![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Agenda
The 2006 Forum featured the collaborative efforts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Tuesday, May 16, 2006 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
9:30-10:00 AM |
Welcome and Introductions - Dr. George Gray, Assistant Administrator, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) / Office of Research and Development (ORD) Perspectives on Environmental Public Health - Dr. James Johnson, Dean, College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences, Howard University |
||
|
10:00-10:15 AM |
Morning Break |
||
|
10:15-10:30 AM |
EPA Commitment to Environmental Public Health - Marcus C. Peacock, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | ||
|
10:30-11:30 AM |
Opening Keynote Speaker Secrets of the Human Genome - Dr. J. Craig Venter, Founder & President, J. Craig Venter Institute |
||
|
11:30AM-12:30 PM |
Lunch on your own & Poster Viewing Opportunity |
||
|
12:30-2:30 PM |
Disease Susceptibility Plenary Session
|
||
|
2:30-3:00 PM |
Afternoon Break/Poster Viewing Opportunity |
||
|
3:00-5:00 PM |
Poster Platform |
Poster Platform |
Poster Platform |
|
5:00-7:00 PM |
|||
Wednesday, May 17, 2006 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8:30-10:30 AM |
Global Challenges Plenary Session
|
|||
|
10:30-11:00 AM |
Morning Break / Poster Viewing Opportunity |
|||
|
11:00 AM-12:00 PM |
Former EPA Assistant Administrators for Research and Development |
|||
| 12:00-1:00 PM |
Lunch on Your Own / Poster Viewing Opportunity |
|||
|
Poster Platform |
Poster Platform |
Poster Platform |
Poster Platform |
|
|
3:00-3:30 PM |
Afternoon Break / Poster Viewing Opportunity |
|||
|
3:30-5:30 PM |
Atrium Posters and Exhibit Viewing Special Program Sessions |
|||
Thursday, May 18, 2006 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
8:30-10:30 AM |
The Built Environment Plenary Session
|
||
|
10:30-11:00 AM |
Morning Break |
||
|
11:00-1:00 PM |
Session 1 - Human Health and the Built Environment |
||
Detailed Agenda
Forum Opening
(Tuesday, May 16, 2006- 9:30-11:30 a.m.)
Welcome, Meeting Information and Introductions
Dr. George Gray, Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Research and Development
Perspectives on Environmental Public Health
Dr. James Johnson, Dean, College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences, Howard University
EPA Commitment to Environmental and Public Health
Marcus C. Peacock, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Opening Keynote Speaker
Dr. J. Craig Venter
"Secrets of the Human Genome"
This opening presentation featured one of leading scientists of the 21st century and his visionary thoughts on genomic research and the intersection between genomics and environmental and energy policy. The presentation highlighted current efforts in advancing the science of genomics and in applying genomic advances to some of the world's most vexing public health and environmental challenges.
Session 1 - Tuesday May 16th
Topic: Disease Susceptibility and the Environment
Session Co-Chairs: Dr. Julian Preston (EPA) and Dr. William Suk (NIEHS); Poster Co-Chairs: Dr. Andrew Geller (EPA) and Dr. Bruce Fowler (ATSDR)
Disease Susceptibility and the Environment chronicled progress in understanding why some of us succumb to illness while others remain well. The session examined the following topics:
- Genome and Disease Susceptibility: the innovative work related to the genome and human disease susceptibility and the relevance of this new science to public health risk assessment, as well as recent advances in genomics, proteomics, and metabonomics. (Speaker: Dr. Steven Kleeberger, NIEHS)
- New Evidence in Lifestage Susceptibility: the susceptibilities of children and how childhood environmental exposures may lead to health problems throughout life and discoveries that have brought to light both how resilient the aging population really is, and yet, why they sometimes have special vulnerabilities to environmental pollutants. (Speaker: Dr. Elaine Faustman, Professor, University of Washington)
- Health Disparities: how poverty and cultural differences can shape our lifestyles and attendant exposures to produce differential environmental health impacts. Research results and new challenges related to environmental equity issues were explored. (Speaker: Dr. William H. Sanders, Acting Director, EPA / Office of Children's Health Protection and Environmental Education (OCHPEE))
Three concurrent Poster Platform Sessions followed the "Disease Susceptibility and the Environment" plenary session. These poster platform sessions correspond to and elaborated on the four subjects highlighted by plenary session talks: 1) The Genome and Disease Susceptibility; 2) New Evidence in Lifestage Susceptibility; and, 3) Health Disparities. Selected posters from each poster-platform session were presented by the primary investigators. Open group discussion followed. Additional related posters were exhibited in Atrium Hall.
Poster Viewing Session and Poster Awards Reception
5:00-7:00 PM
During this great networking opportunity and exciting showcase of excellence in science, Science Forum attendees had an opportunity to meet with their colleagues and peers and explore the science being presented at this year's Forum. Award-winning science posters were recognized.
