Autumn 2007
Translating Curiosity Into Breakthroughs
F
For Dr. DeLisa Fairweather, a childhood curiosity
about the environment and its influence on human
health led her to study science, and has taken her
around the world and back. "One of my earliest
memories," she said recently "is of lying in the grass
in the back yard, watching the insects moving
around. I started wondering why they looked the
way they did, and where they were going."
As Fairweather's interest in nature and
science grew into a desire to help people, she
first considered a career in medicine, and,
toward that end, earned a BA in biology
from Whitman College. After relocating to
Australia she came across a position in
medical research and was soon inspired to
pursue her PhD from the University of
Western Australia.
Fairweather and her colleagues have made
several noteworthy observations. They found that
the course of the inflammatory response is
determined within the first few hours of the
immune system recognizing a virus ('Cutting Edge'
article (2006, J. Immunol. Jun 1; 176(11). In
another recent "Cutting Edge' article (2007, J.
Immunol. Jun 1; 178(11), Fairweather and
her colleagues have examined gender
differences in this response. Men have a
more robust and lingering inflammatory
response, just as they have a greater risk of
cardiovascular disease. In women, the
immune system employs T-regulatory cells
that dampen the immune response once the
infection has been cleared.
Currently, Fairweather is turning
departmental resources to the question of the
Recently, her research has focused on
mechanisms involved in the chemical/viral/
how inflammation induces chronic diseases
immune response. If an individual already has
like heart disease. As vaccinations and other
a chemical toxin burden and gets a mild
medical advances have reduced the
infection, like a cold (Coxsackie virus is the
occurrences of many infectious
current focus), those together can induce
diseases in the United States, the impact
The NIEHS Center in Urban
autoimmune disease or cardiovascular
Environmental Health recently
of chronic inflammation has become
awarded Dr. DeLisa Fairweather a disease. With an R01 research grant on this
more apparent. This type of
Pilot Project Grant to pursue her topic from the National Institutes of
inflammation is triggered by common
Health, Fairweather and her colleagues are
project “Effect of Particulate
infections that people come into
Matter on Cardiac Mast Cells and examining just how these mild infections
contact with regularly. When these
Heart Disease.”
act like an Adjuvant, a substance that is
infections interact with man-made
often included with vaccinations to boost the immune
chemicals or natural toxins they can lead to chronic
response to them. Yet little research has yet been done
inflammation. In turn, it is becoming apparent that
into the long-term effects of boosting the immune
chronic inflammation plays a key role in a host of
response with chemical and viral interactions. Also under
conditions, from cardiovascular disease to cancer.
continued on page 4
Biannual Research Retreat Sparks Collaboration
T
The spring edition of the Biannual EHS
Departmental Research Retreat took place on March
15th and 16th at the Mt. Washington Conference Center.
The retreat was divided into four sessions, each focusing
on a different set of opportunities for the Department.
these informational sessions have proven to be very
popular and productive for the collaborative spirit of
the Department.
The second day of the retreat began with a session
on Epigenetics, Cancer &
EHS, chaired by Dr.
The morning session on
Norma Kanarek,
March 15 examined
Associate Professor in the
Opportunities in Clinical and
Department and
Population-Based Research for
Executive Director of the
EHS, and was chaired by
Maryland Cigarette
Dr. Ana Navas-Acien,
Restitution Fund for the
assistant professor in the
Johns Hopkins Medical
Division of Occupational
Institution. Dr. Steve
and Environmental Health.
Baylin presented on the
In addition to a review of
biology of the
resources available to
epigenome, looking
researchers through the
specifically at methylation
Welch Center and Dr. Brian
Faculty and students alike enjoy the opportunity to
during which key genes
Schwartz's overview of the
get out of the lab and mingle as peers at the
are rendered less than
Environmental Health
Biannual
Research
Retreats.
Many
credit
these
open
effective, and then passed
Institute, this session also
exchanges of information with sparking new
on to future generations.
gave a view of the Multicollaborative opportunities.
Dr. Bill Nelson looked at
Ethnic Study of
the first generation of
Atherosclerosis Air
drugs effecting demethylation and Dani Fallin spoke on
Pollution Study, and hosted a panel discussion on
a long-running Icelandic cohort that provides the ability
funding opportunities, research collaborations and
to assess the stability of epigenetic marks over time. A
resources.
panel discussion between faculty and students on funding
The afternoon session on the first day looked at
opportunities, research collaborations and resources in
Divisional & Departmental Scientific Research Opportunities,
this area rounded out the
specifically current
session.
Divisional research &
Before the alwayscollaborations and the
anticipated EHSSO postDepartment's vision for
retreat happy hour, the
the future. This session was
second day closed with
chaired by Dr. John
Departmental and Divisional
Groopman, Anna M.
Discussions on Future Directions,
Baetjer Professor and
led by Groopman. Kanarek
Chair of the Department.
pointed out available
In this session, the
departmental core facilities,
Directors and students of
and the Division directors
each Division were able to
participated with Groopman
provide information on
and
the rest of the
the research opportunities
Department in summarizing
open to them. With a large
the retreat just passed, as well
faculty and student
as offering suggestions for
population, engaging such
Drs. Brian Schwartz, Norma Kanarek, Paul Locke and
improving
the next retreat.
a wide range of interests
DeLisa Fairweather discuss the common threads in their
and potential overlaps
research during the March session of the Department’s
Biannual Research Retreat.
between research areas,
Cindy Parker Talks About Global
Environmental Change
I
In August, 2006 Dr. Cindy Parker, co-authored the
article "Global Environmental Change: What Can
Clinicians and the Environmental Health Community Do
About It Now," in the journal Environmental Health
Perspectives with fellow Bloomberg School of Public
Health researchers, Drs. Brian Schwartz and Thomas
Glass, and University of Michigan School of Public
Health researcher, Howard Hu. In their article, the
authors outline the unique role clinicians and public health
workers play in helping to limit global environmental
change.
