The Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health’s Community Engagement Core will participate in World Ocean Day on June 6, 2026, in Galveston, Texas, as part of its ongoing outreach efforts. The CEC team will bring the MOBI COACH to the event and host a family-friendly outreach table featuring a hands-on children’s activity, health andContinueContinue reading “MOBI COACH to Join World Ocean Day Outreach in Galveston”
Author Archives: Heyreoun
Shen, Early-Life Nutrition Study Reveals Lasting Impact on Gut Health
Dr. Lanlan Shen, a GC-CPEH Full Member and Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, is leading research demonstrating that early-life nutrition plays a critical role in shaping lifelong gut health. Her latest study, published in Nature Microbiology, shows that weaning – the transition from milk to solid food – is a key developmental window forContinueContinue reading “Shen, Early-Life Nutrition Study Reveals Lasting Impact on Gut Health”
GC-CPEH Launches Veterans’ Health Podcast
Member Highlight: Dr. Drew Helmer, CEC Director and CEET Co-Lead The Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health (GC-CPEH) is pleased to announce the launch of a new podcast, Between Service & Science: The Veterans’ Health Podcast. Led by Dr. Drew Helmer, Co-Director of the Community Engagement Core (CEC), this podcast brings together researchers, clinicians,ContinueContinue reading “GC-CPEH Launches Veterans’ Health Podcast”
Barrozo, GC-CPEH Pilot Awardee Receives NIH R01 to Study Micro- and Nanoplastics in Preterm Birth
We are proud to recognize Dr. Enrico R. Barrozo, GC-CPEH Pilot Project Awardee and Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, who has received a new R01 award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The project, “Understanding the Impact of Micro-ContinueContinue reading “Barrozo, GC-CPEH Pilot Awardee Receives NIH R01 to Study Micro- and Nanoplastics in Preterm Birth”
Shelly Buffington Named 2026 TAMEST Protégé
Shelly Buffington, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Center for Precision Environmental Health and the Department of Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, has been selected as a 2026 Protégé by the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST). Dr. Buffington is also a participant in the Gulf Coast Center for Precision Environmental HealthContinueContinue reading “Shelly Buffington Named 2026 TAMEST Protégé”
2025 Houston Regional Air Quality Summit
Member Highlight: Elaine Symanski, Ph.D., GC-CPEH Deputy Director & TRSC Director The inaugural Houston Regional Air Quality Summit was held on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at the Cullen Building, Baylor College of Medicine. Co-hosted by the FIFA World Cup Houston Host Committee Sustainability Subcommittee and co-sponsored by GC-CPEH, the Summit convened community members, policymakers, industryContinueContinue reading “2025 Houston Regional Air Quality Summit”
Exercise Boosts Memory: Dr. Zheng Sun’s Alzheimer’s Research
Member Highlight: Dr. Zheng Sun, GC-CPEH GE2 Theme Co-Lead GC-CPEH GE2 Co-lead and associate professor of medicine – endocrinology Dr. Zheng Sun, together with colleague Dr. Hu Chen, assistant professor of pediatrics, at Baylor College of Medicine have been studying the effects of exercise in an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model which was published in Alzheimer’sContinueContinue reading “Exercise Boosts Memory: Dr. Zheng Sun’s Alzheimer’s Research”
Moorthy, GC-CPEH Member Receives $15 Million to Renew Baylor–Rice Superfund Research Program
Member Spotlight: Dr. Bhagavatula Moorthy, GC-CPEH Internal Advisory Board Member, Baylor–Rice Superfund Center Director, Professor of Pediatrics Baylor College of Medicine recently received nearly $15 million from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to renew the Baylor–Rice Superfund Research Program. The five-year grant will allow researchers to study how maternal exposure to polycyclicContinueContinue reading “Moorthy, GC-CPEH Member Receives $15 Million to Renew Baylor–Rice Superfund Research Program”
HELMER TALKS ABOUT VETERANS, TOXIC EXPOSURE, AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE
Member Highlight: Dr. Drew Helmer, CEC Director and CEET Co-Lead GC-CPEH CEC Director and CEET Co-lead Dr. Drew Helmer, together with colleagues Drs. Mhd Hasan Al Mekdash and Tarek Kandakji examined how concerns about toxic exposure contribute to veterans’ use of social media. The project was conducted through the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness,ContinueContinue reading “HELMER TALKS ABOUT VETERANS, TOXIC EXPOSURE, AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE”
Hwang, GC-CPEH Pilot Awardee Receives $5 Million to Study Cancer Risk in Firefighters
We are proud to recognize Dr. Jooyeon Hwang, GC-CPEH Pilot Project Awardee and Associate Professor at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, who is leading a new $5 million, two-year study funded by the State of Texas. The project will investigate cancer risks among firefighters across Texas—spanning cadets, active duty, and retirees—who face repeated exposureContinueContinue reading “Hwang, GC-CPEH Pilot Awardee Receives $5 Million to Study Cancer Risk in Firefighters”