Biostatistical Analysis of Multi-Pollutant Exposure and Relationship to Effects

Project Number:

XORD-09-3

Lab:

Numerous Labs/Centers

Geographical Location of Position:

Research Triangle Park, NC

Title of Project:

Biostatistical Analysis of Multi-Pollutant Exposure and Relationship to Effects

Brief Description of Research Project:

Major challenges for integrating the science of air pollutant effects on human health include interpreting study results showing dissimilar concentration-health effects relationships across multiple U.S. metropolitan areas and the difficulty of discriminating the individual and combined effects of multiple air pollutants.  The combination of new biostatistical methodology, innovative approaches to epidemiology, and improved human exposure estimation has great potential to improve our understanding of the relationship between both short-term and long-term human exposures to air pollutants and human health effects.  The enhanced scientific understanding would directly benefit EPA’s Integrated Science Assessments that are used as a basis for air pollutant regulations, would make major advances in human exposure research, and could lead to a greater integration of epidemiologic results with more experimental studies.

The successful candidate will be expected to perform biostatistical research and analysis on the relationship between various human exposure metrics and human health effects, especially premature mortality, including cause-specific mortality.  The research and analysis will estimate the health effects of multiple air pollutants in order to allow attribution of health effects to different pollutants or groups of pollutants using a variety of different human exposure metrics in close collaboration with new human exposure research. 

The candidate must be able to work in a collaborative environment between the National Exposure Research Laboratory, the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), and the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA).  The lead ORD research mentor will be Brad Schultz of NERL.  Other mentors or close collaborators include:  Lucas Neas (NHEERL), Mary Ross (NCEA) and Lisa Baxter (NERL).

Educational Requirements:

Ph.D. in epidemiology, statistics, biostatistics, or other related scientific discipline

Specialized training and/or experience preferred:

Extensive background in the statistical aspects of air pollutant epidemiology, particularly in the assessment of multi-collinearity in statistical analysis.

Scientific Contact/Principal Investigator*:

Brad Schultz:  919-541-3881,  schultz.brad@epa.gov

Lucas Neas:  919-966-9961,   neas.lucas@epa.gov