The problems the globe faces from global
environmental change are becoming more apparent
every day. From intensifying heat waves and storms, to
water and air quality issues, ocean levels and threats to
urban infrastructure from changing coastlines, and all of
the social and societal conflicts that could result from
these stressed conditions. The timelines of these changes
are widely debated, but that they are happening is less in
doubt among scientists.
Recently, Parker, a professor in the Division of
Occupational and Environmental Health and member
of Center for Public Health Preparedness, answered a
few additional questions on global environmental change
and what clinicians can do to help.
Question: What are some of the things
clinicians can do to address climate change?
Because people can not be healthy in an
unhealthy environment, Parker imagines a Global
Environmental Health Index that would take into
account health and environmental issues when
measuring development and product costs.
Answer: Clinicians have long counseled their patients
on measures to keep healthy. Normally, it's some
measure that patients do to prevent a disease or bad
health outcome in that particular patient. Climate change
and global environmental change are true population
issues. When I reduce my greenhouse gas emissions that
may help to protect coastal populations some time in the
future, but it may or may not have any effect on me
personally.
This is a real change in a way we counsel patients
about preventive measures. There have been some
precedents set. With secondhand smoke for example, we
counsel patients that smoke not only is affecting you but
it is affecting those around you in a limited environment
like your children, your family and your coworkers. With
environmental change, we're talking about helping
people you don't even know.
Dr. Cindy Parker believes that clinicians and
public health workers need to be more aware of
the role they can play in addressing global
environmental change.
We need to start counseling patients about reducing
their carbon foot print-how much carbon dioxide they
are putting into the air. It is sort of a leap in how we
think about things. These steps may not necessarily help
me personally, they may indeed, but they will help the
earth's population as a whole. If nobody does anything,
that will definitely impact me personally. This is not an
environmental issue per se, it is actually a huge health
issue.
continued on page 8
Fairweather
continued from page 1
examination is the role of mast cells in the chemical/
viral/immune response. These are allergy cells that often
are the first to detect invaders, and produce
proinflammatory mediators, like histamine, that can
determine the course of the immune response.
Heart disease is an inflammatory condition, and so
infections certainly contribute to the development of
disease. Cancer research is also now looking at the
interrelation between infections, viruses and chemical
exposure. As Fairweather says, "we've long known that
the environment is a critical factor in our body's immune
response, but we are only now recognizing how much
infections and chemicals can lead to chronic
inflammation."
The Hopkins institutions have a reputation for
inspiring through collaboration, and since her arrival as
an assistant professor in 2005, Fairweather has been
taking full advantage of these possibilities. With Dr. Pat
Breysse, her lab has been looking at mast cells' responses
to particulate air pollution collected in Baltimore. For this
project, Fairweather was recently awarded a Pilot Project
Grant from the NIEHS Center in Urban Environmental
Health (see story page 15). On the molecular level, she is
working with Dr. Shyam Biswal, on the link to Nrf2, a
key factor in regulating the environmental stress response
and oxidative stress. And, with Drs. Ellen Silbergeld, Ana
Navas-Acien, and Jennifer Nyland, the role of metals in
the chemical/viral/immune response is getting the
attention it deserves. With such strong support for
collaboration in the Department and the School,
Fairweather says, "I'm very excited to be able to look at
heart disease from new angles."
As she settles into the Department, Fairweather also
looks forward to greater interactions with Hopkins'
high-calibre students. Currently she's redeveloping the
Environmental Toxicology course. The new version of
the course is called 'Immunology of Environmental
Disease' and will focus on the effects of natural and
chemical environmental agents on the immune response
that result in chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease,
cancer, allergy and autoimmune diseases. The course will
be launched in the coming year.
Recruitment Weekend Brings Top Prospects
T
The 2007 EHS Recruitment Weekend, held Friday
and Saturday, February 2nd and 3rd, was a rousing
success. More than XX potential students converged on
the Bloomberg School of Public Health to get a glimpse
of the Department, and to make their first impressions
on the faculty.
Kenlser, Professor in the Division of Toxicology. This
reception, looked forward to every year for its
opportunity for relaxed conversation as well as for the
wonderful food, was warmly received, and students and
faculty lingered well on into the evening.
In addition to individual interviews with faculty in
their Divisions of interest, the prospective students also
were greeted by Dr. Michael Klag, Dean of the School
and by Dr. John Groopman, Department Chair. Tours
and orientations were offered of the School,
neighborhood and City.
Groopman said of this year's crop of student
candidates, "This is one of the strongest groups we've
had. They are highly motivated, competitive students, so
we really try to shine every bit as much as they do on this
weekend."
After two hectic days of meetings and informational
sessions, the weekend closed with an opportunity for
prospective students to interact and converse with
current students over a lunch. After final information
sessions, the prospective students joined faculty and
other guests for dinner at the home of Dr. Thomas
Dr. Kellogg Schwab chats with prospective
students at the Admiral Fell Inn during
Recruitment Weekend 2007. Faculty value the
opportunity to learn the interests of candidates
and to show off Hopkins hospitality.
More Swimmers Means More Pathogens
Researchers Recommend Water-Quality Testing Be Conducted at Busiest Times
T
During the summer of 2006, researchers from the
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
sampled the water at the Hammerman beach area of
Maryland's Gunpowder Falls State Park twice a week.
By sampling both on Wednesdays , when beach activity
was typically low, and on Saturdays, when activity was
usually high, the researchers were able to link the number
of swimmers using the water with the levels of
microsporidian spores and the parasites
Cryptosporidium parvum and
Giardia lamblia. In addition to
sampling the water, researchers
also counted the number of
swimmers in the water at the
time the water was sampled.
that the swimmers stir up pathogens resting in the
sediment.
