Project Grant K99ES036277

PHTHALATE MIXTURES AND THE INTERCONNECTION OF CHILD NEUROBEHAVIOR AND OBESITY - PROJECT SUMMARY I AM A DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENTIST AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCHER DEDICATED TO UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN HEALTH DISPARITIES. MY PRIMARY RESEARCH INTEREST IS THE IMPACT OF EARLY-LIFE EXPOSURES ON NEURODEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN. IN THIS PROPOSAL, I WILL ACQUIRE TRAINING, KNOWLEDGE, AND SKILLS IN CAREER DEVELOPMENT, TOXICOLOGY, ADVANCED STATISTICS, AND GROWTH/METABOLISM TO TRANSITION INTO AN INDEPENDENT TRANSDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATOR AND BECOME A LEADER IN PEDIATRIC ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. I HAVE ASSEMBLED AN EXPERT TEAM OF MENTORS AND COLLABORATORS WITH TRANSDISCIPLINARY EXPERTISE IN EXPOSOMICS, NEURODEVELOPMENTAL TOXICOLOGY, ADVANCED ANALYTICAL METHODOLOGIES, PEDIATRICS, EPIDEMIOLOGY, ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, CHILD DEVELOPMENT, AND OBESITY. TRAINING ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE COMPUTATIONAL METHODS AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING TRAINING, SEMINARS, COURSEWORK, SCIENTIFIC WRITING WORKSHOPS, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES, AND ONE-ON-ONE TUTORIAL MEETINGS. THESE ACTIVITIES WILL COVER TOPICS RELATING TO RESEARCH, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND CAREER ADVANCEMENT. THROUGH THIS GRANT, I WILL ACQUIRE THE EXPERTISE TO ACHIEVE MY CAREER GOAL OF TRANSITIONING INTO AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR FOCUSING ON THE MULTIFACETED AND DYNAMIC INTER- RELATIONSHIPS OF EARLY-LIFE NEUROTOXIC EXPOSURES, NEURODEVELOPMENT, AND CHILDHOOD OBESITY. I WILL LEVERAGE THE LONG-ESTABLISHED PROGRAMMING RESEARCH IN OBESITY, GROWTH, ENVIRONMENT, AND SOCIAL STRESSORS (PROGRESS) STUDY, A LONGITUDINAL BIRTH COHORT BASED IN MEXICO CITY, AND INCORPORATE MEASURES OF EARLY-LIFE UNTARGETED AND EMERGING PHTHALATES TO ASSESS THEIR NEURO AND METABOLIC TOXICITY AS THE PLATFORM FOR MY TRAINING. SPECIFICALLY, I WILL TRAIN WITH: 1) ROBERT O. WRIGHT, MD, MPH, IN PRINCIPLES OF TOXICOLOGY AND CHILD EXECUTIVE FUNCTION DEVELOPMENT; 2) DANIA VALVI, MD, PH.D., MPH, IN PHTHALATES TOXICITY, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND OBESITY DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN; 3) SHELLEY LIU, PH.D., IN STATISTICAL METHODS TO ASSESS MIXTURES AND NOVEL STATISTICAL APPROACHES FOR NEURODEVELOPMENTAL TESTS INCLUDING ADVANCED LATENT VARIABLE MODELING AND LONGITUDINAL STATISTICAL APPLICATIONS; 4) DEBORAH CORY-SLECHTA, PH.D., IN NEUROTOXICOLOGY AND INTERPRETATION OF OPERANT TESTING ASSESSMENT; AND 5) SYAM ANDRA, PH.D. IN TOXICOLOGY AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY. THIS RESEARCH PROPOSAL WILL INTEGRATE CONCEPTS OF TOXICOLOGY, GROWTH/METABOLISM, EATING BEHAVIORS, BRAIN DEVELOPMENT, CRITICAL WINDOWS, AND ADVANCED STATISTICAL APPLICATIONS FOR CHEMICAL MIXTURES, USING BMI TRAJECTORY DATA AND MEASURES OF INHIBITORY CONTROL AND REWARD PROCESSING ASSESSED AS MEDIATORS IN A LONGITUDINAL STUDY, ESTIMATING THE TOTAL, DIRECT, AND INDIRECT (I.E., CAUSAL MEDIATION) EFFECTS OF PHTHALATES. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH AND TRAINING PLAN WILL POSITION ME TO ACHIEVE MY LONG-TERM GOAL OF IDENTIFYING AND EVALUATING NEUROTOXIC EXPOSURES THAT LONGITUDINALLY INFLUENCE CHILD HEALTH AND NEURODEVELOPMENT AMONG MINORITY CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS. I WILL USE THIS K99/R00 AS A FOUNDATION FOR A FUTURE R01 GRANT AND THE TRANSITION TO A TENURE-TRACK INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR AIMED TO UNDERSTAND THESE COMPLEX INTER-RELATIONSHIPS.