The UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center offers unique programs and services supporting environmental health researchers
The UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center (EHSC) is a multidisciplinary research center funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) whose member scientists work across the fields of engineering, medicine, veterinary medicine and agricultural, environmental and biological sciences. EHSC provides investigators with opportunities to collaborate on grants and share technical expertise and laboratories, laying the foundation for greater innovation, new funding streams and better, more sustainable results. Several key cores and programs help support EHSC's mission and research.
Our cores
Career Development Program
Co-directors
Our Career Development Program facilitates new scientific knowledge, technical capabilities and inter- and trans-disciplinary research groups. Its goal is to develop an environmental health sciences workforce that can solve future environmental health problems. The program is open to early stage investigators in environmental health sciences or established researchers new to environmental health sciences and offers:
- Mentoring
- Environmental Health Sciences Scholar Program
- Best Practices in Research Program Management and Leadership
- Monthly Aims Review Meeting
Aims Review: Our monthly Aims Review helps investigators prepare to submit intramural or extramural research proposals by assigning a senior scientist or scientists to review the project's Specific Aims. These reviews happen regularly on the second Monday of each month from 12:00 PM—1:30 PM on Zoom. Check our events listing for upcoming meetings.
Environmental Health Sciences Scholars: Each year, the UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center recognizes an up-and-coming researcher who shows exceptional talent and promise in their field of study. Read about the Environmental Health Science Scholars who've earned this distinction so far:
- Jasquelin Peña, PhD (2022)
- Randy Carney, PhD (2020)
- Hong Ji, PhD (2019)
- Rebecca Calisi Rodriquez, PhD (2017)
- Melanie Gareau, PhD (2016)
- Michele LaMerrill, PhD (2015)
UC Davis School of Medicine Environmental Health Sciences Fellowship: The UC Davis School of Medicine Environmental Health Sciences Fellowship is a unique opportunity for promising junior to mid-career faculty at the UC Davis School of Medicine (SOM) that can accelerate their career development as independent, multi-disciplinary researchers and academic leaders. Our Center established this fellowship with the SOM as one of its major strategic initiatives to recruit investigators new to EHS who bring expertise, innovative approaches and technology that can expand research to create new opportunities for growing a cadre of environmental health researchers at UCD.
Best Practices in Research Program Management and Leadership: This program runs over the course of the academic year with sign-ups usually happening at the beginning of the Fall term. If you're interested in participating in the next one, contact one of the Career Development Program Co-directors. Course topics include:
- Managing meetings
- Communication
- Managing conflict
- Budgeting
- Leadership styles
- Regulatory compliance
- Case presentations
Community Engagement Core
Co-directors
The Community Engagement Core (CEC) facilitates collaboration between scientists and communities where researchers investigate environmental health problems. This partnership aims to solve problems by incorporating the perspectives and experiences of community members into the scientific process. The CEC helps to:
- Facilitate the Community Stakeholder Advisory Committee (CSTAC). The CSTAC is made up of government and community leaders in environmental health or justice organizations, acting as a bridge between communities and academia.
- Set community research priorities. Working with the CSTAC, the CEC manages a list of research priorities from the community.
- Provide researchers with training and mentoring. With the Community Based Participatory Research Training program and one-on-one mentoring with faculty, the CEC helps scientists working on Pilot Projects or doing other research incorporate community engagement in their work.
- Run the Community Environmental Health Science Academy. CEC trains community leaders in concepts and methods of environmental health science to support participation in research.
The CEC is supported by the NIEHS, which promotes community-engaged research through its Partnerships for Environmental Public Health.
Environmental Exposure Core
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The Environmental Exposure Core (EEC) provides researchers with expertise in study design, selection of appropriate and effective exposure assessment methods, as well as guidance and tools for interpretation of exposure assessment data. Qualified researchers can apply for financial assistance through the EHSC Seed Grant Program.
In addition to serving as a resource for UC Davis researchers, the EEC collaborates with the CEC to provide technical assistance to stakeholder groups concerned about community exposures.
EEC member laboratories include:
- Exposure Science Laboratory
- Analysis for Organics/Toxicants Laboratory
- Environmental Analysis Laboratory
- Particle Measurement and Modeling Laboratory
- UCD-Interdisciplinary Center for Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectometry
- Air Quality Research Center
- Primate Inhalation Toxicology Laboratory
- Sensor Development Laboratory
- Aerosol Mass Spectrometry for Toxicant Analysis
Integrative Health Sciences Facility Core
Co-directors
The hub of disease and biomarker research, the Integrative Health Sciences Facility Core (IHFSC) is a liaison to animal laboratories, human clinical studies, tissue biorepositories and statistical support that connects EHSC researchers' work with CEC and community partners.
The IHSFC provides researchers with access to experts and resources in multiple colleges, schools and centers, including:
- Animal Models. This subcore capitalizes on the premier Mouse Biology Program, the renowned California National Primate Research Center, and a unique Behavioral Assessment Laboratory, supporting science that examines the mechanisms that explain epidemiologic study findings, and connects findings from molecular and cellular studies to human health.
- Biostatistics. Two biostatisticians are dedicated to environmental health and omics research, providing essential services to interdisciplinary teams, such as helping with experimental study design, reframing the scientific question into a testable hypothesis and identifying the best analyses. The biostatistics subcore also helps interpret results in the context of the problem and grant writing, including statistical plans and sample size calculations. This approach helps weave together the strengths of each discipline to increase the quality of environmental health research and strengthen the inference from experiments, observational and community-based studies. The biostatistics subcore offers drop-in consultation appointments every Monday afternoon on the UC Davis campus from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, as well as one-to-one individual consultations on proposal development. All EHSC investigators are welcome, but appointments are required. To schedule an appointment, go to the online scheduler or contact Kyoungmi Kim, PhD (kmkim@ucdavis.edu).
- Biomarkers. The Biomarkers subcore partners with the Genome Center and West Coast Metabolomics Center for exposure and genome, epigenome, transcriptome, and metabolome signatures. In partnership with the CTSC, the IHSFC has collaborated in the development of an interactive web-based system to facilitate access to biological specimens and data from well-characterized study populations. The Virtual Biospecimen Discovery (VBD) is a searchable database containing meta data on over 200,000 biospecimens from a dozen tissue banks (both human and animal). Learn more and access the VBD here.
- Translational Research. Partnering with the Clinical and Translational Science Center’s Clinical Trials Resource, this subcore provides assistance with experimental design, IRB submissions, and regulatory compliance to promote human subjects research on environmental chemical exposures and accelerate development of public health interventions.
- Community Engagement Core. The IHFSC works with CEC to foster scientist/community partnerships to plan, conduct and interpret environmental health research projects in targeted communities.