Exploring Social, Economic and Environmental Determinants of Health
BREAK THE CYCLE 18
April 17-18, 2023
The Hatchery, Emory University, Atlanta Ga
Theme for the Break the Cycle 18 Symposium: ​Break the Cycle of Health Disparities ​for Children from Indigenous Communities
Break the Cycle Director: Leslie Rubin MD
Break the Cycle of Children's environmental health disparities focuses on raising awareness of children's health disparities and on cultivating future leaders among university students nationally and internationally .
Past conference monographs and presentations are available here.
Questions? contact@breakthecycleprogram.org
BREAK THE CYCLE OF
CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DISPARITIES
18th ANNUAL PROGRAM
A Program of
Break the Cycle of Health Disparities, Inc. and Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at Emory University.
​
BTC 18 TRAINEES
Meet the BTC 18 trainees
Abayomi Jones
Developing Thick Skin: How FDA Labeling Loopholes Exacerbate Negative Impacts of Pediatric Eczema in Vulnerable Communities
Georgia State University, College of Law
J.D. Program, 2nd year
Mentor: Stacie Kershner JD
Aislinn Rookwood
Assessing Community Readiness to Address Childhood Asthma Disparities in Douglas County
University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health
PhD in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, 3rd year
Mentor: Regina Idoate PhD
Anna McPeak
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Pandemic-Era Anti-Eviction Policies on Children's Health
Georgia State University College of Law
J.D. Candidate, 2nd year
Mentor: John Marshall JD
Austin Le
Relationships between Neighborhood Child Opportunity, Air Pollution, and Buccal Telomere Length Among Children in a Safety-Net Medical Center
University of California, Berkeley, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health. Master of Science in Environmental Health Sciences, 2nd year
Mentor: Rosemarie, de la Rosa PhD, MPH
Banks Grubbs
The Role of Race in Access to Public Water and Sewer Service in Halifax County, NC
North Carolina State University Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
Master of Science in Environmental Engineering
Mentor: Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson PhD
Jami Nakan
Optimal School Garden Model Strategies to Combat Food Insecurity
The University of North Georgia BiologyB.S. in Biology, Junior
Mentor: David Patterson PhD
Kaylee Stewart
Effects of Historic Redlining in Albany, New York: Presence of Stressors Surrounding Elementary Schools
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Population of Health Sciences
B.S. in Public Health, 3rd year
Mentor: Stacy Pettigrew PhD
Kimberly Hazard
Impacts of New-Use & Legacy Pesticide Exposure and Early Life Adversity on Neurodevelopment in the CHAMACOS Study of Mexican-American Children
University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health - Environmental Health Sciences
PhD Candidate, 3rd year, Environmental Health Sciences
Mentor: Jay Graham PhD, MBA, MPH
Margaret Pinder
Evaluating Socioeconomic Modifiers of the Relationship Between Maternal Disorders During Pregnancy and Later life Positive Child Health Among Individuals Born Extremely Preterm
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Environmental Sciences and Engineering
B.S.P.H. Environmental Health Sciences, Senior
Mentor: Rebecca Fry PhD
Nicole Houston
Examining the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Educational Outcomes of Students with and Emotional Behavior Disorders
Georgia State University, Learning Sciences
Ph.D. in Education Psychology, 1st year
Mentor: Miles Irving PhD
Qingyi Lan
Association of In-utero Exposure to Wildfire Smoke with Respiratory Outcomes by Critical Sensitive Windows in First-year Newborns and Effect Modification by Socio-economic Factors
University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health
Ph.D in School of Population and Public Health
Mentor: Sarah Henderson PhD
Sheril Mathew
Associations of Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Pediatric Populations
Nova Southeastern University, Public Health
B.S in Public Health,
Minor in Pre-Health, 2nd year
Mentor: Erin Biggs PhD MPH
Teresa Herrera
Air Pollution and Redlining in New York City: Impacts on Birth Outcomes
New York University, Population Health
PhD Population Heath Sciences
Mentors:
Akhgar Ghassabian MD,PhD
Leonardo Trasande MD, MPP
Timothy Leung
Assessing the Effects of Lead in Private Well Water on Educational Outcomes Among North Carolina Children
North Carolina State University Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
PhD in Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, 1st year
Mentor: Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson PhD
Yaruska Ordinola
Historical manufacturing sites, TCE, and links to birth defects in Rhode Island (2011-2020)
Brown UniversityMaster of Public Health in Epidemiology, 2nd year
Mentor: Diana Grigsby-Toussaint PhD
BTC 18 THEME:
BREAK THE CYCLE OF HEALTH DISPARITIES
FOR CHILDREN FROM INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
Every year Break the Cycle has a theme that is featured in a Symposium on day 2 of the Conference. This year the focus is on children from Indigenous communities.
