GC-CPEH Pilot Project Program
Round 8 Full Pilot Project Awards
The Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health is proud to announce the seven projects selected for Round 8 of its Full Pilot Program. These studies will advance environmental health research and improve community well-being.
Project period: July 15, 2026 – May 31, 2027
Congratulations to Our 2026 Pilot Project Awardees
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UTMBYingxin Zhao
Professor, The University of Texas Medical Branch
“Role of Environmental Hazard Hexylbenzene in Alzheimer’s Disease”
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UTHealthJuan Aguilera
Assistant Professor, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
“Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Extreme Heat Exposures, Epigenomic Signatures, and Cardiometabolic Risk in a U.S.–Mexico Border Latino Community”
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BCMRyan Dhindsa
Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine
“Outdoor Air Pollution as a Driver of Latent Epstein-Barr Virus Infection”
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BCMErgun Sahin
Associate Professor, Baylor College of Medicine
“Mechanisms of Telomere and Smoking-Induced Alveolar Macrophage Dysfunction in Lung Fibrosis”
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UTMBDaniel O’Reilly
Assistant Professor, The University of Texas Medical Branch
“Caffeine, DNA Damage, and Mismatch Repair as Modifiers of Somatic CAG Expansion in Huntington’s Disease”
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BCMJeremy Schraw
Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine
“Characterizing Environmental Risk Factors for Biliary Atresia”
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UTMBAyobami M. Olajuyin
Instructor, The University of Texas Medical Branch
“Attenuating Pulmonary Fibrosis by Targeting AhR Signaling in Macrophages”
Please join us in congratulating this year’s awardees. We look forward to the discoveries these projects will bring.