"Monitoring for E. coli and enterococci may not be
reliable in monitoring for waterborne protozoan
pathogens," said Graczyk. EPA regulations require that
recreational waters be tested for E. coli and enterococci
as bacterial indicators of fecal contamination but they do
not require testing for microsporidian spores, C. parvum
or G. lamblia, because of the
cost and difficulty in measuring
these pathogens.
This work is certainly
garnering attention. Recently, an
interview with Graczyk formed
a key portion of a story about
summer swimming water quality
on NPR's "Morning Edition."
According to two studies
based on this research, the levels
of potentially harmful
waterborne microorganisms in
"A quantitative evaluation of
rivers, lakes and other
the impact of bather density on
recreational waterways may be
levels of human-virulent
highest when the water is most
microsporidian spores in
crowded with swimmers. The
recreational water" was written
studies were made available
by Thaddeus K. Graczyk,
online in advance of publication
Deirdre Sunderland, Leena
in the scientific journals Applied
Tamanga, Timothy M. Shields,
Dr. Thaddeus Graczyk, Associate Professor
and Environmental
Frances E. Lucy and Patrick
in
the
Department
and
member
of
the
Johns
Microbiology and Water
Breysse. It is published in
Hopkins Center for Water and Health found
Research. Exposure to
Applied and Environmental
waterborne microorganisms in recreational
microorganisms like C. parvum
Microbiology.
waterways may be highest when the water
and G. lamblia can cause nausea,
is most crowded with swimmers.
"Impact of bathers on levels
vomiting and diarrhea. For
of Cryptosporidium parvum
people with compromised
oocysts and Giardia lamblia cysts in recreational beach
immune systems, these organisms can be especially
waters" was written by Deirdre Sunderland, Thaddeus
harmful.
K. Graczyk, Leena Tamanga and Patrick Breysse. It is
"Our research suggests it would be best to test the
published in Water Research.
water when the beach is active to determine if it is safe
All authors are with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
for recreational use," said Dr. Thaddeus K. Graczyk, coSchool of Public Health, except Lucy, who is with the
author of both studies and associate professor with the
School of Science Institute of Technology in Sligo,
Department, as well as a member of the Center for
Ireland.
Water and Health. According to Graczyk, health officials
typically conduct water sampling when there is little
Funding for the research was provided by the
human activity.
Fulbright Senior Specialist Fellowship, Johns Hopkins
NIEHS Center for Urban Environmental Health, Johns
The concentration of microsporidian spores, C.
Hopkins Faculty Research Innovation Fund, Johns
parvum and G. lamblia were highest during the
Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and the University
weekends, when the beach was busiest. Water turbidity
of the District of Columbia.
was also highest on the weekends. The findings indicate
Honors and Awards
Honors and Awards of Faculty and Students of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Postdoctoral Fellows Poster Competition
Rajesh K Thimmulappa and Brian Cornblatt, both
postdoctoral fellows in the Department of
Environmental Health Sciences, each received honorable
mentions, and $500 awards, for their entries in the 2006
JHSPH Postdoctoral Fellows Poster Competition. Most
post-docs in the School enter this competition, making
for a vigorous competition. Our congratulations to them
on their achievement.
2006 APHA Environment Section Student
Scholarship
In October of 2006, Pat McLaine received an award
from the Environment Section of APHA. The
Bloomberg School of Public Health provided matching
funds toward McLaine's attendance of the three-day
APHA Conference, Environment Section. This
scholarship covered registration costs, one year student
membership to APHA, and some travel costs. Pat's high
level of scholastic and research achievements showcase
not only her own standing as one of the best students in
her field, but also shines well on the Department's ability
to provide the resources such high-caliber students
require. The School's matching funding - one of only
three Schools to do so - shows the School's
commitment to making Bloomberg students the besteducated and best-prepared in the world. As well as
participating in the regular APHA conference schedule,
Pat was also asked to attend the Environment Section's
Business Meetings, section-specific lectures, and the
Environment Section Student Involvement Committee's
Section Social. Attendees toured a number of
community gardens in Boston, and engaged in
discussions with advocates of community-supported
agriculture. The Environment Section offers scholarships
every year, and students wishing to attend this year's
meeting in Washington, DC are encouraged to apply.
James Yager Named Edyth Schoenrich
Professor in Preventive Medicine
Dr. James Yager, professor of toxicology and senior
associate dean for Academic Affairs, has been named the
Edyth H. Schoenrich Professor in Preventive Medicine.
In making the announcement, Dean Michael Klag cited
Yager's impressive ability to balance teaching, research,
practice and administrative duties. "It is especially fitting
that Dr. Yager
receive this honor
because he
typifies Dr.
Schoenrich's
philosophy of
building bridges
to bring people
and organizations
together," Dean
Klag said.
Yager also
holds a joint
appointment in
the Department
of Oncology at
the School of
Medicine. An expert on the mechanisms of estrogen
carcinogenesis, he focuses on understanding genetic and
environmental susceptibility factors related to breast
cancer. He is sought out by students for the energy,
compassion and expertise he brings to the field and to
mentoring other scientists.
Edyth H. Schoenrich, MD, MPH, a professor in
the Department of Health Policy and Management,
director of part-time Professional Programs and
associate chair of the MPH Program, joined the
Hopkins faculty more than 50 years ago. During
that time she developed an interest in preventive
medicine.
Through her
vision and
determination, the
Bloomberg
School has
developed one of
the premier
preventive
medicine programs in the country. Robert
Lawrence, MD, professor in Environmental Health
Sciences and director of the Center for a Livable
Future , served as the first faculty member named
to the Edyth H. Schoenrich Professorship.
In the Community
Research News of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences
EHS Students Make Contributions City-wide
F
Since its inception in 2001, the Environmental Health
Sciences Student Organization (EHSSO) has maintained
a community outreach committee responsible for
providing various research opportunities that students,
staff, and faculty could participate in.
