José F. Cordero, John D. Meeker, Rita Loch-Caruso, Roger Giese,
Ingrid Padilla, Dorothy Vesper, David Kaeli, Thomas Sheahan,
Phil Brown, Carmen M. Vélez-Vega, and Akram N. Alshawabkeh
At the interface of two complex realities--the environment and epidemiology--lay the issue of the effects of contaminants on human reproduction.
Project PROTECT (Puerto Rico Testsite for
Exploring Contamination Threats) employs a trans-disciplinary team of scientists from multiple institutions. Effort is centered around the problem-based,
solution-oriented theme, to address three goals:
- (1) define the contribution of environmental chemical exposure to preterm birth,
- (2) develop new technology for discovery, transport characterization, and green remediation of Superfund hazardous chemicals in aquifers in karst region, and
- (3) engage stakeholders to support environmental public health practice, innovation and policy; professional development; and awareness around our theme
PROTECT integrates biomedical (epidemiology,
toxicology) and environmental (analytical chemistry,
engineering, hydrogeology) disciplines.
The Center is composed of eleven integrated components:
5 biomedical and environmental research projects,
- a targeted molecular epidemiology study of phthalate exposure and preterm birth in Puerto Rico.
- toxicant activation of pathways of preterm birth in gestational tissues.
- non-targeted chemical analysis with a focus on discovery of xenobiotics associated with preterm birth
- fate and transport and dynamic transport and exposure pathways of contaminants in karst groundwater systems
- development of a solar-powered remediation process for contaminated groundwater
2 research support cores
- The human subjects and sampling core recruits pregnant women to the cohort, and collects, stores and distributes biological and environmental specimens and data for use by projects.
- The data management and modeling core provides efficient collection, cleaning, integration and effective management of biomedical and environmental data being collected and analyzed across the PROTECT Center.
4 enrichment cores
- Administration that provides integration, coordination, and operational support,
- Training, a major component that ensures the development of the next generation of researchers,
- Research Translation that facilitates the application of research findings into practice, and
- the Community Engagement Core that ensures a direct connection to the communities of the Northern karst region and the participants in the study with a model report-back system.
PROTECT project is ongoing!
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