# Phthalate Mixtures and the Interconnection of Child Neurobehavior and Obesity

> **NIH NIH K99** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2024 · $106,164

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
I am a developmental scientist and environmental health researcher dedicated to understanding the role of the
environment in health disparities. My primary research interest is the impact of early-life exposures on
neurodevelopment in children. In this proposal, I will acquire training, knowledge, and skills in career
development, toxicology, advanced statistics, and growth/metabolism to transition into an independent
transdisciplinary investigator and become a leader in pediatric environmental health. I have assembled an
expert team of mentors and collaborators with transdisciplinary expertise in exposomics, neurodevelopmental
toxicology, advanced analytical methodologies, pediatrics, epidemiology, analytical chemistry, child
development, and obesity. Training activities will include computational methods and high-performance
computing training, seminars, coursework, scientific writing workshops, national and international conferences,
and one-on-one tutorial meetings. These activities will cover topics relating to research, professional
development, and career advancement. Through this grant, I will acquire the expertise to achieve my career
goal of transitioning into an independent investigator focusing on the multifaceted and dynamic inter-
relationships of early-life neurotoxic exposures, neurodevelopment, and childhood obesity. I will leverage the
long-established Programming Research in Obesity, Growth, Environment, and Social Stressors
(PROGRESS) study, a longitudinal birth cohort based in Mexico City, and incorporate measures of early-life
untargeted and emerging phthalates to assess their neuro and metabolic toxicity as the platform for my
training. Specifically, I will train with: 1) Robert O. Wright, MD, MPH, in principles of toxicology and child
executive function development; 2) Dania Valvi, MD, Ph.D., MPH, in phthalates toxicity, epidemiology and
obesity development in children; 3) Shelley Liu, Ph.D., in statistical methods to assess mixtures and novel
statistical approaches for neurodevelopmental tests including advanced latent variable modeling and
longitudinal statistical applications; 4) Deborah Cory-Slechta, Ph.D., in neurotoxicology and interpretation of
operant testing assessment; and 5) Syam Andra, Ph.D. in toxicology and analytical chemistry. This research
proposal will integrate concepts of toxicology, growth/metabolism, eating behaviors, brain development, critical
windows, and advanced statistical applications for chemical mixtures, using BMI trajectory data and measures
of inhibitory control and reward processing assessed as mediators in a longitudinal study, estimating the total,
direct, and indirect (i.e., causal mediation) effects of phthalates. The proposed research and training plan will
position me to achieve my long-term goal of identifying and evaluating neurotoxic exposures that longitudinally
influence child health and neurodevelopment among minority children and adolescents. I will use this K...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10866072
- **Project number:** 1K99ES036277-01
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Jamil Marlo Lane
- **Activity code:** K99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $106,164
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-05-17 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10866072

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10866072, Phthalate Mixtures and the Interconnection of Child Neurobehavior and Obesity (1K99ES036277-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10866072. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*