Every year, Guy Hollyday of the Baltimore Sanitary
Sewer Oversight Coalition leads a walking tour of
sewage overflow sites along Stoney Run, a small creek
running through Baltimore City, and EHSSO has joined
him for the past several years. The most recent tour took
place on November 11, 2006. Despite its name, The
Sewage Stroll, this event has proven extremely popular
among both students and faculty.
EHSSO's spring complement to this event is a
guided Toxic Tour, now in its second year, led by Glenn
Ross, co-chair of the Environmental Justice Partnership.
While touring the East Baltimore area, Ross describes
the prevailing local environmental hazards and problems
impacting the community. His personal perspective as a
long-time community member is a valuable
complement to the Department's scientific view of the
area's challenges.
EHS students' involvement in the community
extends beyond these scheduled events, as well.
Ellen Wells, chair of EHSSO's community outreach
committee, works with fellow volunteers to plant and
care for trees in Patterson Park, a large urban park, and
assists in keeping the park both clean and beautiful.
Since 2005, Jay Graham, an EHS doctoral student,
has been coordinating the Rose Street Tutoring Program.
Currently it takes place weekly at the School of Public
Health where Hopkins students tutor East Baltimore
students from elementary through high school in a variety
of subjects.
In the past several years, as well, EHSSO members
and others involved with the Department have become
regulars at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure for
Breast Cancer. Their entries and sponsorship contribute
to the funding of research, as well as showing broad
community support for the effort.
Recreational Roundup
News on Recreational Activities of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Donut Jolt Now a Fixture
M
Monthly donut-and-coffee get-togethers, now in their
third year, have become an EHS staple. Once Friday
each month, Chair Dr. John Groopman brings in the
ten dozen donuts that lure most of the
Department faculty, staff and students through
the Department office between 8 and 11 a.m.
From a novel blood-sugar-raising event, the
monthly Donut Day has become a lynchpin
networking event, giving faculty and students another
valuable opportunity to socialize and discuss current
work outside of the formality of seminars and lectures.
The availability and friendliness of our faculty is
something our students have praised again and
again. Donut Day is another great, and delicious,
example of that.
Student Group Sponsors Holiday Happy Hour
D
Despite their reputation for serious study, high-quality
events and community involvement, not every
Environmental Health Sciences Student Organization
event is all business. On Thursday, January 11, EHSSO
held their annual Winter Reception. A variety of wines
and soft drinks were available for tasting, and food was
provided. Billed as a chance to unwind before the third
term became too hectic, by all accounts this get-together
was a lively success.
Parker
continued from page 3
Question: What should doctors be telling
patients?
Answer: Conserving energy is a key to the whole
problem. Simple things like switching from the
incandescent light bulbs we all grew up with to compact
fluorescent light bulbs that use a fourth to a fifth of the
energy and last 7 to 10 times longer can make a huge
difference. As one individual person, it won't make any
difference-except on my electricity bill-but if we work
together to change billions of light bulbs to some that
use a fifth of the amount of energy, that's a huge
amount of change.
Adjust the thermostat. There is no reason when it is
100 degrees (Fahrenheit) outside that you have people
inside wearing sweaters because the air conditioning is
too high. Timers can shift much actual revenue is
generated. We need to subtract from that revenue for
the bad things, like how much pollution was generated
by that revenue, or how much forest was removed, or
how much warmer our climate was.
It would also be useful if we had a better way to tell
if the products we are buying are more or less
environmentally damaging. We recommend some sort
of environmental labeling for consumers. Right now,
when we look at our food labels for example, it tells us
the content and how much fat and calories the food has.
If we came up with something similar for a toaster, for
instance, we could see that the manufacturing of this
toaster produced X amount of pollution or greenhouse
gases. We could then compare it to another product that
used fewer resources or produced less pollution. It
could help consumers make better decisions.
2007 Anna Baetjer Lecture Well Attended
O
On Wednesday, March 14, 2007, the Department of
Environmental Health Sciences hosted the 2007 Anna
Baetjer Lecture. Dr. Donald A. Henderson spoke on "New
and Emerging Infections."
Donald A. Henderson, MD, MPH, Dean Emeritus of
the School of Public Health (l); with Katherine
Baetjer Hornady; John Groopman, Anna M. Baetjer
Professor and Chair of the Department,; and
Dorothy Scott, longtime friend of Dr. Baetjer.
Henderson is Distinguished Scholar at the Center for
Biosecurity of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Professor of Public Health and Medicine at the
University of Pittsburgh. He is Dean Emeritus of the Johns
Hopkins School of Public Health and a Founding Director (1998) of the Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense
Strategies. From November 2001 through April 2003, he
served as Director of the Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and, later, as Principal Science Advisor, in the Office of the Secretary of the Department of
Health and Human Services.
Dr. Baetjer was a pioneer in the fields
of occupational health and industrial hygiene, and is best remembered as a great
teacher whose counsel and guidance influenced numerous lives and careers. Dr.
Baetjer's contributions to the occupational
health field began in the 1920s with studies
of the effects of high temperature and humidity on workers. As her interest in workplace hazards continued to grow, her research
expanded as well. Her best known research
was a study of the relationship between cancer and chromium. In 1940, Dr. Baetjer
In 2002, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. He is the recipient
of the National Medal of Science; the National Academy
of Sciences' Public Welfare Medal; and the Japan Prize,
shared with two colleagues. He has received honorary degrees from 16 universities and special awards from 19
countries.
Dr. John Groopman, Anna M. Baetjer Professor and
Chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences said, "It is one of the great pleasures of chairing this
Department that I can not only honor the legacy of Dr.
