# Air Pollution and the Lung in Health and COPD: Obstructive, Restrictive and Vascular Pathways

> **NIH NIH K23** · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $176,931

## Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dr. Mary Rice is a pulmonologist whose long-term career goal is to become an independent translational investigator focused on understanding how environmental exposures affect the development and progression of chronic lung disease. Her research efforts have focused on the study of short- and long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and lung function in the Framingham Heart Study. In this population-based study of adults, she has found that previous-day air pollution exposure within current standards is associated with lower lung function, and long-term pollution exposure is associated with accelerated lung function decline. Her research has resulted in a first place award in a national pulmonary fellows' research competition and two first author publications in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Rice proposes new research that will move the field forward, and build on these findings and the skills she acquired during her Master's in Public Health training, to understand how pollution at these concentrations may affect the development and progression of chronic lung disease. Her immediate career objectives are (1) to obtain formal and applied training in environmental epidemiology, biostatistics, and the use of quantitative chest CT analysis in research, and (2) to gain practical
skills in building a cohort with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and assessing pollution exposure, respiratory symptoms and lung function in this population. Environment: With the guidance of her co-mentors, Drs. Murray Mittleman and George Washko, Dr. Rice has formulated a comprehensive career development plan to accomplish these goals. Dr. Mittleman MD DrPH, Harvard Professor of Epidemiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), will serve as Dr. Rice's primary mentor, as he has for nearly 3 years during her research fellowship. Dr. Mittleman is a renowned physician epidemiologist with expertise in the study of acute and chronic effects of pollution exposure. He has a long track record of mentoring trainees to independence and has won awards for his mentorship role. Dr. Washko, the proposed co-mentor, is a pulmonologist and Director of the Chest Imaging Lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Associate Director of the Framingham Heart Study Pulmonary Research Center. He is a pioneer in the use of quantitative imaging analysis in the study of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Dr. Rice will be based within the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at BIDMC, which is deeply committed to promoting her as a future leader in translational research focused on understanding the environmental origins of chronic lung disease, and COPD in particular. Dr. Rice will be supported by the Harvard Catalyst Clinical and Translational Science Award, which will provide research space and resources at the BIDMC Clinical Research Cen...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9882885
- **Project number:** 5K23ES026204-05
- **Recipient organization:** BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Mary B Rice
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $176,931
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-03-01 → 2022-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9882885

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9882885, Air Pollution and the Lung in Health and COPD: Obstructive, Restrictive and Vascular Pathways (5K23ES026204-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9882885. Licensed CC0.

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