Translational Research Support Core

Columbia University Health Sciences, New York NY

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

SUMMARY – INTEGRATED HEALTH SCIENCES FACILITY CORE The Integrated Health Sciences Facility Core (IHSFC) promotes the goals of the Center for Environmental Health in Northern Manhattan (CEHNM) by supporting our members, community partners, and existing research projects and by fostering new interdisciplinary research focusing on environmental health. For this competitive renewal, the CEHNM restructured and fine-tuned its Facility Cores to better serve Center members’ needs, increase efficiency, and enhance interdisciplinary research. Our previous Exposure Assessment Facility Core is merged into the IHSFC. The IHSFC now includes an Untargeted Analysis Lab, which supports untargeted analysis for metabolomic and exposomic research. The IHSFC now brings together the expertise of six established labs: Environmental Exposure Assessment Lab [Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO)]; Allergens and Bioaerosols Lab [Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC)]; Trace Organics Lab [LDEO]; Biorepository and Bioanalysis Lab [CUIMC]; Untargeted Analysis Lab [CUIMC]; and Multi-element Trace Analysis Lab [CUIMC]. This integration augments our ability to provide comprehensive approaches with an array of state-of-the-art analyses for both environmental and biological samples, ranging from toxicology and mechanistic studies to clinical, population-based, and community-based participatory studies. The IHSFC enables investigators to take their studies from hypothesis-generating untargeted scanning to detailed, highly precise analysis of specific markers of exposures or effects. The IHSFC works seamlessly with the Study Design and Data Science Facility Core that provides invaluable conceptual input in study design and power calculations, data collection, and database support in a study’s first stages and implementation. IHSFC services include consults on sample collection methods and exposure study design, processing and archiving samples (environmental and biological), supporting environmental health projects and Community Engagement Core activities, developing and validating new sampling equipment, maintenance and loaning of field equipment, and responding to exposure emergencies and community needs. Further, beyond delivering services to CEHNM members, including pro-bono or low-cost services for CEHNM pilot projects, the IHSFC also provides training for students, postdocs, fellows, junior faculty, and staff to foster career development and independence. Our considerable expertise links Center members and junior faculty to other resources around LDEO and CUIMC. Our range of expertise empowers Center’s members to identify and characterize the impacts of environmental determinants of health, ultimately catalyzing the CEHNM’s goal to advance environmental and public health through research, training, and partnerships.