Baetjer, but also have the opportunity to introduce such a
leading mind as Donald Henderson." This year's Baetjer
Lecture was one of the best-attended yet, and the reception that followed allowed researchers and students to make
connections across many disciplines while paying respect
to the contributions both of Dr. Baetjer and those she
influenced through her more than 60 years with the University.
Dr. Henderson’s lecture, “New and Emerging
Infections,” brought a large crowd to Sommer Hall
for the 2007 Anna Baetjer Lecture.
authored "Women in Industry, Their
Health and Efficiency." She was president of the American Industrial Hygiene
Association and received the first Outstanding Medical Education award from
the American Occupational Medicine
Association. She was sought after as a
consultant and served as an advisor to
the National Research Council, the Industrial Health Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency and the United
States Army Environmental Hygiene
Agency.
The Urb Blurb
News from the Johns Hopkins Center in Urban Environmental Health
Professor An Studies Physical Properties of Airway Cell Types
S
In a recent conversation, Dr. Steven An, one of the
newest assistant professors in the Department of
Environmental Health Sciences, placed his research
within the Department's larger framework:
biophysics for the first time. At Harvard, Dr. Jeffrey J.
Fredberg equipped him with a new set of scientific and
nonscientific tools, offered the freedom to explore new
ideas, and provided clarification of scientific
fundamentals. An added, "Dr. Fredberg has been
"I think of environmental health science as an
instrumental in my transition into
investment in our efforts to
“These collaborations are only possible because of an independent scientist."
understand key changes to the
the scientific insights, encouragement, and support
environment, and the impact
Those ideas have now
[fellow faculty] provide, and I feel really fortunate
those changes have on human
blossomed into exciting work on
to be here working with such a talented group of
scientists."
health and disease. For many
the airway smooth muscle cell
of us here in EHS, it is a
and the role this cell plays in the
concerted effort to understand, for example, how
pathologic narrowing of the airways in asthma. To this
environmental conditions - mostly man-made changes end, he is employing novel quantitative methods (optical
interact with a particular organ, tissue, cell, molecule or
gene of interest, and lead to disease progression in
human populations. Within that context, I am most
interested in the environmental effects on lung
pathophysiology and, in particular, the regulatory
pathways leading to pathologic narrowing of the airways
in chronic asthma - which is a major public health
problem, especially in the industrialized cities throughout
the world."
Science captured An's interest gradually. While
studying at the University of Virginia, he enjoyed both
the quantitative aspect of physical sciences, as well as the
qualitative aspect of life sciences. "I majored in
chemistry, but interestingly I took more courses in
biology - even a marine biology course in the Bahamas,"
he noted. His practical interest in biological sciences
solidified through various research opportunities at UV,
in industry and at the National Institutes of Health. That
interest carried him through his graduate studies at
Brown University and, most recently, a post-doctoral
training at the Harvard School of Public Health. While
working toward his PhD, An was under the tutelage of
Dr. Chi-Ming Hai, honing his problem-solving and
research skills, as well as turning them toward muscle
Asked what he likes most about research, An states,
"the process of thinking independently, framing
ideas into testable hypotheses, designing
experiments to quantify those ideas, and,
ultimately, changing how people think about and
see the problem."
continued on page 12
Assessing the Health of Clean-Up and Recovery Workers at
Ground Zero
T
Three weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
on the World Trade Center, Dr. Alison Geyh, assistant
professor in the Department, led a team from the
Bloomberg School that traveled to New York to
monitor exposure of cleanup workers at Ground Zero.
In comparison with groups defined as first responders fire and police personnel and medical workers- the
health effects on this
population have not been
closely studied.
having a new wheeze, which was something the
pulmonologist on the team did not expect to see
develop over a three-month time frame. That is an
indication of lung inflammation and could indicate that
the person is in the process of developing asthma.
Geyh feels that there are a number of lessons that can
be learned from her research about how to respond to
potential future disasters. As she
said:
"Very early on there
needs to be some organized
effort to give people emergency
preparedness or response
training, and build that function
into the disaster response
protocol. First responders are
traditionally police, firefighters
and medical people, but in this
case the group that responded
first was everybody.
Geyh's team returned to
the disaster site two more
times to collect additional data
on workers' exposure to site
debris and also to assess their
respiratory health status.
Geyh is working toward
conducting more follow-up
studies on cleanup and
recovery workers at the
disaster site. "We'd like to
know how they're doing at
the 5-year point," she says.
"It's seeming more and more
clear that people continue to
have health problems."
The other thing I think we've
learned is that you need to have
a group of people who are not
going to be involved with the
emergency response and who are more involved with
keeping track of who is there, what they're doing and
how long they're doing it. We're talking about a team of
environmental epidemiologists and exposure assessors
whose sole purpose doesn't seem at all useful right off
the bat. But without having the folks who know how to
do this in a rigorous and formal way, what happens
afterward is an ad hoc mish-mash. For example, we
believe that one of the biggest hazards at the site was
Julie Herbstman, a member of Dr. Geyh’s lab team,
arranging monitoring equipment on a worker at
the World Trade Center site, fall, 2001.
At Ground Zero, Geyh and her team measured
concentrations of airborne particles, as well as airborne
asbestos and volatile organic compounds. These particle
measurements were done in a way that allowed some
differentiation of the sizes of particles that workers were
exposed to. Though many people were exposed to large
particles, as has been reported in the press, there were
also days at the site when small particles dominated the
airborne concentrations. This was interpreted to mean
that the fires, which burned through December, were
driving the exposure on those days, and on other days it
was driven by debris removal activities.
