UK faculty, community partners present at NIEHS Partnerships for Environmental Public Health Network Meeting

Faculty members from the University of Kentucky presented at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH) Network Meeting in Durham, N.C. last month.

The NIEHS, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), works to expand and accelerate scientific knowledge of human health and the environment.

One way the agency fulfills that mission is through the PEPH network. The network brings together scientists, community members, educators, health-care providers, public-health officials and policymakers to advance the impact of environmental public-health research at the local, regional and national level.

This year’s meeting focused on engaging diverse teams to address climate change and environmental justice. It was held at the NIEHS’ main campus in Durham from Feb. 20-22.

“Embracing multidisciplinary approaches in environmental public health research is the cornerstone of progress not only in our communities, but for the country as well,” said Erin Haynes, Dr.P.H., UK Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Science (UK-CARES) interim director and chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health in the College of Public Health.

“Our team presenting at the NIEHS PEPH meeting showed the importance of bringing together experts from various fields with community partners and other critical stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between human health and the environment while unlocking innovative solutions to some of Kentucky’s most pressing challenges,” said Haynes.

UK’s delegation at the meeting represented a multidisciplinary group of researchers from the colleges of Nursing, Public Health, Medicine, the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the UK Markey Cancer Center.

Stacy Stanifer, Ph.D., an advanced practice registered nurse and an assistant professor of nursing, led her group’s presentation titled “Community Engagement Tools for Climate and Health in Hard-to-Reach Populations.”

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