# Philadelphia Regional Center for Children's Environmental Health

> **NIH NIH P2C** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2022 · $521,000

## Abstract

The Translation Core is directed by Dr. Marilyn Howarth and Co-directed by Dr. Tyra Bryant-Stephens and
aims to provide expertise in children's environmental health (CEH) by enhancing the awareness of clinicians and
facilitating connections to children's environmental health resources. We will work with CHOP researchers Lisa
Biggs and Alexander Fiks to incorporate environmental health screening questions into the EMR and link the
responses with practical resources (Prescriptions for Prevention) through their Possibilities Project. CHOP
toxicologist Dr. Kevin Osterhoudt will design a lead poisoning toolkit and lead chelation and environmental
health telehealth resource for regional clinicians. The Translational Core also aims to accelerate the reach of
CEH knowledge to children and parents through teachers in the Philadelphia region by helping them build
curricula on CEH topics. We will create a webinar series for childcare providers on CEH topics. The Translational
Core will engage vulnerable populations in the Philadelphia Region to disseminate and implement proven
environmental health translational programs such as the Community Asthma Prevention Program that will be
replicated in Chester, PA by CHOP Pulmonologist Dr. Tyra Bryant Stephens. Dr. Marilyn Howarth plans to
engage with Clean Water Action to enhance home lead evaluations to include water testing for lead through an
existing inspection process through the Energy Coordinating Agency and the Region 3 Pediatric Environmental
Health Specialty Unit to engage refugee populations around lead exposure. The Translation Core will provide
assistance to regulators, legislators and community groups by bringing science to enhance policy development.
Two examples of policy improvements would be the establishment of lead safe certification for all childcare
facilities in the state and the addition of science guidance to the risk assessment of air toxics currently underway
at Philadelphia Air Management. Dr. Marilyn Howarth will work with community partners and provide research
and data to support these initiatives. The Translational Core aims to apply children's environmental health
science to address health issues that can be applied to other regions by engaging with the Philadelphia Healthy
Schools Initiative to use a risk assessment approach to the prioritization of asbestos removal in schools,
communicating risk to parents, teachers and staff using a science-based approach. We also plan to engage
adolescents in programming that will teach them about endocrine disrupting chemicals and their health effects.
We will support pilot projects that will test, implement, adapt and evaluate new CEH research translation products
and incorporate them into existing or new programs. We will engage new researchers in children's environmental
health translational techniques in regulatory, legislative and community settings to enhance their skills in
engaging with these important translational audiences.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10307399
- **Project number:** 1P2CES033428-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Marilyn Howarth
- **Activity code:** P2C (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $521,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-12-06 → 2026-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10307399

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10307399, Philadelphia Regional Center for Children's Environmental Health (1P2CES033428-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10307399. Licensed CC0.

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