Geyh's team focused their respiratory health
assessments on a group that included heavy equipment
operators, laborers and carpenters, as well as truck
drivers. This group received much of the airborne
exposure, but much less attention than fire fighters and
other first responders. Among those who said they were
symptom-free before starting work at the site (65
percent) a significant number reported a new cough and
new phlegm production. A large percentage reported
Dr. Stephen An
continued from page 10
magnetic twisting cytometry, traction microscopy, and
spontaneous nano-scale bead motions) to probe, at the
level of the single cell, the ability of this muscle cell to
stiffen, to generate contractile force, and to remodel its
internal cytoskeleton. The cytoskeleton and its physical
forces are fundamental to many higher-level cell
functions, and, An said, "these methods are beginning to
pave the ways for characterizing cytoskeletal mechanics
at cellular, subcellular, and molecular levels." A leading
edge of An's work takes advantage of a ferrimagnetic
microbead coated with RGD and coupled to the
cytoskeleton via integrins. He explained that, "such
microbeads become integrated into the stress-bearing
and stress-generating structures in the cytoskeletal
structures." Using two pairs of coaxial coils, the
microbead is first magnetized horizontally, parallel to the
surface on which cells are plated, and then twisted in a
vertically aligned uniform magnetic field that varies
sinusoidally in time. An went on to explain that, "this
sinusoidal twisting field causes both a rotation and a
pivoting displacement of the microbead and, as the
bead moves, the cell develops internal stresses which in
turn resist bead motions." From these forced bead
motions, therefore, one can measure the ratio of specific
torque to lateral bead displacements, and how stiff the
cytoskeletal structure of a living cell is. This method is
called optical magnetic twisting cytometry and has
evolved into a useful tool - together with traction
microscopy and spontaneous bead motions - to probe
the mechanical properties of a variety of cell types and
with a variety of experimental interventions.
An has established a number of collaborations with
other faculty members, who also have a long-standing
commitment to the study of lung biology and
respiratory disease. He is working with Drs. Ernest
Spannhake, Patrick Breysse, and Alison Geyh to explore
the integrity of the epithelial barrier function in response
to various biological and chemical constituents of
ambient particulate matters; with Dr. Elizabeth Wagner
to study the mechanistic basis for neovascularisation of
the lung that is a characteristic of airway wall remodeling
in asthma; and with Drs. Shyam Biswal and Wayne
Mitzner to investigate the role of the Nrf2 gene on
airway smooth muscle biophysics as it relates to allergic
asthma. An added, "these collaborations are only
possible because of the scientific insights,
encouragement, and support they provide, and I feel
really fortunate to be here working with such a talented
group of scientists."
As the 2006-2007 academic year was ending, An
received a Pilot Project grant from the Johns Hopkins
Center in Urban Environmental Health to study the role
of Nrf2 on airway smooth muscle reactivity to oxidant
stress, as well as a Faculty Research Initiatives Fund
award to study the mechanistic basis for the progression
of chronic lung disorders. The addition of An's tools
and skills is a boon to the Department, as are the
collaborative opportunities and support that An has
received already.
Preparing Middle School Students for Science Careers
T
The Center Community Relations staff recognizes that
to make a difference in the future, messages about public
health need to be taken to children where they learn, and
presented in new and exciting ways.
This past spring, Dr. Michael Trush, Center Deputy
Director, and Brian Fitzek, Communications Associate,
manned a Career Day booth at Rognel Heights
Elementary / Middle School. Information was available
about environmental health topics and career
opportunities. But of course it was the show-and-tell that
drew the kids' interest. A dog lung used to show basic
pulmonary structures and functions was a popular stop in
the career room. Not everyone wanted to get close to it,
but everyone left with a better understanding of the
broad range of opportunities in the field.
Pat Tracey has also been making the scene at local
schools, appearing at Dr. Bernard Harris, Sr. Elementary
School to participate in a game show with students and
families from the school to introduce a new informational
pamphlet. The pamphlet, titled "Confronting Asthma
Where It Lives," is based on research that the Johns
Hopkins Center for Childhood Asthma in the Urban
Environment has conducted in East Baltimore.
NIEHS Center Community Relations Staff Earns Its Name
T
The Community Relations staff of the NIEHS
Center in Urban Environmental Health, Pat Tracey and
Barbara Bates-Hopkins, have been whirlwinds of
activity in the community for years. But lately they seem
to be everywhere. On the last Wednesday of every
month, the pair meets with the community at the
Northeast Market to share research findings and
community events. Researchers often join these "Day at
Market" meetings. Recently, Dr. Felicia Braggs-Hill, a
diabetes researcher, brought the community valuable
information about managing diabetes, one of the
fastest-growing diseases in this country. They are at the
market - one of the pillars of community interaction in
the neighborhood around the School of Public Health from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on meeting days.
presents regularly for the Environmental Health Sciences
Student Organization (see page 8) and many other
groups in the area. This hour-long tour visits a number
of key toxic sites within the neighborhoods of East
Baltimore.
The Toxic Tour booth at this net-zero carbon and
waste event also served as the base for Michael Trush,
Deputy Director of the Center in Urban Environmental
Health, and Pat Tracey and Barbara Bates-Hopkins to
distribute educational materials on demolition and lead,
as well as the pamphlet "Confronting Asthma Where It
Lives," which is based on research conducted in East
Baltimore by the Johns Hopkins Center for Childhood
Asthma in the Urban Environment .
Center collaborators also made a strong showing at
the Public Health Day events of Baltimore Green Week,
held at DuBurns Arena and the St. Wenceslaus Church
Lyceum, in East Baltimore.
At the session in DuBurns Arena, titled
Environmental Health in Maryland: Issues and Solutions,
both Trush and Ross spoke and answered questions,
along with Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, Commissioner of
the Baltimore Health Department, and Ruth Ann
Norton, Executive Director of the Coalition to End
Childhood Lead Poisoning.
Making research findings and educational
materials available at one of Baltimore’s historic
neighborhood markets gives the NIEHS Center
greater visibility and impact in the community.
