Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

Environmental influences on chronic disease risk: patient-oriented research and mentoring

Award Number: K24ES038632
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/24/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2031

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Environmental influences on chronic disease risk: patient-oriented research and mentoring - PROJECT ABSTRACT Exposures to environmental chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in early life and beyond, significantly impact chronic disease risk. PFAS are persistent and ubiquitous ‘forever chemicals’ that contaminate water and food. There is a critical need to strengthen the pipeline of both research and trained investigators dedicated to understanding the health impact of PFAS to inform preventive policies and clinical guidelines. The overall goals of this K24 application are to provide Dr. Abby Fleisch, MD, MPH with protected time to mentor junior clinician investigators toward independent careers in patient-oriented environmental health research, foster her continued growth as an exceptional mentor, and support new scientific aims that build upon her NIH-funded patient-oriented research focused on the impact of PFAS on body composition and cardiometabolic risk. As one of few experts in the US with training in both pediatric endocrinology and environmental health, she has already successfully served as a research mentor to 15 individuals, including 7 clinicians or clinicians-in-training. The proposed K24 award will allow Dr. Fleisch to expand her mentorship skills and portfolio at a critical stage in her career, as she strengthens her independent research program and seeks to increase her ability and availability to support junior clinical investigators. The award will also support a new research investigation that will build on Dr. Fleisch’s ongoing NIH-funded work, create additional opportunities for mentorship, and leverage her longstanding collaboration with the pre-birth cohort study Project Viva. This new research will utilize Project Viva’s well-phenotyped covariate and outcome data, existing measures of prenatal and mid-childhood PFAS concentrations, and support new assays of PFAS in 525 participants in late adolescence. This proposed work will characterize within- and between-individual variation in PFAS prenatally through late adolescence and create cumulative PFAS exposure estimates to generate more comprehensive risk assessment data in relation to late adolescent adiposity and cardiometabolic risk. Further, this work will identify windows of heightened susceptibility to PFAS exposure which is essential for understanding the potential benefits of clinical treatments for PFAS body burden reduction at specific life stages. Finally, this project will explore the mitigating effect of healthy diet and exercise, thereby informing behavior modification advice for individuals highly exposed to PFAS. This work will guide both local and national prevention and intervention strategies and build a pipeline of clinician scientists to conduct impactful environmental health research and translate that research into clinical care, with implications for risk reduction of costly and debilitating chronic diseases.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $212,998 )
2026	2026	MAINEHEALTH	110 FREE ST	PORTLAND	ME	04101	CUMBERLAND	USA	Environmental Health	000	1	4/27/2026	NEW	$212,998
														Subtotal = $212,998

Grand Total All Awards = $212,998

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Environmental influences on chronic disease risk: patient-oriented research and mentoring

Award Number: K24ES038632

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/24/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2031

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer