Dr. Valentine-King Awarded NIH-Funded Training Fellowship in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
After a highly competitive application process, Dr. Valentine-King was accepted into the National Institutes of Health’s AIM-AHEAD training program in artificial intelligence and machine learning, which leverages the All of Us dataset and research infrastructure. This eight-month program includes foundational and advanced coursework in R or Python; instruction on conducting analyses in the All of Us Researcher Workbench; and applied modules on statistical methods, machine learning techniques, and data use cases. Trainees apply these skills to complete an independent research project using the All of Us database and present their work at the annual AIM-AHEAD conference in July 2026.
New MIEHR Publications
MIEHR researchers published their first manuscript describing a study that recruited Black and white women at major obstetric hospitals in Houston where they presented summaries of data that had been collected on participants recruited through February 2023. Preliminary findings suggest racial differences in experiences of discrimination, stress, and levels of support, as well as neighborhood characteristics. NB: Recruitment of the cohort ended in December 2023 and additional analyses are ongoing. We will share findings as they become available.
Another MIEHR study, relying on a repository of obstetric data from two BCM hospitals in the Texas Medical Center, observed that risks for spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) among mothers living in environmentally overburdened neighborhoods were elevated for Black gravidae but not for white gravidae. This study also found that neighborhood-level features did not appear to explain the differences in risk of sPTB between Black and white mothers.
Dr. Wei-Jen Chen Appointed Assistant Professor at Taipei Medical University
In October 2024, Dr. Wei-Jen Chen, a former postdoctoral fellow in the Program in Population and Environmental Health Disparities (PiPEHD), began his new role as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health at Taipei Medical University.
During his time at PiPEHD, Dr. Chen investigated the impact of air pollution, extreme temperatures, and environmental exposure mixtures on maternal and child health outcomes. Notably, Dr. Chen received a P50 pilot grant from the Maternal and Infant Environmental Health Riskscape (MIEHR) Research Center to support some of these investigations.
As a PiPEHD post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Chen published nine peer-reviewed articles, delivered two invited presentations, and presented at six national conferences. His excellence was further recognized with a trainee award at the Health Equity Research Summit hosted by Baylor College of Medicine.
Reflecting on his time at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Chen expressed deep gratitude for the support from PiPEHD, stating, “The postdoc training offered by PiPEHD not only allowed me to learn and apply novel biostatistical modeling and epidemiological methods but also enhanced my knowledge of environmental and perinatal disparities, supporting my transition to an academic faculty role.” Dr. Chen’s transition represents a significant milestone in his academic career, with a goal of continuing to advance environmental health research.
ECHO Funding
Drs. Kristina Whitworth and Elaine Symanski, faculty leads of the Program in Population and Environmental Health Disparities at Baylor College of Medicine, along with collaborator Dr. Thomas Northrup at the McGovern Medical School, were awarded more than $10 million over seven years to recruit pregnant women and their children as part of a new ECHO Cohort study site in Houston that will serve to expand the diversity of the nationwide ECHO Cohort. The ECHO Program aims to understand the impact of myriad exposures experienced by pregnant women and children during susceptible periods of development from conception through early childhood on a range of childhood and early adolescent health outcomes. See the press release for more details.
Partnering to Find Solutions for Better Environmental Health in Houston’s Disadvantaged Neighborhoods
NIEHS featured the work of Elaine Symanski and her team on addressing metal recycling pollution in Houston in a community-engaged project with academics, industry, residents, the Houston Health Department, and Air Alliance Houston in the Science Selection of Environmental Health Perspectives (Vol 131, no. 80, August 2023) and the Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH) newsletter (Vol 14, Issue 8, August 2023). These mentions highlight the example that the MAPPS study provided in demonstrating the importance of community, partnerships, and a focus on action-oriented outcomes in addressing environmental injustice.
Symanski Named BCM Woman of Excellence
Dr. Elaine Symanski, a GC-CPEH Deputy Director, has been chosen as one of the 21-22 BCM Women of Excellence awardees. This award recognizes Dr. Symanski’s pioneering work establishing a P50 Center of Excellence in Health Disparities, her extraordinary contributions and accomplishments in the area of health equity, and her leadership in addressing issues related to environmental health disparities in maternal and infant environmental health.
Drs. Chen and Rammah Present at 2023 Health Equity Research Summit
Dr. Chen Receives Award for Best Trainee-Led Project
Baylor College of Medicine had its sixth annual 2023 Center of Excellence in Health Equity, Training, and Research (COE) Summer Research Summit on May 16, 2023. The conference focused on the theme of "Achieving Environmental Justice: Removing Systemic Barriers and Disparities in Healthcare," aiming to explore the impact of environmental disparities on health equity and discussing strategies to address them.
Two postdoctoral researchers in the Program in Population and Environmental Health Disparities Publications presented their research at this meeting. Dr. Wei-Jen Chen, in recognition of his excellent research, was honored with the prestigious award for Best Trainee-Led Project. His study, titled "Race/ethnicity-specific Associations of Fine Particulate Matter and Temperature Exposures with Low Birth Weight among Women in Harris County, Texas, 2018-2020," aimed to investigate the relationship between air pollution, temperature, and birth weight in different racial/ethnic groups, with a particular focus on Hispanics, who have been underrepresented in previous studies conducted on the East or West Coasts.
Dr. Amal Rammah also presented her study titled "Spatial Social Polarization and Black-White Disparities in Stillbirth." Dr. Rammah’s research seeks to understand the contributions of spatial social polarization, a legacy of redlining and residential racial segregation, to persistent disparities in risk of stillbirth between non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White women in the United States, with a particular focus on Harris County (TX), where such disparities remain largely unexplained.
The COE Summer Research Summit was an engaging and informative event, bringing together researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers to discuss solutions for achieving health equity in the face of environmental challenges.