Session 2 - Wednesday May 17th
Topic: Global Challenges
Session Co-Chairs: Dr. Anne Grambsch (EPA) and Dr. Chris Portier (NIEHS); Poster Chairs: Dr. Mike Slimak (EPA) and Dave Bussard (EPA)
Global Challenges examined how a changing environment is giving rise to potential new public health risks and actions that could be undertaken to ameliorate these risks. Session topics included the following:
- Changing Environments: New public health challenges are arising as global stressors change. Diseases that have emerged or re-emerged in recent years are the result, in part, of factors such as human behavior, global transportation patterns, extreme weather events, and other changing environmental conditions. This session examined these environmental stressors and the implications for human disease. Biocomplexity, as well as changes in ecosystems and habitats that impact disease risks and quality of life, were also discussed. (Speaker: Dr. Rita Colwell, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland at College Park and Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Senior Advisor and Honorary Chairman of Canon U.S. Life Sciences)
- Changing Diseases : Threats to public health are changing in response to a changing environment, e.g., changing human behavior, global transportation patterns, extreme weather events. This session explored the changing picture of environmental public health and how new research and technologies can be used to track and guide efforts to address these public health threats. (Speaker: Dr. Henry Falk, Director, Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention, CDC)
- Changing Assessments: A discussion of what we have learned about human health risks, how those risks are currently evaluated, and what changes need to be made to move risk assessment into the future. State-of-the-art approaches to health risk assessment and emerging challenges were explored. (Speaker: Dr. Peter Preuss, EPA)
- Changing Responses: The World Health Organization lists air and water pollution as among the 10 greatest hazards to public health. This session explored how U.S. federal health agencies have worked together to achieve remarkable success reducing US risks and how international agencies, US federal health agencies, and state and local health departments are working to meet new challenges to environmental public health. Cooperative interactions among governmental bodies and organizations to clean up and protect the environment and public health were highlighted. (Speaker: Deputy Assistant Administrator Mike Shapiro, EPA, Office of Water)
Four concurrent Poster-Platform Sessions followed the "Global Challenges" plenary session. These poster-platform sessions correspond to and elaborated on the four subjects highlighted by plenary session talks: 1) Changing Environment; 2) Changing Diseases; 3) Changing Responses; and 4) Changing Assessments. Selected posters from each platform session were presented by the primary investigators. Open group discussion followed. Additional related posters were exhibited in Atrium Hall.
Special Program Sessions - Wednesday May 17th
1. Innovations in Risk Assessment Practice
Innovations in Risk Assessment Practice highlighted novel approaches to address challenges in assessing human health risk. Specific examples illustrated emerging approaches for estimating risks from low or acute exposures, for applying toxicogenomic data and life stage information, and for assessing human exposures. In addition, considerations for characterizing uncertainty and assessing cumulative risk were explored. (Session Chair: Dr. John Vandenberg, EPA)
2. Federal Technology Transfer Act Training (CRADAs)
Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) are the primary mechanism for establishing partnerships between federal laboratories and other research partners - including non-federal partners - to exchange personnel, equipment, services, and expertise for a specific research project. Under the authority of the Federal Technology Act of 1986, these partnerships are intended to provide a more efficient and effective means by which to apply federally funded technology to use in real-world applications.
3. Emerging Leaders Network
The EPA Emerging Leaders Network (ELN) aims to provide networking and professional development opportunities for new, young (and young at heart) professionals at EPA. The Emerging Leaders Network is designed to offer a friendly, informal, yet structured environment for young Agency professionals to meet, network, learn about ongoing and emerging activities across the Agency and support each other in a collegial and collaborative atmosphere. The ELN includes fellows, interns, new graduates and new hires with a variety of scientific and technical backgrounds. The 2006 EPA Science Forum Emerging Leaders Network session included a panel discussion on sustainability, stewardship, and collaborative programs.
Session 3- Thursday May 18
Topic: The Built Environment
Session Co-Chairs: Dr. Hal Zenick (EPA) and Howard Frumkin, National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) /the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Poster Co-Chairs: Dr. Laura Jackson (EPA) and Dr. Drue Barrett (NCEH/ATSDR)
The Built Environment looked at demographic trends and how thoughtful planning of our built environment can eliminate or mitigate future environmental health problems. Certain organizations have been at the leading edge in planning our built environment. This session explored what solutions we have found, what we have learned and how we can better envision future problems and solutions.
- EPA' s Smart Growth Effort has been forward thinking in the incorporation of environmental health in planning land use, transportation and critical services planning, examining obstacles encountered by communities, and analyzing the benefits of these planning efforts. This session focused on collaborative infrastructure planning efforts in developing healthy communities, including recent research that challenges conventional wisdom about land use and the environment and new approaches to urban and regional planning. New innovations to meet the evolving demands of the future were highlighted. (Speaker - Tim Torma, Deputy Director, Office of Business and Community Innovation EPA/OBCI)
- The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design, an exhibition at the National Building Museum, examined new developments in green technology and products; explored the building materials, consumer products, and energy systems that offer attractive and often affordable sources of the latest in home building technology and products; delved into developments in sustainability; and provided an informative overview of this dynamic design movement. (Speaker: Martin Moeller, Senior Vice President for Special Projects, National Building Museum)
- Human Health and the Built Environment explored trends in population demographics and the anticipated impacts on transportation, planning, land use, and critical services needs. With new science and new methods we can predict our future as never before and position ourselves to shape that future. The focus os this session was on trends and the demands placed on the environment and public health. (Speaker - Dr. Howard Frumkin, Director of NCEH and ATSDR)
Three concurrent Poster-Platform Sessions followed the "Built Environment" plenary session. These poster-platform sessions corresponded to and elaborated on the three subjects highlighted by plenary session talks: 1) Human Health and the Built Environment; 2) EPA's Smart Growth; and 3) The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design. Selected posters from each platform session were presented by the primary investigators. Open group discussion followed. Additional related posters were exhibited in Atrium Hall.