Departments & Centers
Environmental and Occupational Health
Research, Instructional, and Service Projects
In addition to offering a variety of courses and degree programs, the department is continuously involved in a number of innovative research, instructional, and service projects that include the following:
- Oxidative Stress and Environmental Analysis Core Laboratory This facility is equipped with modern analytical equipment (e.g. LC-MS/MS, GC-ECD), capable of quantifying environmental chemicals in both environmental sources and human samples, as well as biomarkers of exposure to pollutants that may impact human risk for disease development. Quantitation of environmental pollutants and by-products associated with exposure to such contaminants provides insight into how human activities impact the health of the environment, and whether these activities adversely affect human health.
- Investigative Toxicology and Pathology Laboratory The Investigative Toxicology and Pathology laboratory is located in the Klaunig lab in the innovation center on the IU Bloomington campus. The major theme of the laboratory is using hypothesis-generated experimental approaches including molecular, cellular, and whole body approaches to resolving mechanisms of toxicologic and pathologic chemically-induced injury. The lab has been continually funded from extramural sources including the NIH, USEPA, DOD, and nonfederal sources since the mid-1980's. Our research has been devoted to understanding the mechanisms by which pharmaceutical, other chemical agents, and physical agents impact normal cellular and organ function. Our approach continues to be from the whole body to the molecular level; with the ultimate endpoint being the development of scientifically based human risk assessment. Please visit our Website (Klauning.com) for more information about current and past projects, our publications, current lab personnel, and lab alumni.
- Global Environmental Health Laboratory The mission of this facility is to conduct basic and applied interdisciplinary research focused on the environmental health challenges affecting rural and urban communities in Indiana, the U.S., and abroad, especially Latin America. In addition to our main lab in the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington, we maintain two field sites in northern Ecuador, one in the capitol city of Quito and the other in a rural tropical rainforest area.
One of the lab's major research lines is focused on the effects of air pollutant exposure on systemic inflammation, cardiorespiratory function, and other human health outcomes. Another major research line involves infectious disease epidemiology, prevention and control, especially TB, Leishmaniasis, Chagas', and other parasitic diseases of public health importance. This work includes development and testing of anti-Leishmania vaccines, vector and reservoir ecology, and studies looking at the effect of climate change on infectious dynamics. Other important research lines in the lab include studies of the impact of food insecurity on nutrition and health status, and the musculoskeletal and other occupational health challenges of agricultural workers.
- Computational Risk Assessment Laboratory The CRA Lab focuses on advancing mathematical and computational modeling approaches to support chemical risk assessment and promoting use of the advanced methods in practical risk assessment. A number of high-impact research projects are being carried out in the lab, including the development of Bayesian benchmark dose (BBMD) modeling system, risk assessment of inorganic arsenic to support regulatory descision making, toxicity evaluation of pesticides mixtures. Most of the research projects in the lab are supported by external oranizations, such as US EPA and NIH.
