RESEARCH PROJECTS

Current Research Grants

Impact of Preconception and Onward Exposures to Air Pollution on Growth Trajectories of Infants and Children

This study will examine critical time windows of air pollution exposure, from preconception to prenatal and postnatal, that affect birth weight and body growth trajectories during the first 2 years of life. Both outcomes are predictors of childhood obesity.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Main Principal Investigator         Project period: 09/2019-05/2023

Trimester-Specific Variation in Air Quality and Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Natural Experiment

This project will evaluate the association of prenatal air pollution exposure with ASD, assessed both as a categorical diagnosis and as a continuous trait, in a population-based sample, leveraging the improvements in air quality surrounding the time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Main Principal Investigator&Subcontract Principal Investigator                                                Project period: 07/2019-06/2025

Potential Pathophysiologic Mechanisms Linking Air Pollution Exposure in Pregnant Women to Reduced Birth Weight

This study is to determine whether air pollution exposure impacts systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in the mother, placenta, and fetus; determine whether air pollution exposure impacts placental development, vascularization, and related imprinted genes; determine whether air pollution exposure impacts metabolic deficiency; and explore whether these mechanisms mediate the association between air pollution and birth weight.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Main Principal Investigator

Completed Research Grants

The Combined Influence of Outdoor and Indoor Pollutants on Acute Respiratory Response of School Children in China
Underwriters Laboratory. PI: Mike Bergin
Co-Investigator

Effects of Air Pollution on Cardiopulmonary Disease in Urban and Peri-urban Residents in Beijing (AIRLESS)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Subcontract Principal Investigator

Health Assessment and Control Mechanisms for PM2.5 and Co-pollutants in the Built Environment
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Co-Investigator

Prospective Evaluation of Air Pollution, Cognition and Autism from Birth Onward
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)-NIH. PI: Heather Volk
Co-Investigator

Prenatal Tobacco Smoke, Genetic and Epigenetic Changes, and Respiratory Health
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)-NIH. PI: Carrie Breton
Co-Investigator

Risk Assessment for Manufactured Nanoparticles Used in Consumer Products (RAMNUC)
US Environmental Protection Agency and UK National Environmental Research Council
Principal Investigator and Program Director

Respiratory Effects of Silver and Carbon Nanoparticles (RESAC)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)-NIH
Principal Investigator and Center Director

Air Pollution Particle Effects on Human Antimycobacterial Immunity
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)-NIH. PI: Stephan Schwander
Co-Investigator

Influence of Indoor Air Filtration Strategies on Occupant Health Indicators
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Co-Principal Investigator