In partnership with other Colleges and Centers, we offer small contributions from the Career Development budget to supplement the new University of Arizona EHS faculty recruitment packages to promote the visibility and stature of EHS research and the SWEHSC across the university, and to leverage minimal funds to attract top investigators in multiple colleges that specifically enhance the EHS research agenda. Another objective of the SWEHSC Administrative Core is to promote the implementation of state-of-the-art research tools and technologies in EHS research and to assist new faculty joining the University of Arizona in establishing their laboratories and research programs. This will continue to be accomplished through the Pilot Project funds and Career Development Programs.
The table below is a snapshot of researchers have benefitted from the Career Development Program:
| Member | About | Mentor |
| Paloma Beamer, PhD. Professor, Community, Environment and Policy, College of Public Health. | Dr. Beamer has led multiple studies to collect multi-media exposure samples for metals, pesticides, and VOCs with minority and rural populations. Dr. Beamer has progressed from a center member to the co-director of the Community Engagement Core (CEC), and the co-director of the Implementation Resource for Translational and Human Exposure Research (IRTH). | Dr. Martinez, Dr. Burgess |
| Stephanie Russo Carroll, DrPH, MPH Associate Professor, Community, Environment and Policy, College of Public Health | Dr. Carroll’s research explores the links between Indigenous governance, data, the environment, and community wellness. | Dr. Burgess |
| Karletta Chief, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science | Dr. Chief is also the director of the Indigenous Resilience Center. Her research focuses on the effects of climate change on Indigenous communities based on predictions of watershed hydrology, unsaturated flow in arid environments, and the effects of natural and human disturbances on soil hydrology. As an extension specialist, she also works to bring relevant science to Native American communities in a culturally sensitive manner. Dr. Chief was named University Distinguished Outreach Faculty by the University of Arizona in recognition of her noteworthy contributions to environmental justice and outreach focused on Native American and Indigenous communities. Dr. Chief received pilot project and CD funding | Dr. Beamer |
| John Clarke, Ph.D. Associate Professor | Dr. Clarke was mentored for an NIEHS funded K99/R00 award on the inter-individual variability in response to environmental exposures of microcystin. He is now an associate professor at Washington State University. Dr. Clarke received pilot project and CD funding. | Dr. Cherrington, Dr. Wright |
| Zelieann Craig, Ph.D. Assistant Dean, Research - College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Reproductive Physiology in the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. | Dr. Craig’s interests are reproduction and toxicology, and the field of reproductive physiology and toxicology. Dr. Craig conducts research aimed at understanding the relationship between environmental exposures and ovarian function and disease. Dr. Craig has transitioned to become the co-director of Research Focus Group 3 and the co-director of the Implementation Resource for Translational and Human Exposure Research (IRTH). Dr. Craig received pilot project and CD funding | Dr. Cherrington, Dr. Wondrak |
| Frank Duca, PhD. Assistant Professor, Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences. | Dr. Duca’s laboratory investigates the role of environmental and genetic interactions in altering the gut microbiota and nutrient-sensing pathways of the intestine in obesity and diabetes. Dr. Duca received pilot project funding. | Dr. Craig |
| Leslie Farland, ScD. Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics | Dr. Farland is interested in understanding how environmental exposures influence reproductive and gynecologic health. Dr. Farland received pilot project funding. | Dr. Burgess |
| Melissa Furlong, Ph.D. Co-Director of Research Focus Group 1, Assistant Professor, Community, Environment and Policy, College of Public Health. | Dr. Furlong is an environmental epidemiologist who studies the chronic health effects of environmental contaminants, with an emphasis on pesticides and neurological outcomes. Dr. Furlong received pilot project and CD funding. | Dr. Burgess, Dr. Beamer |
| Jim Galligan, PhD Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology | Dr. Galligan studies the link between cellular metabolism, environmental genetics, and disease etiology. Dr. Galligan received pilot project and CD funding. | Dr. Cherrington |
| Julie Ledford, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Immunology, College of Medicine | Dr. Ledford’s research focuses on respiratory disease and genetic and molecular mechanisms of allergic airway diseases in children. Dr. Ledford has transitioned to a leadership position as the co-director of Research Focus Group 2. Dr.Ledford received pilot project funding. | Dr. Kraft |
| Aikseng Ooi, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology | Dr. Ooi’s research focuses on characterizing the transcriptional and the metabolic programs of cells that dictate the behavior of the cell, the function performed by the cell, and how the cell response to various stimuli. Dr. Ooi received pilot project and CD funding. | Dr. Zhang |
| Monica Ramirez-Andreotta, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Soil, Water, and Environmental Science | Dr. Ramirez-Andreotta’s research interests include environmental contamination and soil/food quality and phytotechnologies to improve soil and air quality. She is building citizen science programs to increase public participation in environmental health research, developing low cost environmental monitoring tools to improve exposure estimates, and designing effective risk communication and report-back strategies to improve environmental health literacy. | Dr. Maier |
| Benjamin Richmond, MPH Manager of Undergraduate Initiatives, Provost Office | Mr. Richmond began his career in the Community Engagement Core as an staff member. He was promoted from Program Coordinator to Associate Director of the Community Engagement Core. He recently accepted a position with the Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education as Manager of Undergraduate Initiatives. He is currently working on his PhD in Higher Education studying the social and cultural barriers students face to pursing college and developing ways to increase access to college, especially STEM. | Dr. Lindsey, Dr. Beamer |
| Casey Romanoski, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine | Dr. Romanoski’s research program is to better understand the interaction between DNA variation and gene regulation. Her laboratory uses next-generation sequencing technologies and a combination of experimental and computational approaches to study how endothelial cells achieve context-appropriate expression patterns in healthy and inflammatory settings. | Dr. Vercelli |
| Jennifer Teske, PhD. Associate Professor, Nutritional Sciences | Dr. Teske studies the impact of urban environments on sleep and chronic diseases. Dr. Teske received pilot project funding. | Dr. Craig, Dr. Cherrington |
| Elisa Tomat, Ph.D. Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry | Dr. Tomat’s research interests are the chemistry of transition metal ions and other redox-active species and their involvement in human health and disease. Dr. Tomat received pilot project funding. | Dr. Monks |
| Georg Wondrak, PhD. Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology | Dr. Wondrak’s laboratory explores molecular mechanisms of skin photodamage and photocarcinogenesis with a focus on chemical processes including photooxidative and carbonyl stress. Dr. Wondrak has transitioned to a leadership position in the Center and currently serves as Research Focus Group 3 co-director. | Dr. Cherrington |