UofL to host community forum on social and environmental determinants of health

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    LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville Center for Environmental Genomics and Integrative Biology (CEGIB) will host a community forum on the social and environmental determinants of health on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 4:30 p.m., at The Nia Center, 2900 W. Broadway.

    Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP), will lead the discussion. The panel also includes UofL scientists and representatives from Rubbertown Emergency Action network (REACT), West Jefferson County Community Task Force (WJCTF), Rubbertown Community Advisory Council (RCAC) and Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness.

    “Health begins where we live, learn, work and play,” said Irma N. Ramos, M.D., CEGIB community outreach director. “This is an opportunity for people of Metro Louisville to talk about conditions in their neighborhoods, schools, homes and workplaces and how they might influence their health and predisposition to illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.”

    The NIEHS is holding similar forums around the country, primarily in partnership with universities that have established NIEHS-funded core research centers that are investigating pressing environmental issues.

    “I look forward to talking with the residents of Rubbertown and others throughout the Louisville area about the research NIEHS is conducting to discover how their environment influences their health,” said Birnbaum. “I know this is a topic of great concern in this community and we want to make sure the community is involved in the planning and conduct of our research.”

    “The forums encourage coordination among the public and health professionals working on community exposures, industrial exposures, and other environmental health issues. They help broaden public understanding of local health issues and they help set our science agenda,” said Ken Ramos, Ph.D., core center director.

    The UofL Center for Environmental Genomics and Integrative Biology is a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences core center that focuses on the application of genomics and integrative biology to problems in environmental health, providing expertise and facilities to advance research efforts in the areas of environmental cardiology, environmental carcinogenesis and developmental origins of health and disease.

    The NIEHS is one of 27 research institutes and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health. Its mission is to reduce the burden of human illness and disability by understanding how the environment influences the development and progression of human disease.