# Impact of pre- and postnatal chemical mixture exposures on child neurobehavior and neuroimaging

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2024 · $26,365

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The diversity supplement submission aims to fund Ms. Kelli Williams' participation in an environmental
epidemiology study to gain knowledge about the design, conduct, and analysis of epidemiological research for
environmental toxins in children, and to contribute her expertise in the social determinants of health combined
with her enthusiasm for increasing diversity in research to the overall process by developing and conducting an
ancillary study. Ms. Williams is currently enrolled in the Epidemiology PhD program at the University of
Pennsylvania and is not funded by any other NIH grant. Some environmental chemicals of concern to children
are polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs). PBDEs
hyperactivity,
shown
particulates
affects
and
of
neurodevelopment
ongoing
prospective
PBDEs
assess
modification
health
retardant
using
Holmes,
minority
 are linked to
memory issues, and cognitive impairment, disrupting vital t hyroid ormones. OPEs have been
to have neurotoxicity and behavioral effects in animals and some human studies. Children exposed t o
experience sleep disturbances, and sleep is crucial for proper neurodevelopment; its deficiency
cognition, psychosocial development, and mental health. Research gaps exist regarding how prenatal
postnatal PBDEs/OPEs influence U.S child sleep health and neurodevelopment with social determinants
health (SDOH) considerations. No prior studies explore these chemicals' roles in sleep health-mediated
and their SDOH interactions. Filling this gap demands epidemiological studies through an
birth cohort assessing environmental toxicants ffects on human neurobehaviors. Through a
pregnancy and birth cohort study, we will: 1) investigate the associations between pre/post-natal
and sleep health; 2) investigate the associations between pre-/post-natal OPEs and sleep health; 3)
the mediation effect of sleep health and PBDEs/OPEs on neurobehavior; and 4) determine the effect
 of specific SDOH between PBDEs/OPEs and sleep health and neurobehavior.
Ms. Williams has an immense interest and background in population-research, social determinants of
research. She will design and complete her doctoral issertation assessing the impact of prenatal flame-
exposure on sleep health, neurodevelopment, and social determinants of health factors in children,
innovative analysis techniques, under the guidance of her mentors, Dr. Aimin Chen and Dr. John
with a goal of an independently unded research career to improve various disease outcomes for
and/or underserved populations.
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## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10938433
- **Project number:** 3R01ES033054-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Aimin Chen
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $26,365
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2023-12-01 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10938433

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10938433, Impact of pre- and postnatal chemical mixture exposures on child neurobehavior and neuroimaging (3R01ES033054-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10938433. Licensed CC0.

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