAS Exposure on the Placental Transcriptome and Fetal Growth
PI: Corina Lesseur, MD, PhD Abstract Epidemiological studies have linked prenatal exposure to per- and polyflouroalkyl substances (PFAS) with lower birthweight. The placenta is the crucial regulator of the intrauterine environment, protecting the fetus from environmental insults and orchestrating fetal growth and development. Yet, little is known about the effects of PFAS on the placenta.…
2023 Awarded Pilot Proposal: BREATHE with Bomba: Building Resilience through Environmental Awareness and Tradition-based Health Education
PI: Luz Claudio, PhD Abstract East Harlem faces environmental health challenges, notably high asthma rates. The project aims to educate youth and families about environmental and climate health, focusing on environmental justice, air pollution, asthma triggers, and physical activity. This innovative CBPR project proposed by Los Pleneros de la 21 and Dr. Luz Claudio’s team…
2023 Awarded Pilot Proposals: Exposure to Noise, Metals, and Air Pollutants and Child Development in Kigali, Rwanda
PI: Youssef Oulhote, PhD Abstract Neurodevelopmental impairments in childhood result in significant economic and lifetime costs in the form of compromised health, academic achievement, occupational attainment, and income. While there is convincing evidence that environmental pollution may affect cognitive abilities in children, leading to poor academic performance and future educational attainment, most investigations on children…
Mount Sinai Experts Support Communities by Advocating for Natural Playgrounds and Fields over Hazardous Artificial Turf Surfaces
“We know that chemicals are present that wouldn’t be allowed in products for children,” says Sarah Evans, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Community Partner Highlight: Futures Ignite
Drs. Maida Galvez, Nancy Sloan, and Sofia Curdumi Pendley participated in the Bronx IN-Tech Academy Careers Day hosted by HEALS community partner Futures Ignite where they shared information about their career paths in public health and medicine with middle and high schoolers.
Mount Sinai Awarded $8.45 million for the Center on Health and Environment Across the LifeSpan (HEALS)
The NIEHS core centers support multidisciplinary research in environmental health and exposomics.