# Environmental Epidemiology in Community Settings

> **NIH NIH T32** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2022 · $609,601

## Abstract

We are applying to continue a successful interdisciplinary pre-doctoral training program focused on
Environmental Epidemiology in Community Settings (EECS program) within the Department of Environmental
Health at the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). The EECS program consists of a specific
training regimen that is located within a mature doctoral program and designed to prepare pre-doctoral
students to use the most sophisticated methods available to advance the state of knowledge and develop new
methods in community-oriented environmental epidemiology. Our program has an intellectual commitment to
interdisciplinary work, built on a robust collaborative research program within BUSPH and with outside
research partners and designed to provide research training that is interdisciplinary in spirit, substance and
outcome. We will recruit four pre-doctoral trainees each year for a steady state census of twelve trainees and
build on a demonstrated record of recruiting trainees from underrepresented groups. EECS trainees typically
receive support from the training grant during the first three years and then transition to external research
grants awarded either to the trainee (e.g., NIH F awards, EPA STAR fellowships) or to faculty advisors (e.g.,
NIH R01 awards). An advisor is assigned upon entering the program to assist with selecting courses,
identifying research rotations, and developing dissertation plans. A core curriculum provides training in
environmental health, epidemiology, biostatistics, community-engaged research methods, toxicology, and
physiology. Clusters of advanced courses are tailored to areas of ongoing research such as epidemiologic
methods, exposure science, and environmental health disparities. Trainees engage in three research rotations
on active projects during their first year, which facilitates integration into the program and refinement of
research interests. Additionally, the program provides regular opportunities for oral presentation, teaching,
grant proposal writing, and research translation, including a required "lay summary" of their research findings
to relevant community stakeholders. With the support of a new grant writing workshop, trainees prepare a
dissertation proposal in the form of a fellowship grant to be submitted to a funding agency (e.g., NIEHS) by the
end of their fifth semester, before qualifying exams. Upon passing their exams, trainees establish a dissertation
committee and engage in full-time research activities. Key enrichment activities include a weekly departmental
research seminar, a biweekly proseminar, a monthly journal club, an annual research retreat, and explicit
instruction in the responsible conduct of research and enhancing reproducibility. The Training Program
Steering Committee (TPSC) reviews the progress of each trainee with respect to program milestones via
course grades and progress reports. The EECS program is evaluated via feedback from trainees at the end of
each semes...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10409206
- **Project number:** 2T32ES014562-16
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Birgit Gunhild Claus Henn
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $609,601
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2006-07-01 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10409206

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10409206, Environmental Epidemiology in Community Settings (2T32ES014562-16). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10409206. Licensed CC0.

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