Duke University Integrated Toxicology & Environmental Health Program

Duke University Integrated Toxicology & Environmental Health Program Follow us to stay up-to-date with the Duke University Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program (ITEHP)!

We will let you know about our weekly Seminar Series, Symposia, and other information of interest to the ITEHP Community. Duke University’s Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program (ITEHP) is a pre-doctoral training program which prepares students for research careers in environmental health and toxicology.

Congratulations to ITEHP alum, Dr. Stacey Adam, who was presented Duke’s 2026 Centennial Distinguished Alumni Award at t...
05/18/2026

Congratulations to ITEHP alum, Dr. Stacey Adam, who was presented Duke’s 2026 Centennial Distinguished Alumni Award at the PhD Hooding Ceremony on May 9th. Dr. Adam was advised by ITEHP faculty member, Dr. Chris Counter, and earned her PhD in Pharmacology/Molecular Cancer Biology with a Mammalian Toxicology certificate. She is now the Vice President of Science Partnerships at the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health.

You can listen to a conversation between Dr. Adam and Dr. Counter in the 4th episode of the Duke GradCast: A Conversation with 2026 Distinguished Alum Stacey Adam here: https://gradschool.duke.edu/centennial-home/duke-gradcast/episode-4-conversation-2026-distinguished-alum-stacey-adam/

On Friday, June 7th, the Nicholas School of the Environment held its 2026 PhD Graduate Student Recognition Ceremony. The...
05/15/2026

On Friday, June 7th, the Nicholas School of the Environment held its 2026 PhD Graduate Student Recognition Ceremony. The ITEHP was proud to see Drs. Christina Bergemann, Ilaria Merutka, and Emily Green recognized for their doctoral research. Their achievements were highlighted by mentors Joel Meyer, PhD (Bergemann) and Nishad Jayasundara, PhD (Merutka and Green).

We are incredibly proud of all they have accomplished and look forward to seeing the impact they will continue to make in the world of science!

Photo credit: Susan Murray

🎉 Congratulations to Dr. Emily Green! 🎉On February 12, ITEHP PhD candidate, Emily Green, successfully defended her disse...
04/24/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Dr. Emily Green! 🎉

On February 12, ITEHP PhD candidate, Emily Green, successfully defended her dissertation—an incredible milestone and the start of an exciting new chapter of her career. We are so proud of you, Dr. Green, and can’t wait to see the impact you’ll make in the field of toxicology!

📣Last call to register!📣Registration for in person attendance to our Spring 2026 Symposium: NAMs and TAMs (New and Tradi...
04/24/2026

📣Last call to register!📣

Registration for in person attendance to our Spring 2026 Symposium: NAMs and TAMs (New and Traditional Approaches and Methodologies): The Future of Laboratory-Based Environmental Health and Toxicology Research for Harm Reduction will close on Sunday. We hope to see you there!

Tuesday, May 5, 2026
8:50am-4:30pm
Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall, rm 1112

This symposium will explore how New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and Traditional Approaches and Methodologies (TAMs) can be integrated to advance environmental health and toxicology research. Speakers will highlight emerging experimental platforms—including organoids, alternative model organisms, high-throughput screening systems, and computational tools—alongside established animal and laboratory models that have historically driven toxicology research. The symposium will focus on how combining these approaches can improve mechanistic understanding of environmental exposures, accelerate chemical risk assessment, and support harm reduction strategies for human and ecological health. By bringing together researchers working across experimental systems and disciplines, the symposium aims to foster dialogue on the future of laboratory-based toxicology in environmental health research.

This event is *FREE* to attend and open to all. Registration is required.
Please visit the symposium webpage to access full details and links for in person and virtual attendance options:https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/.../spring-2026.../

Join us tomorrow, April 9th, for the final seminar in our spring series!Beverly deSouza, ITEHP:Pharmacology PhD candidat...
04/08/2026

Join us tomorrow, April 9th, for the final seminar in our spring series!