Although children from Indigenous communities constitute less than 5% of the US population, they represent approximately 30% of all children in poverty.
​
Along with poverty they suffer from disproportionate health disparities with nutritional disorders and high levels obesity with obesity-related cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, developmental and learning disorders, as well as behavioral disorders as a consequence of trans-generational trauma with high rates of mental health concerns, including substance use, injury, violence, and suicide.
They are also at greater risk for exposure to environmental hazards that further compromise their health, and, to compound the situation, they have limited access to quality education and quality health care which perpetuates the Cycle of Health Disparities.
Our goal is to raise awareness and develop strategies to Break the Cycle of Health Disparities for this long-neglected group of vulnerable children. We invite and encourage young people from Indigenous communities to participate in this process and gain
confidence to Break the Cycle and become active future leaders in their communities.
With this knowledge and confidence, and building on the resiliency of these communities, they can work to assure that generations do not suffer the same physical and mental health disorders and engender dignity and pride.
(See adaptation of Tribal Medicine Wheel below.)
Day 1 Program:
9.00 am Welcome
Abby Mutic PhD, MSN, CNM
Director, Southeast Pediatric Environment Health Specialty Unit
Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta GA
9.05 am Message from ATSDR
Linda Hansen MD MPH
Chief, Environmental Medicine and Health Systems Intervention Section
Office of Capacity Development and Applied Prevention Science
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
9.10 am Message from EPA
Grace Robiou, MPH
Director, Office of Children’s Health Protection
Office of the Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
9.15 am Introduction to Break the Cycle
Leslie Rubin, MD
Director, Break the Cycle Program
Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta GA
Break the Cycle 18 Trainee Presentations
9.30 am
Banks Grubbs
The Role of Race in Access to Public Water and Sewer Service in Halifax County, NC
​
North Carolina State University Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
Master of Science in Environmental Engineering
Mentor: Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson PhD
9.50 am
Kaylee Stewart
Effects of Historic Redlining in Albany, New York: Presence of Stressors Surrounding Elementary Schools
​
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Population of Health Sciences
B.S. in Public Health, 3rd year
Mentor: Stacy Pettigrew PhD
10.10 am
Anna McPeak
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Pandemic-Era Anti-Eviction Policies on Children's Health
Georgia State University College of Law
J.D. Candidate, 2nd year
Mentor: John Marshall JD
10.30 am HEALTH BREAK (15 min)
10.45 am
Yaruska Ordinola
Historical Manufacturing Sites, TCE, and Links to Birth Defects in Rhode Island (2011-2020)
​
Brown University
Master of Public Health in Epidemiology, 2nd year
Mentor: Diana Grigsby-Toussaint PhD
11.05 am
Qingyi Lan
Association of In-utero Exposure to Wildfire Smoke with Respiratory Outcomes by Critical Sensitive Windows in First-year Newborns and Effect Modification by Socio-economic Factors
University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health
Ph.D in School of Population and Public Health
Mentor: Sarah Henderson PhD
11.25 am
Teresa Herrera
Air Pollution and Redlining in New York City: Impacts on Birth Outcomes
​
New York University, Population Health
PhD Population Heath Sciences
Mentors:
Akhgar Ghassabian MD, PhD
Leonardo Trasande MD, MPP
11.45 am
Margaret Pinder
Evaluating Socioeconomic Modifiers of the Relationship Between Maternal Disorders During Pregnancy and Later Life Positive Child Health Among Individuals Born Extremely Preterm
​
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Environmental Sciences and Engineering
B.S.P.H. Environmental Health Sciences, Senior
Mentor: Rebecca Fry PhD
12.05 pm Keynote Speaker:
Rebecca Fry
Optimizing the Health of Children Born Extremely Preterm Through Solution-Oriented Research
Rebecca Fry, Ph.D. is the Carol Remmer Angle Distinguished Professor in Children’s Environmental Health and Associate Chair in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill.
