We are proud to announce the six projects selected for Round 8 of the Full Pilot Program. These innovative studies reflect the creativity and commitment of our investigators and will generate important new insights to advance environmental health research and improve community well-being.
Congratulations to Our 2026 Pilot Project Awardees
Awardees:
- Yingxin Zhao, Professor, The University of Texas Medical Branch, “Role of Environmental Hazard Hexylbenzene in Alzheimer’s Disease”
- Juan 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”
- Ryan Dhindsa, Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, “Outdoor Air Pollution as a Driver of Latent Epstein-Barr Virus Infection”
- Ergun Sahin, Associate Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, “Mechanisms of Telomere and Smoking-Induced Alveolar Macrophage Dysfunction in Lung Fibrosis”
- Daniel 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”
- Jeremy Schraw, Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, “Characterizing Environmental Risk Factors for Biliary Atresia”
We congratulate the awardees and look forward to the discoveries these projects will bring.