Message from the Director of IEHS
Dr. Rebecca Fry
We are excited to launch the new IEHS at Carolina, founded on optimizing the health of the most vulnerable populations in North Carolina and beyond and providing innovative solutions to promote environmental health.
Our divisions include cancer survivor’s health, metabolic health, perinatal health, and respiratory health, and each division is headed by leaders at UNC that span the Gillings School of Global Public Health, and the School of Medicine. Members of the group also study potential changes in direct patient care, determining factors that improve the long-term health of early-term babies, for example, and delivering the findings to clinics, with the goal of saving lives.
Very often, as scientists, we identify an environmental problem but do not provide solutions to individuals and communities. Our goal at the Institute is to put solutions directly into the hands of individuals and communities of North Carolina and beyond. These solutions can range from cellular-based strategies to community-based approaches.
Team members are developing strong partnerships with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other environmental health-focused universities, allowing researchers to collaborate with and students to be mentored by, an array of experts.
The Institute also provides a training base for our next generation of talented environmental scientists and serves as a novel research networking and discovery center. Our goal is to impact the lives of real people, using research-based solutions.
–Rebecca Fry, PhD