12.25 pm LUNCH BREAK (1 hour)
1.25 pm
Austin Le
Relationships between Child Opportunity and Telomere Length Among Children
​
University of California, Berkeley, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health. Master of Science in Environmental Health Sciences,
2nd year
Mentor: Rosemarie de la Rosa PhD, MPH
1.45 pm
Abayomi Jones
Developing Thick Skin: How FDA Labeling Loopholes Exacerbate Negative Impacts of Pediatric Eczema in Vulnerable Communities
​
Georgia State University, College of Law
J.D. Program, 2nd year
Mentor: Stacie Kershner JD
2.05 pm
Nicole Houston
Examining the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Educational Outcomes of Students with and Emotional Behavior Disorders
​
Georgia State University, Learning Sciences
Ph.D. in Education Psychology, 1st year
Mentor: Miles Irving PhD
2.25 pm
Jami Nakan
Optimal School Garden Model Strategies to Combat Food Insecurity
The University of North Georgia Biology
B.S. in Biology, Junior
Mentor: David Patterson PhD
2.45 pm Keynote Speaker:
Dana Suskind
Beyond the Operating Room: The Importance of the Social Determinants of Health
Dana Suskind, MD Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics and Public Policy (affiliated), University of Chicago Director and Co-director of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health
3.05 pm HEALTH BREAK (15 min)
3.20 pm
Sheril Mathew
Associations of Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Pediatric Populations
​
Nova Southeastern University, Public Health
B.S in Public Health, Minor in Pre-Health, 2nd year
Mentor: Erin Biggs PhD MPH
3.40 pm
Timothy Leung
Assessing the Effects of Lead in Private Well Water on Educational Outcomes Among North Carolina Children
​
North Carolina State University Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
PhD in Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, 1st year
Mentor: Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson PhD
4.00 pm
Kimberly Hazard
Impacts of New-Use & Legacy Pesticide Exposure and Early Life Adversity on Neurodevelopment in the CHAMACOS Study of Mexican-American Children
​
University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health - Environmental Health Sciences
PhD Candidate, 3rd year, Environmental Health Sciences
Mentor: Jay Graham PhD, MBA, MPH
4.20 pm
Aislinn Rookwood
Assessing Community Readiness to Address Childhood Asthma Disparities in Douglas County
​
University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health
PhD in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, 3rd year
Mentor: Regina Idoate PhD
4.40 pm Conclusion
Leslie Rubin, MD
Director, Break the Cycle Program
​
5.00 pm Adjourn
DAY 2: Symposium
Break the Cycle of Environmental Health Disparities for Indigenous Children
Welcome and Introduction
9.00am Leslie Rubin
Opening Prayer
9.10am Steve Tamayo, Israel Tamayo
Steve Tamayo is a traditional Sicangu Lakota artist whose family originates from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. Steve is the Founder of Bluebird Cultural Initiative, a non-profit that aims to revitalize art and culture of Native American cultures.
Israel Tamayo is a member of the Sicangu Lakota tribe and a Cultural Education fellow with Bluebird Cultural Initiative.
9.30am
Student Presentations
Mentor: Regina Idoate
9.30am Carmela Rigatuso & Bryce Johnson
The Urban Heat Island Project: Investigating Heat Disparities in an Urban American Indian Community in the Midwest
Carmela Rigatuso is a member of the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin, University of Nebraska-Lincoln & Bryce Johnson is a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Bryce Johnson is a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
9.50am Mariah Abney
IResearch Clubs: Training future generations of Indigenous Scientists through Hands-on Environmental Health Research
Mariah Abney is a member of the Eastern Band Cherokee Tribe, a mother and a Youth Enjoy Science Cancer Research Intern through the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She is an undergraduate media communications student studying at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Metropolitan Community College.
Mentor: Kyle Hill
10.10am Lynn Mad Plume, MPH, PhD(c)
Storying Blackfeet Resilience through Matriarchy: Indigenizing Family Connectedness and Strengthening Kinship Structures
Indigenous Health PHD Student
Research Coordinator
Department of Indigenous Health
Lynn Mad Plume is Niitsitapi from Browning, MT., located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. She is a PhD Candidate, Department of Indigenous Health at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota Lynn Mad Plume is Niitsitapi from Browning, MT., located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. She is a PhD Candidate, Department of Indigenous Health at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota
Mentor: Jani Ingram
10.30am Marquis Yazzie
Marquis Yazzie identifies as Diné (Navajo) from the Navajo Nation. He is a Master’s student in Chemistry at Northern Arizona University.
