Current Research Projects

Innovative approach to assess the effect of metal mixtures from infant meconium associated with adverse infant outcomes by identifying methylation loci in mothers and infants

Summary: This project examines how prenatal exposure to metal mixtures affects DNA methylation and infant health outcomes using meconium and buccal cells from NYC births.

CUNY Lead: Brian Pavilonis (PI), Suzanne McDermott (Co-PI)

Funding Agency: U.S. EPA Science to Achieve Results Program (STAR) Program

The Association of Environmental Pollution with Intellectual Disability and Autism in Children

CUNY Lead: Suzanne McDermott, Brian Pavilonis, Fiona Fogarty*, Mike Ierardi*, Rebecca Bachman*, Rachel Thompson*, Samantha Fisher*
*PhD candidate

Funding Agency: NYU Collaborative Center in Children’s Environmental Health Research and Translation (CEHRT)

New York Training Center for Emerging Technologies in Industrial Hygiene

A training program to equip industrial hygiene students and community partners with skills in sensor-based exposure monitoring and hazard recognition.

CUNY Lead: Brian Pavilonis, Mike Ierardi*
*PhD candidate

Funding Agency: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

The New York and New Jersey Education and Research Center

A regional NIOSH ERC program training future professionals in occupational health disciplines across five institutions in NY and NJ

CUNY Lead: Brian Pavilonis

Funding Agency: CDC-NIOSH

Promoting sustainable air quality at underserved neighborhoods in New York State through low-cost sensor monitoring

Summary: A community-driven initiative using low-cost sensors to enhance outdoor and indoor air quality awareness and action in underserved NYS neighborhoods.

CUNY Lead: Brian Pavilonis

Funding Agency: U.S. EPA Region 2

NEXUS: Network for Exposomics in the U.S.

Summary: Building collaborative networks to fulfill the multi-disciplinary needs for inclusive exposomic research

CUNY Lead: Ghada Soliman (Site Leader)

Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health (NIH)

A Randomized Intervention Trial to Increase Access to Reproductive Health Services among adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities

CUNY Lead: Suzanne McDermott (PI), Heidi Jones (Co-PI)