Center for Human Health and the Environment (CHHE)

North Carolina State University Raleigh, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The Center for Human Health and the Environment (CHHE) combines multidisciplinary, translational environmental health science (EHS) research and community engagement expertise at NC State and its affiliated universities (ECU and NCCU) to: 1) understand how human health, at both the individual and population level, is impacted by environmental factors, and 2) use this knowledge to prevent and/or reduce the adverse impacts of environmental factors on human health. CHHE members have coalesced into five Research Interest Groups strongly aligned with NIEHS priorities: (a) Behavior and Neuroscience, (b) Water and Emerging Challenges, (c) Genes, Environment, and Precision Health, (d) Health and Airborne Contaminants, and (e) Environmental Health Disparities. These Groups have cultivated research collaborations that would not otherwise be possible, using a true systems biology framework that integrates data from in vitro, in vivo, and basic human subjects research, with population studies and other large geospatial datasets to study human-relevant exposures, effects, and specific mechanisms of chemicals impacting regional communities. CHHE has built cores and programs that provide resources needed for members to successfully pursue grants and produce impactful publications. The Pilot Project Program advances EHS research by fostering collaborations, rewarding multidisciplinary research, and launching careers through funding the next generation of mechanistic or exploratory data. The Systems Technology Core (STC) provides access to cutting-edge technologies including targeted and untargeted proteomics, metabolomics, metallomics, and standard and advanced genomics, along with dedicated study design, methods development, and analysis support. The Translation Research Support Core (TRSC) catalyzes multidirectional translation of research to advance EHS understanding and, through translational partners, facilitate affected communities’ use of the research to improve public health. TRSC also houses the Environmental Data Sciences Group (bioinformatics), which is a major free asset to CHHE members. Our Community Engagement Core has built extensive CHHE-community partnerships and science teacher relationships, ensures multi-directional communication in CHHE regarding environmental health concerns or research findings, facilitates education programs, and supports community-partnered research. The Administrative Core provides effective fiscal and scientific leadership to promote collaborations across all Center components and beyond, coordinates a stellar Career Development Program, and actionably responds to the needs of the multidisciplinary members. As an integrated whole, CHHE has resulted in a dynamic and adaptive Center; one that fosters interdisciplinary, integrative approaches and brings members together to collaborate on mechanistic pathways, translational science, policy-related issues, educational guidance, and community engagement, and is a trusted source of EHS research.