Two NIEHS scientists, Chandra Jackson, Ph.D., and Jennifer Martinez, Ph.D., have received the Presidential Early Employment for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award.
PECASE is the highest honor awarded by the United States government to outstanding scientists and engineers who have begun their careers and demonstrate exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology.
“Both Chandra and Jennifer are leaders in their fields, and we are fortunate to be conducting research at NIEHS,” said Daryl Zelden, NIEHS scientific director. institute.”
Jackson – environment and sleep
Jackson She joined the NIEHS Epidemiology Branch in 2017. She runs a research program that investigates how physical and social environments affect sleep and lead to preventable health disparities.
Zeldin said the nominations faced stiff competition as they were evaluated at higher levels respectively. “PECASE’s nominations ultimately reflect the hard work of each candidate,” he said. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw)“Given sleep deprivation as a potential understudied primary contributor to suboptimal health, my research investigates the determinants of sleep deprivation and its impact on cardiovascular impairment, such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke,” Jackson said. Lack of sleep likely contributes to a range of chronic diseases and health inequalities.
Jackson’s sleep research was inspired by her daily life experiences in resource-rich and resource-poor environments and societies.
“I am a first generation college graduate who grew up knowing the first person in my family born free from American slavery,” Jackson said. “Insight from my personal experiences contributes to some of the most interesting research questions, to date.”
“I am sometimes surprised that I have worked with – both formally and informally – and have been inspired by such a wide range of people, from those who have been marginalized with low chances to those who have achieved some of the greatest scientific achievements, including Nobel Prize laureates and members of the National Academy for medicine.
“Chandra is a big-picture thinker that offers a broad framework for the social sciences for her focus on sleep, metabolic dysfunction, and health inequalities,” said Dale Sandler, PhD, chair of the NIEHS Epidemiology Branch. “It is driven to understand how social environment and biology interact and lead to specific health outcomes, and to identify future opportunities to reduce health disparities.”
“My hope is that younger women and members of racial or ethnic minorities will see, with this award, that it is entirely possible for underrepresented people to pursue their dreams and excel with appropriate support,” Jackson said.
Martinez – Cell damage and inflammation
Martinez joined the NIEHS in 2015 and now leads the Inflammation and Autoimmunity Group in the Immunology, Inflammation and Disease Laboratory (IIDL).
Her lab studies the effect of environmental factors on autophagy, which is the body’s way of removing damaged cells and replacing them with new ones. Autophagy is essential to good health. If this process is defective, cellulitis and disease may result.
An integral part of her work is understanding how the body’s immune system, or disease-fighting capacity, deals with autophagy along with inflammation. Martinez hopes to gain insight into new approaches to treating the disease.
“I started working on autophagy and the immune response as a postdoctoral fellow at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” Martinez said. “I was inspired to learn more about this critical cellular processing pathway and how it affects our immune system’s responses to environmental threats.”
“We’ve learned that a certain type of autophagy can be beneficial – such as preventing autoimmunity – and harmful, such as reducing the effectiveness of cancer treatment,” she added.
“Jennifer delivers the combination of raw scientific excitement and brilliance that makes her an outstanding scientist and emerging leader in this new field,” said Michael Wessler, managing director of IIDL. “Her PECASE award is a huge feather in the cap for our NIEHS intrinsic anti-inflammatory immune program – a really powerful program that we will be expanding and enriching.”
“I hope this award opens up an opportunity for new research collaboration, but more importantly, I hope it inspires young women to consider a career in research and say, ‘I belong there too,'” Martinez said.
(Carol Kelly is managing editor in the NIEHS Office of Communications and Public Communications.)
from San Jose News Bulletin https://sjnewsbulletin.com/the-environmental-factor-august-2019-two-niehs-scientists-receive-prestigious-presidential-prize/
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