At the second session - Environmental Health Issues
in Baltimore Neighborhoods - Trush and Ross spoke
again, accompanied by Pat Tracey of the Center, and
Glenn Robinson, of Morgan State University and the
Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in
Transportation.
As well as recurring events and meetings with the
public, the Community Relations staff also help to
organize and educate through events such as Baltimore
Green Week, which was held on May 7 - 11, 2007. This
event, in its fourth year, is a week-long citywide
program comprising community events, hands-on
activities, forums, and lectures throughout the city,
providing information about how a sustainable lifestyle
benefits our community and us.
Staff from and associates of the Center in Urban
Environmental Health were on hand for Eco Festival,
the kickoffs of Baltimore Green Week. Glenn Ross,
Vice President of the Environmental Justice Partnership,
conducted another edition of the Toxic Tours he
Pat Tracey, Barbara Bates-Hopkins and Dr. Michael
Trush staffed the Center’s booth at Eco Festival, the
kickoff event for Baltimore Green Week.
Connecting to the Curriculum
T
Winter Colloquium Helps Teachers Implement Environmental Health Lessons
The Department continued its tradition this year of
co-hosting the EnviroHealth Connections Winter
Colloquium with the Center for Urban Environmental
Health, and Maryland Public Television. This annual
event brings teachers from all over Maryland (and a few
beyond) together with Maryland Public Television
educators and Bloomberg faculty and staff to share
information and learn new ways to get environmental
health education into schools. Science teachers from
middle and high schools come for a series of lectures,
workshops, field trips and materials handouts that touch
on Maryland Public Television's collaborative
"EnviroHealth Connections" project.
The one-day Winter Colloquium serves as a
bridge between the multi-day Summer Colloquia, also
held annually, and is a point of contact for teachers,
Maryland Public Television and EHS Center faculty.
Tours of EHS labs provide teachers with a new
perspective on the work done in the Department,
and how that knowledge can be used in their own
classrooms.
This year's Winter Colloquium included sessions
by Jennie Queen-Baker of the University of Maryland's
Biotechnology Institute and Mary Stapleton of
MdBioLab on "Biotechnology in the Classroom;" by
Dr. Patrick Breysse, Professor in and Director of the
Division of Environmental Health Engineering on
continued on page 15
Three Pilot Projects Receive 2007-08 NIEHS Funding
E
Each year, the NIEHS Center in Urban
Environmental Health provides seed funding of new
ideas that hold promise in the generation of preliminary
data in support of subsequent grant applications. The
program benefits include facilitating research into areas
and methods important to environmental health and
stimulating collaboration between investigators. The
2007-2008 grant recipients are:
Effect of Particulate Matter on Cardiac Mast
Cells and Heart Disease
Dr. DeLisa Fairweather
"The goal of this project is to determine the effect
of urban airborne particulate matter (PM) collected
from Baltimore City on cardiac mast cells (MC) in
coxsackievirus-induced acute and chronic heart disease."
See story, page 1, for more on Dr. Fairweather’s work.
Role of NRF2 on Airway Smooth Muscle
Reactivity to Oxidant Stress
Dr. Stephen An
"The airway smooth muscle (ASM) cell is they key
and effector of acute airway narrowing in asthma, but
the mechanism by which Nrf2-mediated oxidant/
antioxidant balance might modulate biophysical reactivity
of the ASM cell remains to be elucidated. The present
study will focus on this new mechanistic pathway which
has not been previously tied to asthma pathogenesis." See
story, page 11, for more on Dr. An’s work.
Combustion Exhaust Exposure to Workers
in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long
Beach
Dr. Alison Geyh
"The impact on air quality from daily port activities
such as off-loading cargo vessels, and trucking cargo
from the Ports to warehouse facilities is generating
significant concern about potential health effects amongst
residents living near the Ports and workers employed at
the Ports. The study would be one of the first to
examine Port worker exposure over a time period that
would be informative."
Trush Leads Community Involvement by Example
M
More than a decade ago, working with a new federal
grant, Dr. Michael Trush, professor in the Department
and now Deputy Director of the Center for Urban
Environmental Health, began crafting a community
education and outreach component to his research. One
of his first projects was helping Maryland Public
Television produce a series of science education
programs. Since then, he has begun working with
community leaders and activists in neighborhoods facing
unusual health risks.
Trush's lab focuses on the cellular effects of reactive
oxygen, a free radical produced by mitochondria. Widely
blamed for cancers and aging, reactive oxygen has
become a household subject and given rise to a number
of antioxidant products and food fads. Trush says now,
though, that the scientific community is getting a more
balanced picture of free radicals. "Reactive oxygen plays
an important role in cell signaling and in controlling cell
division," he says. "It's when there's an excess that
problems occur, that the dose gets poisonous."
In 2006, the University gave Trush a Diversity
Recognition Award to highlight the contributions he and
his colleagues have made to Baltimore, especially in lowincome, minority neighborhoods. Working with such a
range of groups "really brings environmental health and
public health alive," says Trush. "That's what's so
exciting."
After a chemical explosion a few years ago, Trush
and his colleagues were able to use the trust and
relationship they had already built to aid the community
in that crisis. "It was the most heavily industrialized
neighborhood in Baltimore," recalls Trush, a toxicologist
and an Environmental Health Sciences professor. "There
were about 200 families in this little pocket of houses,
completely surrounded by huge industrial plants. People
were living 20 feet away from gasoline storage tanks."
The chemical-plant explosion triggered a government
buy-out program, which relocated the families to safer
ground.
Trush's education and outreach program now
includes two staff members at Hopkins, as well as
participants from other schools, including Morgan State
University and the Maryland Institute College of Art.
One artist is now creating cartoons to inform people
about in-home asthma triggers (including smoking,
mouse droppings and even plush toy animals); another
project is assessing the health effects from a large bus
depot that adjoins a neighborhood. Actually getting to
share the benefits of their work directly with the public,
Trush says, "makes the science we do here and teach here
real." (Jon Jefferson)
Winter Colloquium
continued from page 14
"Asthma in Baltimore City;" and by Dr. Shyam Biswal,
Associate Professor in the Department on "Susceptibility
Factors in Lung Disease."
