# What is the joint contribution of environmental and social determinants of health in explaining health and disease over the life course? Building the field and identifying research priorities.

> **NIH NIH R13** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $10,000

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
Interdisciplinary research that focuses on combined exposures to social and environmental factors and their
effect on health and wellbeing is urgently necessary as working from a single discipline could be resulting in
underestimated health risks, unidentified vulnerable populations, and missed opportunities for prevention and
intervention. To support the development of a community of scientists interested in this interdisciplinary
research field and that in turn enables this field to grow a two-day conference will be held in Portland, OR
(October 2020) titled “The joint contribution of environmental and social determinants of health in explaining
health and disease over the life course: Building the field and identifying research priorities.” The first day of
the conference will be dedicated to reviewing advancements in socio-environmental health research, starting
with a keynote address and plenary presentations from notable figures in this research fields. Invited
presentations by attendees will work from a developmental origin of health and disease (DOHaD) framework
and discuss how social and environmental exposures occurring during critical periods of development (e.g.,
prenatal, early life) can jointly influence health and health disparity over the life course (Aim 1). The second day
of the conference will include a plenary presentation on current methodological challenges in this field and
roundtable discussions to discuss the state of the science, gaps and opportunities to move the field forward
(Aim 2). On the afternoon of the second day of the conference, two technical assistance workshops will be
offered to all conference attendees and a business meeting for a select group of experts and leaders will be
held. The technical assistance sessions will review fundamental methodological and analytic approaches
related to: (1) rigorous measurement of psychosocial stress and social determinants of health (target audience:
environmental health scientists), and (2) survey of environmental toxicants, health effects, and biomarkers of
exposure (target audience: social scientists) (Aim 2). During the business meeting a task force in charge of
finding a long-term meeting “home” for our community of socio-environmental researchers will be formalized
(Aim 3). In the long term, activities of this conference will work to formally establish a scientific community
committed to increasing our understanding of how overlapping exposure to environmental and social factors
affects health and wellbeing across the lifespan. This community will champion the development and
implementation of robust scientific methodologies, will procure the integration of diverse perspectives into the
scientific discussion of our area of focus, and will delineate research priorities that respond to the challenges of
those most affected by adverse social and environmental conditions. The formation of this community will also
ensure there is a dedicated pl...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10070465
- **Project number:** 1R13ES032313-01
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Allison Allden Appleton
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $10,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-10 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10070465

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10070465, What is the joint contribution of environmental and social determinants of health in explaining health and disease over the life course? Building the field and identifying research priorities. (1R13ES032313-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10070465. Licensed CC0.

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