Second International Symposium on Recent Advances in Environmental Health Research

The Second International Symposium on Recent Advances in Environmental Health Research was organized by Jackson State University (JSU) from September 18 – 21, 2005 at the Regency Hotel in Jackson, Mississippi. The symposium was built upon the overwhelming success of the 2004 conference that was also organized by JSU and co-sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) RCMI-Center for Environmental Health, the U.S. Department of Education Title III Graduate Education Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the JSU office of Research. This international meeting commemorated 20 years of the NIH-NCRR Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program, a congressionally mandated program initiated by the NIH in 1985 with the mission to expand the national capability for research in the health sciences. Over the years, RCMI institutions have played a significant role in addressing important biomedical research questions that are critical in managing the health needs of the nation in a cost-effective manner. At JSU, the RCMI program has served as a catalyst for excellence in biomedical research and education. Research conducted through the RCMI Program is providing a strong scientific basis for understanding the pathogenesis and for discovering innovative therapies for human diseases such as cancer and AIDS. Through the RCMI Program, doctoral students trained at JSU have gone on to obtain competitive post-doctoral positions at prestigious institutions such as Harvard Medical School, John Hopkins Medical Center, Purdue University Medical Center, and the NIH. As echoed by President Ronald A. Mason, Jr., “...JSU is proud to be integral part of the very successful and productive RCMI Program. This symposium highlighted the excellence in biomedical, clinical, and behavioral research conducted by RCMI institutions...” In an attempt to contribute global solutions to these environmental challenges, scientists around the world, have been more and more involved in bioenvironmental research, studying the toxic mechanisms of action of various environmental agents, developing new approaches for detecting or remedying environmental damage, identifying and characterizing genes involved in the manifestation of environmentally-related diseases, and providing the public and policy makers with scientific tools that are critical for environmental health decision-making. Building on the foundation of the first symposium, the Second International Symposium on Recent Advances in Environmental Health Research served as a platform for environmental and biomedical scientists-biologists, chemists, toxicologists, public health scientists, engineers, and policy makers interested in bringing about substantial contributions to addressing global environmental, and sustainable development issues, to communicate the latest advances in scientific research and new developments on critical environmental and human health topics including the following: