Transdisciplinary Training at the Intersection of Environmental Health Science and Social Science (EH+SS)

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Project Abstract: Transdisciplinary Training at the Intersection of Environmental Health and Social Science The goal of this first T32, 5-year renewal of the successful “Transdisciplinary Training at the Intersection of Environmental Health and Social Science” is to prepare 10 doctoral students and 8 postdocs (3 environmental health and 3 social science) to be future leaders in social science- environmental health science collaborations. This overall goal has the following objectives: 1) Educate trainees in a new research trajectory that combines environmental health and social science; 2) Teach trainees about community-based participatory research (CBPR), environmental justice, informal science education, and public participation in research; 3) Train researchers to integrate CBPR practices into existing and emerging research programs; 4) Provide hands-on training at a science-based CBO to demonstrate to trainees how it does research and interfaces with advocacy on emerging contaminants and technologies. This training program is unique in that is co-directed by an academic institution - Northeastern University's Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute and a non-academic institution - Silent Spring Institute, a science-based/community-based participatory research environmental non-profit organization. It builds upon 15 years of collaborative research and training activities between the two partners. Trainees are equipped to improve environmental health, particularly among underserved populations, through: core and elective coursework, two dedicated seminar series for trainees, engagement with CBOs that use novel tools for robust exposure and dose estimates, participatory research methods such as community-based participatory research and civic science, an overarching environmental justice approach, and reflexive research ethics. Trainees will be part of research teams at both institutions, including processes and ethics of reporting back biomonitoring and personal exposure results to participants; data sharing and privacy protection; exposure, remediation, health effects, and regulatory and policy issues of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, modeling of emerging contaminants in Cape Cod drinking water, water access and equity; development of exposure biomarkers for breast cancer studies; and development and application of low-cost community sensors. Trainees will also learn how to work with the news media. Pre-doctoral trainees will be funded for 3 years each, and the postdoctoral trainees will be funded for 2 years each.