# Systems Science Approaches for Assessing Cumulative Impacts of Air Pollution and Psychosocial Stressors onNeurocognitive Outcomes Among Children

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK · 2020 · $142,709

## Abstract

Title: Systems Science Approaches for Assessing Cumulative Impacts of Air Pollution and
Psychosocial Stressors on Neurocognitive Outcomes Among Children
Abstract: The research objective of this TIEHR Career Award (K01) is to evaluate the effects of ambient air
pollution exposures and psychosocial stressors on disparities in children’s neurocognitive functioning using
epidemiological and systems science modeling approaches. The central hypothesis is that exposures to
multiple environmental contaminant/pollutant and nonchemical stressors create disparities in and enhance
adverse neurodevelopment among children. Emerging science is demonstrating enhanced toxic effects of
cumulative exposures to chemical and social stressors on cognitive outcomes in children and adults, indicating
that these disparate stressors affect common biological substrates. However, current environmental policies
regulate single contaminant /pollutant exposures determined in the absence of any social/physical context,
likely underestimating true health risks. The research is structured around three Specific Aims. Aim 1 involves
assessing the association of cumulative early life exposures to PM2.5 and psychosocial stressors with
children’s cognitive function using data from the ECLS Birth Cohort (n=5,800) and testing whether
race/ethnicity and sex modify these associations. For Aim 2, a systems causal loop diagram will be developed
to examine the pathways for cumulative effects of environmental neurotoxicants and social stressors on
children’s neurodevelopmental disorder disparities using a participatory systems model building approach.
Results from Aims 1 and 2 will inform simulation modeling in Aim 3. Aim 3 involves constructing a preliminary
quantitative system dynamics simulation model for assessing cumulative air pollution and social stressor
exposure impacts on population level trends in children’s cognitive outcomes. The K01 TIEHR Career Award
Candidate is a tenure-track Assistant Professor with the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health in
the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Her
long-term career goal is to develop scientific leadership in research addressing cumulative effects of social and
environmental neurotoxicant exposures that can negatively affect children’s cognitive abilities, academic
performance and consequent educational trajectories, adult health, wealth and social status. This K01 award
will support her didactic and experiential training in 1) neurobiological mechanisms involved in children’s
cognitive outcomes, 2) new skills in environmental epidemiology research using large datasets, and 3)
application of systems modeling to health disparities. Her home institution has expertise in environmental
epidemiology, biostatistics and health disparities research. This research will contribute significantly to the
development of systems models to examine the potential heightened impa...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9948668
- **Project number:** 5K01ES028266-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
- **Principal Investigator:** Devon C Payne-Sturges
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $142,709
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-15 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9948668

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9948668, Systems Science Approaches for Assessing Cumulative Impacts of Air Pollution and Psychosocial Stressors onNeurocognitive Outcomes Among Children (5K01ES028266-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9948668. Licensed CC0.

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