Beverly deSouza, ITEHP:Pharmacology PhD candidate, Duke University, will present “The Metabolic Regulatory Gene Sirt4 Promotes Mammary Gland Development via its Impact on the Extracellular Matrix” on Thursday, April 9, 12:00-1:00 pm Eastern.
The mammary gland is unique among mammalian organs in that it undergoes profound remodeling postnatally. Despite extensive study of hormonal control of pubertal mammary gland development, we still poorly understand how metabolism influences the restructuring of mammary tissue. In this talk, I will discuss our surprising discovery that female mice lacking the metabolic regulator sirtuin 4 (Sirt4) fail to develop normal mammary ducts during puberty and are unable to nurse their pups. My dissertation research shows that Sirt4 expression is required in mammary fibroblasts to promote normal ductal development. Fibroblasts orchestrate much of the deposition and remodeling of the extracellular matrix – the noncellular component of tissues that includes collagen. Proper ECM structure is necessary to drive proliferation and expansion of mammary ducts into the surrounding fat pad. Similar proliferative and invasive programming are stimulated by aberrant ECM remodeling in the pathological setting of mammary tumors. This work thus can provide new insights into known associations between metabolic disease and breast pathologies like lactation insufficiency and breast cancer.

Thursday, April 9, 2026
12:00-1:00 pm Eastern
Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall
Visit the seminar page to learn more & to get a link to the livestream!
https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/envhealth/spring-2026-seminar-series/

Join us tomorrow, April 2nd, for the penultimate seminar in our main spring series!Lina Mu, MD, PhD, University at Buffa...
04/01/2026

Join us tomorrow, April 2nd, for the penultimate seminar in our main spring series!

Lina Mu, MD, PhD, University at Buffalo, will present “Impacts of Air Pollution on Vulnerable Populations, and Potential Preventions” on Thursday, April 2nd, 12:00-1:00 pm Eastern.

In this presentation, I will introduce a few of our studies that investigated how air pollution exposure impacted health outcomes among vulnerable populations. The presentation will also discuss a few pathways involved in the biological process of air pollution exposure. We will introduce our explorations on a few approaches to addressing air pollution through inventions and prevention.

Thursday, April 2, 2026
12:00-1:00 pm Eastern
Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall
Visit the seminar page to learn more & to get a link to the livestream!
https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/envhealth/spring-2026-seminar-series/

📣Announcing our Spring 2026 Symposium📣: NAMs and TAMs (New and Traditional Approaches and Methodologies): The Future of ...
03/23/2026

📣Announcing our Spring 2026 Symposium📣: NAMs and TAMs (New and Traditional Approaches and Methodologies): The Future of Laboratory-Based Environmental Health and Toxicology Research for Harm Reduction

Tuesday, May 5, 2026
8:50am-4:30pm
Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall, rm 1112

This symposium will explore how New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and Traditional Approaches and Methodologies (TAMs) can be integrated to advance environmental health and toxicology research. Speakers will highlight emerging experimental platforms—including organoids, alternative model organisms, high-throughput screening systems, and computational tools—alongside established animal and laboratory models that have historically driven toxicology research. The symposium will focus on how combining these approaches can improve mechanistic understanding of environmental exposures, accelerate chemical risk assessment, and support harm reduction strategies for human and ecological health. By bringing together researchers working across experimental systems and disciplines, the symposium aims to foster dialogue on the future of laboratory-based toxicology in environmental health research.

This event is *FREE* to attend and open to all. Registration is required.

Please visit the symposium webpage to access full details and links for in person and virtual attendance options: https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/envhealth/spring-2026-symposium-nams-and-tams-new-and-traditional-approaches-and-methodologies-the-future-of-laboratory-based-environmental-health-and-toxicology-research-for-harm-reduction/

Join us tomorrow, March 19th, for the next seminar in our main spring series!Rebecca Hoehn, PhD candidate, Duke Universi...
03/18/2026

Join us tomorrow, March 19th, for the next seminar in our main spring series!

