Chemicals are pervasive in today’s world, with tens of thousands of untested chemicals regularly released into our environment. COEH members’ research aims to determine the safety of these chemicals through toxicity screening and prevent toxic exposures.
COEH faculty have wide-ranging research expertise in the field of toxicology and teach in the Molecular Toxicology and Industrial Hygiene programs. Research in toxicology covers the toxicologic impacts of air pollution on health, developmental toxicology, molecular toxicology and more. Areas of particular strength in the Molecular Toxicology program include chemical carcinogenesis, repair of DNA damage, air pollution toxicology, nano toxicity, and the environmental causation of Parkinson’s disease.
COEH faculty member Patrick Allard develops new toxicity tools to examine the effect of common environmental and occupational chemicals on reproduction and aging. COEH faculty member Michael Collins’ laboratory explores aspects of developmental toxicology, or teratology. COEH faculty members Beate Ritz and Wendie Robbins examine biologic effects of occupational and environmental exposures on chronic disease, cancer and infertility. COEH faculty member Shane Que Hee directs the Industrial Hygiene Program at UCLA, providing research and professional training for Masters and Doctoral students in evaluation and control of exposure to potentially dangerous chemical, physical, biological, and mechanical agents in the workplace environment. He also does research into alternative toxicology methods like bioassays based on the bioluminescent Vibrio fischeri (for acute and subacute toxic effects of xenobiotics),and its dark mutant for mutagenesis assays, and skin tissue culture. COEH faculty member Yifang Zhu conducts research on nanoparticle emissions from electronic cigarettes.
Member and Associate Projects
Liew, Z. (PI)
The UCLA School of Public Health Magazine
2017-2018
Neurodevelopmental Effects of Perfluorinated Chemicals (NEPC)
Zhu, Y. (PI)
University of California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP)
2014- 2016
Characterization of emissions from electronic cigarettes
The goal of this project is to systematically characterize ECE and to investigate the fate of exhaled ECE in the indoor environment.
Krause, N. (PI)
NIOSH
Southern California Education & Research Center
2012 – 2017
Allard, P. (PI)
Application of novel approaches towards reproductive toxicity assessment
Build the first predictive model of germ cell toxicity.
Allard, P. (PI)
UCLA clinical site for the investigation of undiagnosed disorders.
Develop a survey tool to assess potential environmental contributions to complex and undiagnosed diseases.
Allard, P. (PI)
NIEHS
2015- 2018
Student-to-scientist bridge program: initiation to research.
Que Hee, S. (PI)
2009- 2013
Whole Glove Permeation/Penetration of Organic Liquids with a Dextrous Robot Hand
This investigated the connection between the permeation parameters from the modified closed loop permeation system with those from the alternative dextrous robot hand whole glove model.