irth is co-led by Paloma beamer, phd & zelieann craig, phd
Dr. Beamer is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations. She is a Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and holds multiple joint appointments at the university. She is the PI of the NIEHS funded “Solutions for a Changing World" and co-investigator of “Investigating linkages between arsenic exposure, diabetes, and COVID-19 infections and risks on the Navajo Nation”. Dr. Beamer is fully bilingual (Spanish) and bicultural and experienced in exposure modeling and assessment, particularly with regard to children. An engineer-by-training, she is also knowledgeable in the design and implementation of interventions for reducing exposures. She has collected air, water, soil, dust, urine, blood, toenails, and breast milk, which have been analyzed for microorganisms, pesticides, metals, solvents, and traffic-related pollutants. She has substantial experience with Arizona’s rural, Latinx, and Native American populations and with reporting study results back to these communities in a culturally appropriate manner. She is a past President of the International Society of Exposure Science, as well as an Associate Editor of Environmental Health Perspectives.
Dr. Craig is an Associate Professor in the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Assistant Dean for Research in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and a BIO5 Institute and University of Arizona Cancer Center member. Dr. Craig is bilingual and conducts basic research on the impact of environmental exposures on the female reproductive system. Specifically, in her work, Dr. Craig utilizes the laboratory mouse as a model (in vivo and in vitro) to unravel the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action underlying associations observed between environmental exposures and adverse health outcomes in women. Using this approach, Dr. Craig has investigated mechanisms through which environmentally relevant phthalate exposures influence ovarian function and fertility in females (K99/R00ES021467 and R01ES026998). She has also served in the editorial boards for three journals (Toxicological Sciences, Reproductive Toxicology, and Biology of Reproduction) and seven NIH grant review panels (standing, special emphasis, and K award). Dr. Craig is uniquely suited to co-lead IRTH and lead translational research efforts based on 1) her expertise and experience in the translation of epidemiological data into the design and execution of rigorous in vivo and in vitro toxicological experiments with rodents and 2) her ability to communicate and connect investigators conducting research with a variety of models ranging from cell lines, rodent, and large animals to human populations. Within IRTH, Dr. Craig is responsible for assisting SWEHSC members interested in translating their work from population to lab-based research and vice-versa, as well as transitioning among animal or cell-based models. Dr. Craig will accomplish this by assisting with translational study design and collaboration development.