NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, USA;The major focus of Dr. Zelikoff’s research laboratory has long been the effects of inhaled toxicants on immune system function and the reproductive process. Ongoing studies include those using inhaled nanoparticles, particulate matter (PM), cigarette smoke or its components, as well as alternative tobacco products such as gutkha and hookah.

Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA;The overall focus of our research is immunotoxicology. We are particularly interested in the inflammatory mechanisms of tissue injury. Our focus is on macrophages. Although the involvement of macrophages in protecting against invading pathogens and tumor cells is well documented, studies from my laboratory have demonstrated that macrophages also have a “dark side”. Thus, they can be activated to release excessive quantities of proinflammatory and cytotoxic mediators that actually promote tissue injury.

Department of Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine & Dentistry, The University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States;Dr. B. Paige Lawrence's expertise is in the disciplines of immunology and toxicology. Studying whether chemicals (e.g., pollutants, pharmaceuticals) affect the way the immune system works is the primary area of her expertise.

Oregon State University, Oregon, USA;She was a professor at the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (ECU). There, she led ground-breaking research funded by the Department of Defense, the NIEHS, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with numerous state and philanthropic organizations to advance research in immunotoxicology, neurotoxicology, and neuroimmunotoxicology. Fully embracing the school’s educational mission, she also developed a biomedical statistics course and delivered instruction in toxicology, drug safety, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, and endocrine pharmacology to graduate, medical, and dental student learners.

Dept. of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, MEM125, The Scripps Research Institute, San Diego, USA;Dr. Pollard’s research seeks to understand mechanisms of systemic autoimmunity, and the role that environment/occupational exposures play in the initiation and/or exacerbation of autoimmune diseases. Our current focus is crystalline silica exposure, as this has considerable relevance to autoimmunity associated with occupations in which individuals are exposed to silica dust (e.g. mining, artificial stone fabrication, sandblasting, etc). Currently, we focus on three major areas of investigation: 1) role of innate and adaptive immune responses in silica-induced autoimmunity, 2) determining mechanisms of silica-induced inflammatory arthritis, and 3) use of outbred mouse strains (Diversity Outbred (DO), BXD) to identify genetic loci associated with silicosis and silica-induced autoimmunity.