More than fifty teachers were in attendance, and
were delighted to have the opportunity to tour Drs.
Breysse and Biswal's laboratories during the day.
The Winter Colloquium offers teachers a chance to
meet with their peers to share materials and
teaching strategies.
15th Annual Harold and Marilyn Menkes Memorial Lecture
T
The 15th Annual Harold and Marilyn Menkes
Memorial Lecture was held on January 17th, 2007. This
lecture, always by a leading pulmonary scientist, was
begun as a tribute to Drs. Harold and Marilyn Menkes,
who made enormous contributions to the Department
and the field before their passing in 1987.
The Menkes Lecture is widely attended each year,
not only for the scientific insights and the
opportunity to network and converse at the
reception that follows; but also as a testament to
the Menkes' lasting contribution to science and the
great personal affection they left among their
friends and colleagues. This year's lecture and
reception held to their convivial spirit, with
attendees mixing scientific interaction and
personal reflection throughout.
This year's lecture was given by Dr. Stephen Holgate,
Professor (left) of Medicine at the University of
Southampton, UK. In his introduction of Dr. Holgate,
Physiology Division Director Wayne Mitzner praised his
contributions to pulmonary science, and placed his work
within the context of the field. Holgate's talk, entitled
"New Insights into the Pathogenesis of Asthma" was
enthusiastically received by the audience.
Center for a Livable Future
Celebrates 10th Anniversary
O
On Wednesday, December 6th, 2006 the Johns
Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
held a scientific symposium in celebration of their
10th anniversary."Charting a Course to Sustainability
Through Research, Education and Service" was a
bustling event, with past and current CLF members in
attendance. After a welcome by Dr. Michael J. Klag,
Dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Dr.
Robert S. Lawrence, Director of the CLF began the
presentation sessions with "Farming, Eating and Living
for the Future: Overview."
Four Panel discussions were held through the
day, with Dr. Ellen Silbergeld chairing "Industrial Animal
Production: Public Health Implications," Dr. Kellogg
Schwab chairing "Industrial Agriculture: Ecological
Implications," Dr. Benjamin Caballero chairing "Dietary
Choices and Food Systems," and Dr. Rolf Halden
leading "Reducing Our Ecological Footprint."
Old friends and new collaborators of the CLF were
seen mixing and conversing throughout the
evening. A number of attendees remarked on the
broad spectrum of researchers and community
members who the CLF has touched in it's first ten
years.
In the evening, Dr. Alfred Sommer, Dean
Emeritus and Professor of Epidemiology and
International Health gave the keynote address: "Science
to Policy: The Need for Both Evidence and Advocacy."
The room was tightly packed for this presentation, and
the excitement at the CLF's achievements and the level
of discourse throughout the day carried over into the
reception that followed.
25 Years of the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing
F
For more than 25 years, the Johns Hopkins Center for
Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) has been working
to bring about the best, most humane science possible—at
Johns Hopkins and around the world and is a significant
resource to the department and the University.
alternatives”—replacement, reduction and refinement—
can help make this science more predictive and more
efficient, as well as more humane.
The three Rs simply ask that animals not be used if a
non-animal method can answer the scientific question at
hand; that researchers use the statistically correct
numbers of animals necessary to answer the question;
and refine tests so that pain or distress to animals is
eliminated or absolutely
minimized.
On Thursday, November 2, 2006 the Center
celebrated its first quarter century with an anniversary
symposium at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health in Baltimore.
Attendees came from more than
25 countries and had
representatives from academic,
government, industrial and
NGO's. Following the
symposium, a gala dinner
celebration was held at the
American Visionary Art Museum.
In addition to celebrating the past
achievements of the Center, and
toasting its current projects,
Senior Associate Dean James Yager), Dean
attendees kept a forward-looking Michael Klag, Alan Goldberg, and Susan
focus, networking and discussing Driscoll (of the Maryland Governor's office)
after the presentation of two Governor's
ideas for future efforts.
CAAT is the leading animal
alternatives center in the United
States, and is recognized
internationally for its efforts to
promote the development,
validation and use of alternatives
to animals in research, product
safety testing and education.
The Center, whose approach is
one of dialogue and collaboration,
is well known for bringing people
from diverse—and often
citations, recognizing CAAT's 25th
opposing—groups together to
The Center grew out of an
anniversary and unique work and Goldberg's
discover common ground and
25 years of outstanding service and
effort to find the best possible
find constructive ways to bring
leadership as CAAT director.
ways to test cosmetics and
about needed change. CAAT
personal care products to assure
serves as a forum to foster discussion among these
the safety of the people using them without the use of
diverse groups, and lead the way in facilitating the
whole animals. At the heart of CAAT’s work is a deep
acceptance and implementation of alternatives. CAAT
appreciation of the role of biomedical research and
is a major source of funding of alternative research at
product safety testing in protecting health and saving
Hopkin's as well as other institutions.
human lives. The application of the “three-Rs of
About our publication
Connection is a free e-publication of the NIEHS Center in Urban Environmental Health and the Department
of Environmental Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The name
Connection reflects the Center’s role, linking basic, population and clinical research in environmental health to
public health intervention strategies.
Editorial Staff
Brian Fitzek, Research Associate
Dan Gudgel, Publication Specialist
NIEHS Center in Urban Environmental Health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Department of Environmental Health Sciences
615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205
tel: (443) 287-2905 Œ fax: (410) 955-0617 Œ email: [email protected]
Departmental website: www.jhsph.edu/Dept/EHS
Center in Urban Environmental Health website: www.jhsph.edu/Dept/EHS/Centers