EHS Research and Research Training

Research Areas

The Department of Environmental Health Sciences conducts laboratory and applied field research on the impact of the environment on human health. The overarching research foci encompass factors influencing water quality and disaster management impact on health. Health endpoints of specific interest are: cancer, respiratory disease including asthma, gastro-intestinal disorders, workplace health, and adverse reproductive health.  Areas include:

• Public health aspects of water quality:  public health microbiology and virology, water quality, microbial risk assessment, water policy and management, metagenomics and bioinformatics, environmental biotechnology, biosensors, water reuse, water treatment, antibiotic resistance, and opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens.
  • The Water Professional's Guide to COVID-19 - a collaborative project with contributions from assistant professor Samendra Sherchan and emeritus professor Robert Reimers. 
• Environmental and genetic toxicology: environmental stresses induced by xenobiotic compounds; mutagenesis; carcinogenesis; DNA damage and repair environmental and molecular toxicology mechanisms of genetic damage and mutagenesis; gene-environment interactions in environmental disease; carcinogens and their mechanisms of action; and xenobiotic-induced metabolic dysregulation of macro-nutrients.
• Public health disaster management:  community resilience and health systems preparedness; and health disparities.

Training Grants

The Tulane MSPH program in Industrial Hygiene is supported by a Training and Education grant awarded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Students in the MSPH – IH program are eligible to apply for a NIOSH traineeship which may provide partial tuition support and stipend. For further details on the NIOSH training program, contact Program Director Dr. Mark Wilson.

Research Centers

The Center for Applied Environmental Public Health (CAEPH)

CAEPH uses a multidisciplinary approach to assess the impact of environmental agents on human health. CAEPH researchers utilize computing technology as a tool to analyze data and to assess the health impact of environmental contaminants. Areas of study include: childhood lead poisoning; application of surveillance methodology and data analysis to environmental health issues; and the translation of research for applications in environmental health practice.

CAEPH provides professional development through the Region 6 Public Health Training Center funded by HRSA.