Recent M-LEEaD News and Member Updates
See all M-LEEaD News2025
October 2025: M-LEEaD Newsletter October 2025: September Legislative Forum Recap, Catch up on Member News • Experts from across Michigan gathered in Lansing on September 10th for a forum focused on Threats and Solutions to Clean and Affordable Drinking Water across the Great Lake State. Hosted on the second floor of the One Michigan Avenue Building and sponsored by the Michigan Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease (M-LEEaD) Center in collaboration with Representative Emily Dievendorf, the event brought together legislators, staff, and community members eager to better understand the complex challenges surrounding Michigan’s water systems. Panelists included Dr. Shawn McElmurry (Wayne State University), Dr. Azizur Molla (Grand Valley State University), Dr. Mike Shriberg (University of Michigan), and Ira... Read more
September 2025: M-LEEaD Newsletter September 2025: M-LEEaD 2025-26 Center Scientists, Catch up on Member News • The Center Scientist position, offered through M-LEEaD's Career Development Program, is led by Drs. Gil Omenn and Justin Colacino and provides special mentorship experiences to two early-stage investigators each year. Selected candidates engage in research that addresses the goals of the M-LEEaD Center to define, explain, or mitigate the impacts of environmental exposures during vulnerable stages of life. We are pleased to announce the 2025-26 Center Scientists! Yali Luo, PhD, MS, is a current Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. She received her PhD in Environmental Toxicology from the School of Energy and Environment at City University... Read more
August 2025: M-LEEaD Newsletter August 2025: Re-watch M-LEEaD's "Viral" Environmental Research Webinars, Catch up on Member News • M-LEEaD’s Environmental Research Webinar Series, run by the Integrated Health Sciences Core, brings researchers together to explore key topics in environmental health. Two recent webinars have gained significant attention, each with tens of thousands of views: “Nanoplastics and Human Health” with Dr. Matthew Campen from the University of New Mexico has reached 60,000 views since it aired in November 2024. The talk looks at how nanoplastics, microscopic plastic particles, may affect human health. Watch here. “Wildfire Smoke Exposure and Adverse Health Outcomes” with Dr. Luke Montrose from Colorado State University has over 50,000 views. The 2022 webinar covers what is currently... Read more
July 2025: M-LEEaD Newsletter July 2025: Center Scientist Applications Opened, Catch Up on Member News • M-LEEaD is now accepting applications for the two 2025-2026 Center Scientists positions. The Center Scientist positions provide special mentorship and core engagement for the selected early-stage investigators and include a contribution to salary and benefits. Selected Center Scientists are expected to engage in research that addresses the goals of the M-LEEaD Center to define, explain, or mitigate impacts of environmental exposures during vulnerable stages of life, or contribute to the priorities of the NIEHS Strategic Plan. Due to new Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) priorities, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Rose Branstrom, Administrative Assistant for M-LEEaD (rbranstr@umich.edu)... Read more
June 2025: M-LEEaD Newsletter June 2025: ESI Career Development Event, Pilot Grant Announcement, Member News • Image Caption: Stills from the 2025 Environmental Health Sciences Early Investigator Career Development Workshop. On June 3, 2025, early-stage investigators and graduate students from the University of Michigan and Wayne State University gathered at the University of Michigan School of Public Health for the Environmental Health Sciences Early Investigator Career Development Workshop. The session featured a presentation from the U‑M Office of the Vice President for Research titled “Communicating Your Impact: Structural Elements of Research Communication.” Participants explored questions such as “How does sharing your research with non-experts show up in your work?” and “What strategies best reach diverse audiences?” This workshop... Read more
May 2025: M-LEEaD Newsletter April 2025 • Image Caption: Stills from the #EHWorks video series On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in celebration of Earth Day, environmental health scientists from leading universities across the country launched a collaborative video series titled “Environmental Health Works.” The series sheds light on how environmental exposures, from air pollution to toxic chemicals, affect health and offers practical tips for staying safe. Chairs from Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) departments at Boston University, Columbia, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina, and the University of Washington are featured in the introductory video, explaining the importance of EHS. M-LEEaD Director... Read more
April 2025: M-LEEaD Newsletter April 2025 • Image Caption: Photos from "Building Solidarity for Clean and Affordable Water in Michigan,” including speakers, staff, and community attendees. On Monday, March 24th, 2025, the M-LEEaD Community Engagement Core and the M-LEEaD Integrated Health Sciences Core hosted "Building Solidarity for Clean and Affordable Water in Michigan." This event took place at the Whittaker Branch of Ypsilanti District Library, with an additional 60 attendees joining on Zoom, and included a panel of speakers addressing a range of topics related to water and public health. The environmental health practice community, community organizers, and allies came together for a discussion, Q&A, and networking.... Read more
March 2025: M-LEEaD Newsletter March 2025: Environmental Statistics Day 2025, M-LEEaD Members in the News • Image caption: Speakers at Environmental Statistics Day 2025. On Monday, February 24th, 2025, biostatistics and environmental health scientists gathered to discuss the computational challenges of multiple chemical and non-chemical environmental risk factors in environmental health sciences research. The keynote address was given by Howard Chang, PhD on Mixture All Along: Statistical Methods for Estimating Complex Exposure-Response Functions. Dr. Chang is a Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics in Environmental Health at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. The event concluded with the Michigan Perspectives faculty panel discussing topics related to mixtures. The presenters are featured below: Wei Hao, PhD (Research Assistant... Read more
February 2025: M-LEEaD Newsletter February 2025: Cytosine Modifications Seminar and Workshop, Member News • Image caption: Top right- attendees at the hands-on workshop portion. Bottom Left: Presenters for the Cytosine Modifications morning seminars. Bottom Right: Attendees enjoying a networking lunch at the School of Public Health. In November 2024, the M-LEEaD Pan Omics and Data Science (PODS) Core partnered with the U-M Epigenomics Core to host “Cytosine Modifications: Morning Seminars, Networking Lunch, and Hands-on Workshop.” This two-part event consisted of an educational lecture portion followed by a hands-on data analysis training session a few weeks later. In the lecture sessions, the UM Epigenomics Core, PODS Core leaders and staff, and Illumina representatives provided foundational... Read more