Grantee Research Project Results
2013 Progress Report: New Mexico Center for Advancement of Research, Engagement, & Science on Health Disparities (NM CARES HD) - Environmental Health Core
EPA Grant Number: NIMHD009Title: New Mexico Center for Advancement of Research, Engagement, & Science on Health Disparities (NM CARES HD) - Environmental Health Core
Investigators: Williams, Robert L , Scott, Amy Anixter , Apodaca, Veronica D , Lewis, Johnnye Lynn , Page-Reeves, Janet , Liu, Jim , Hudson, Laurie , Moffett, Mark , Gonzales, Melissa
Current Investigators: Williams, Robert L , Gonzales, Melissa , Lewis, Johnnye Lynn , Scott, Amy Anixter , Page-Reeves, Janet , Moffett, Mark , Apodaca, Veronica D , Hudson, Laurie , Liu, Jim
Institution: University of New Mexico
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: August 1, 2011 through July 31, 2014
Project Period Covered by this Report: August 1, 2012 through July 31,2013
Project Amount: $528,500
RFA: Transdisciplinary Networks of Excellence on the Environment and Health Disparities (2012) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Environmental Justice , Human Health
Objective:
The objective of the Environmental Health Core (EHC) is to establish a research focus in the science of intervention on environmental health (EH) disparities based at the University of New Mexico Health Science Center. This effort will be based on sound research practices, informed by community needs, and will focus on filling information gaps to inform policy and clinical care. The EHC will initiate a vigorous, self-sustaining, research core that advances the scientific base of knowledge about interventions and solutions to socioeconomic, natural, chemical, and built environment issues contributing to the health disparities faced by Native Americans and Hispanic communities in New Mexico, and to actively work to ensure these results are used to inform policy, clinical, social and behavioral interventions to reduce disparities.
Future Activities:
Johnnye Lewis will be a plenary speaker, and Laurie Hudson and Melissa Gonzales will present posters at the 7th Conference on Metal Toxicity and Carcinogenesis (October 21-24, 2012 in Albuquerque, NM). The interdisciplinary international conference will focus on: mechanisms of metal-induced toxicity, strategies for intervention and prevention, and possible translation from basic studies into clinical or public policy.
In collaboration with the Community Engagement Core, the EH Core will train interested community members to access to online ArcGIS data maps related to health outcomes, risks, and social determinants in various regions of NM available through the NM Community Data Collaborative.
Navajo Birth Cohort (parent study for Project 2) will expand to include more Indian Health Service recruitment locations.
In Collaboration with the Community Engagement, Research and Research Education Cores of NM CARES HD, the EH Core will be assisting New Mexico community’s with environmental health disparities related research proposals.
Fiestas (Project 1) Upcoming milestones include completion of the third series of ethnographic community interviews, social network mapping of the Santa Barbara-Martineztown community, Fiestas Community Board trainings, Fiestas 1 participants and community interviewees (9/25/12), and Neighborhood Association (12/16/12) to share research information/data and obtain feedback; complete Fiestas #2 by 11/10/12. We will continue to mentor community board members, undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Page-Reeves will present the Fiestas project and project paper at a national meeting panel addressing food insecurity and hunger which she has organized and will facilitate at the American Anthropological Association national meeting in San Francisco, November 2012. We are currently writing several project-related papers to submit to peer-reviewed journals. We are currently in discussion with state partners who are interested in replicating and expanding the Fiestas project to other communities.
We will continue investigations on the mechanisms by which uranium interferes with PARP-1 function leading to decreased DNA repair and submit a manuscript for peer review. Once recruitment into the Birth Cohort begins we will conduct the studies outlined in the proposal. Due to the late start of recruitment as a result of delays in OMB review, we will expand recruitment for this disparities research project from one to three service units. The additional service units also have regions of exposure profiles similar to the original Shiprock service unit. Therefore, we anticipate being able to meet the target numbers we originally predicted. Analysis of zinc in serum will now be accomplished at a recently developed ICP-MS facility at UNM, also facilitating completion of the proposed goals by offering more control of the process. Pilot runs of test samples have begun and will complete by the start of enrollment to ensure the quality and consistency of the analyses. Dr. Hudson will continue the mentorship of Ms. Ranalda Tsosie and guide her through the graduate school application process. Mr. Charlton Lindsay will pursue his honors research co-mentored by Drs. Hudson and Lewis. Mr. Lindsay will supplement his summer experience with direct laboratory experimentation on the mechanisms of uranium disruption of DNA repair.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 50 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
drinking water, exposure, health effects, food security, heavy metals, sustainable development, public policy, decision making, community-based, survey, socio-economic epidemiology, environmental toxicology, southwestRelevant Websites:
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.