Environmental Mixtures of Phenols and Phthalates and Their Interconnection with Child Neurobehavior and Obesity - PROJECT SUMMARY I am a developmental cognitive scientist and environmental epidemiologist focused on the impact of early-life environmental and obesogenic exposures on child neurodevelopment. In this proposal, I will acquire training, knowledge, and skills in career development, neurodevelopmental toxicology, advanced statistics, and growth/metabolism to transition into an independent transdisciplinary investigator and become a leader in pediatric environmental health. I have assembled an expert team of mentors/collaborators with transdisciplinary expertise in pediatric exposomics, neurodevelopmental toxicology, advanced analytical methodologies, environmental epidemiology, analytical chemistry, child development, and obesity. Training activities will include computational methods and high-performance computing training, seminars, coursework, writing workshops, national/international conferences, and one-on-one tutorial meetings. These activities will cover topics relating to research, professional development, and career advancement. Through this grant, I will acquire the expertise necessary to achieve my career goal of transitioning to an independent investigator role, focusing on the interrelationships among early-life neurotoxicants, neurodevelopment, and childhood obesity. I will leverage the long-established Programming Research in Obesity, Growth, Environment, and Social Stressors (PROGRESS) study, a longitudinal birth cohort based in Mexico City, and incorporate measures of early-life untargeted and emerging environmental phenols and phthalate mixtures to assess their neuro- and metabolic toxicity, using this platform for my training. Specifically, I will train with Drs: 1) Robert O. Wright, in pediatric toxicology and executive function development; 2) Dania Valvi, in phenols and phthalates toxicity, epidemiology and obesity development; 3) Shelley Liu, in statistical methods to assess mixtures and statistical approaches for neurodevelopmental tests including advanced latent variable modeling and longitudinal statistical applications; 4) Deborah Cory-Slechta, in behavioral toxicology and interpretation of operant testing assessment; and 5) Syam Andra, in exposure science and analytical chemistry. This proposal addresses children’s environmental health, including chemicals found in ultra-processed foods and obesity, all of which are NIH priorities. The population is directly relevant and generalizable to diverse populations in the United States. By using extant data, we reduce costs considerably, which is cost-efficient. Using longitudinal BMI trajectory data and executive function measures as mediators, the study will estimate the total, direct, and indirect (causal mediation) effects of these exposures, generating knowledge on causation that is relevant to understanding developmental origins of obesity and informing prevention strategies applicable to all children in the United States. The proposal will enable me to achieve my long-term goal of identifying and evaluating neurotoxic exposures that longitudinally influence child health and neurodevelopment and is the foundation for a future R01 grant that will transition me to a tenure-track, independent investigator, aiming to understand these complex interrelationships.
