Community Engagement Core welcomes a new Public Health Action Committee

Dr. Kathleen Gray

On November 16, 2020, the UNC SRP Community Engagement Core convened the first meeting of the Public Health Advisory Committee (PHAC).  Members of this advisory board include representatives from county environmental and public health departments, water quality and environmental justice organizations, and the NC Division of Public Health (DPH).  UNC SRP Director Dr. Rebecca Fry briefed PHAC members on center research to understand mechanisms behind arsenic-induced diabetes, predict arsenic contamination in groundwater and develop novel membranes to filter arsenic out of drinking water.  Community Engagement Core Leader Dr. Kathleen Gray then engaged committee members in brainstorming community-based strategies to prevent exposure to contaminated well water.  These combined activities will ultimately result in increased bi-directional communication and research that addresses issues of concern related to toxic metal contamination of drinking water in NC communities.  The next PHAC meeting will be held in January 2021.