Spartans Step Up: Healthy Futures Research Project

Wednesday, September 18 | 1pm - 2pm Eastern 

Join The Alumni Association of Case Western Reserve University on Wednesday, September 18th, 2024 for the next installment of Spartans Step Up, a webcast series focusing on topical issues and the CWRU Community. This episode will take a first look at how CWRU and the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center is leading research following the Norfolk Southern train crash in East Palestine, Ohio and the impact afterwards via the Healthy Futures Research Project. 

 

On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in the village of East Palestine, Ohio. Nearly half of the local 4,800 residents evacuated within hours of the derailment. Norfolk Southern subsequently carried out a controlled combustion of five tankers, releasing phosgene, a colorless gas that smells like musty hay, and hydrogen chloride, a colorless to slightly yellow gas with a pungent odor, into the atmosphere. Upon exposure, both substances can cause symptoms ranging from irritation of the nose, throat, skin, eyes, and larynx to vomiting and breathing difficulties. For residents of East Palestine and the surrounding communities, concern about the unknown and potentially long-term environmental and health effects of these exposures remains high.

 

The Healthy Futures Research Project aims to work with the residents of East Palestine and the surrounding area to understand the impact of this crisis by engaging in community-based participatory research. The research team will study the biological impact of chemical exposures on the short- and long-term health of residents by measuring DNA damage which may increase the risk of developing chronic health conditions such as cancer, metabolic and autoimmune diseases. The project team will engage residents through in-person interviews to better understand post-disaster quality of life, risk perceptions, and healthcare needs.

Gary Schwartz, MD, moderator
Director, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
Vice Dean for Oncology, School of Medicine
Gertrude Donnelly Hess MD Professor in Oncology Research

Fredrick R. Schumacher, PhD, MPH, panelist has research interests in three major areas: deciphering the inherited genetic architecture of complex traits; assessing the shared genetic etiology of complex phenotypes to elucidate the underlying biology; and determining the clinical impact of inherited variation. His primary research focus is on cancer, particularly prostate cancer. He is an international leader in the study of the role of germline genetics in cancer susceptibility and progression. For more than a decade, he has led large multi-study consortia within and across cancers (i.e. Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium, NCI GAME-ON, etc.). 

Erika S. Trapl, PhD, panelist is a behavioral epidemiologist whose research focuses on multiple levels of determinants to prevent and reduce chronic disease, and she has led a community-engaged research program for over a decade. Much of her work over the past 15 years has involved informing or evaluating interventions to promote health behavior change and longitudinal data collection in partnership with community organizations, coalitions, residents, and health systems.

 

Viewers are invited to submit questions for the panel when registering for the livestream or during the live broadcast. 

 

For updates on future episodes, please follow The Alumni Association on Facebook (@cwrualumni).

Previous episodes are available at The Alumni Association's Spartans Step Up page.