Rebecca Hoehn, PhD candidate, Duke University, will present “Investigating Building Materials and Vehicles as Sources of Exposure to Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds” on Thursday, March 19, 12:00-1:00 pm Eastern.

Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) are a large class of primarily man-made chemicals commonly found in consumer products and building materials. Over time, SVOCs can be released into indoor air and dust, contributing to human exposure. The average American spends about 90% of their time indoors, where they are exposed to SVOCs through both inhalation and dermal contact with dust particles. Several SVOCs have been associated with higher risks for negative health effects such as endocrine disruption, neurodevelopmental disorders, and cancer. This may be particularly concerning for populations in sensitive developmental windows, such as pregnant women or children, who may be more vulnerable to chemical stressors.

This seminar will discuss research utilizing silicone passive samplers to quantify exposures to SVOCs. The projects presented will focus on two key microenvironments for SVOC exposure: homes and personal vehicles. Pairing personal exposure measurements with samples collected from homes and vehicles, this work will highlight specific SVOC source materials, discuss predictors and patterns of exposure, examine the relationship between exposure and temperature, and present evidence of actionable exposure reduction strategies.

Thursday, March 19, 2026
12:00-1:00 pm Eastern
Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall
Visit the seminar page to learn more & to get a link to the livestream!
https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/envhealth/spring-2026-seminar-series/

Join us tomorrow, March 5th, for the next seminar in our main spring series!Liyin He, PhD, Duke University, will present...
03/04/2026

Join us tomorrow, March 5th, for the next seminar in our main spring series!

Liyin He, PhD, Duke University, will present “Harnessing Geoinformatics for Urban and Food Sustainability” on Thursday, March 5, 12:00-1:15 pm Eastern.

The new era of satellite-based Earth observation has fundamentally transformed our ability to study climate–ecosystem–human interactions across regional and global scales. Satellite data complement ground-based measurements by providing consistent, high-resolution, and spatially continuous information on environmental conditions, ecosystem processes, and human exposure.

In this talk, I will show how we integrate satellite remote sensing and data-driven (AI) approaches to tackle pressing sustainability challenges, including: (1) Mapping urban heat inequality, (2) Quantifying co-exposure to extreme heat and wildfire smoke, and (3) Advancing smart agriculture for climate-resilient food systems. By linking satellite observations with socioeconomic, agricultural, and public health datasets, we generate actionable, policy-relevant insights. Together, these projects demonstrate how geoinformatics and AI can bridge environmental science and decision-making to enhance urban resilience, strengthen food security, and promote human well-being in a warming world.

Thursday, March 5, 2026
12:00-1:00 pm Eastern
Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall
Visit the seminar page to learn more & to get a link to the livestream!
https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/envhealth/spring-2026-seminar-series/

Join us tomorrow, February 26th, for the next seminar in our main spring series!Antonio Baines, PhD, North Carolina Cent...
02/25/2026

Join us tomorrow, February 26th, for the next seminar in our main spring series!

Antonio Baines, PhD, North Carolina Central University, will present “Understanding Pancreatic Cancer Through the Lens of the Exposome, Health Disparities, and Potential Molecular Drug Targets” on Thursday, February 26, 12:00-1:15 pm Eastern.

Pancreatic cancer is the 3rd leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. and responsible for 7% of all cancer deaths. Experts believe that it will become the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths in 2030. Although there is no clear explanation, there are various risk factors including lifestyle choices and environmental exposures that could contribute to this rise in mortality. This presentation will provide some examples of the exposome of pancreatic cancer as well as highlight health disparities observed with this lethal disease. In addition, molecular targets that can be used to develop potential drug therapies against pancreatic cancer will be discussed.

Thursday, February 26, 2026
12:00-1:00 pm Eastern
Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall
Visit the seminar page to learn more & to get a link to the livestream!
https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/envhealth/spring-2026-seminar-series/

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