A Graduate Student Journey to Apply Analytical Chemistry for Environmental Health
10.50am
Health Break and Breakout Workgroups Part 1
Inter and Multi- Generational Messaging :
In so many Tribal communities, issues that impact the entire community are typically discussed among multiple generations. For outsiders, researchers, etc., it can be a challenge to ensure messaging and information is hitting the right tone when your audience spans everyone from youth to elders. What are some innovative ways that this type of messaging can be developed to respect intergenerational conversations about issues impacting a Tribe?
Building Trust and Relationships between Tribes and the Research Community
Tribes have experienced disproportionately high levels of health outcomes, sometimes at the hands of medical professionals (ie. forced sterilization, misdiagnosis, lack of preventative resources, etc.). They have also been some of the most researched racial groups in the United States. As a result, there remains a huge trust issue between Tribal Communities and the broader medical research field. What actions can medical professionals and those in the research field take to not only acknowledge the past injustices in Tribal communities but prepare themselves to not repeat history?
11.30 am
Faculty Panel:
Mentoring Future Generations of Indigenous Environmental Health Scientists
Regina Idoate PhD – Mentor
Assistant Professor
Department of Health Promotion
College of Public Health
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Regina Idoate is a citizen of Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, an Assistant Professor of Health Promotion in the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, a PI/mentor with the National Cancer Institute-funded Youth Enjoy Science research education training program
Kyle X. Hill, PhD, MPH - Mentor
(Turtle Mountain Band; Enrolled Citizen), Dakota (Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe), Lakota (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe)
Assistant Professor
Department of Indigenous Health
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
University of North Dakota
Kyle X. Hill, Ph. D., M.P.H is Ojibwe (Turtle Mountain Band; Enrolled Citizen), Dakota (Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe), Lakota (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe)
​
Dr. Hill is currently an assistant professor with the University of North Dakota, school of medicine and health sciences, department of Indigenous Health. Most recently, Dr. Hill completed his MPH through the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2020. He is active in community-based participatory research with American Indian and First Nations communities in the U.S. and Canada while also collaborating on research projects across social, behavioral and environmental health within Native communities. In particular, his research interests consider the social, political and ecological determinants of health, as well as climate justice and decolonizing health and wellness in Indigenous communities.
Jani C. Ingram, PhD
Jani C. Ingram, PhD is a member of the Dine’ (Navajo Nation - born to the Náneesht’ ézhi clan).
She is a Regents’ Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Northern Arizona University, and her research focuses on investigating environmental contaminants with respect to their impact on health in tribal communities. She has been involved in outreach activities for Native American students in K-12, undergraduate, and graduate research. She is the principal investigator of the National Cancer Institute funded Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention and the director of the National Institutes of Health Bridges to Baccalaureate program.
12.00pm
Health Break and Breakout Workgroups Part 2
Inter and Multi- Generational Messaging :
In so many Tribal communities, issues that impact the entire community are typically discussed among multiple generations. For outsiders, researchers, etc., it can be a challenge to ensure messaging and information is hitting the right tone when your audience spans everyone from youth to elders. What are some innovative ways that this type of messaging can be developed to respect intergenerational conversations about issues impacting a Tribe?
Building Trust and Relationships between Tribes and the Research Community
Tribes have experienced disproportionately high levels of health outcomes, sometimes at the hands of medical professionals (ie. forced sterilization, misdiagnosis, lack of preventative resources, etc.). They have also been some of the most researched racial groups in the United States. As a result, there remains a huge trust issue between Tribal Communities and the broader medical research field. What actions can medical professionals and those in the research field take to not only acknowledge the past injustices in Tribal communities but prepare themselves to not repeat history?
12.40 pm
Workgroup Reports
Report back and Discussion
1.00 pm
Conclusion and Ideas for Future
Report back and Discussion
CONFERENCE LOCATION:
Break the Cycle 18 will be in person and virtual.
Please register here
IN PERSON DETAILS
1578 Avenue Place Suite 200
Atlanta, Georgia 30329
Free parking validation for up to 3 hours in the deck across from the space.
The conference will start promptly at 9am
Questions:
please email, contact@breakthecycleprogram.org
VIRTUAL INFORMATION
To attend online, please register, information and zoom links will be sent to your email before the program begins
CONTACT INFO
Questions? please email:
contact@breakthecycleprogram.org
Break the Cycle supports student-driven research projects that explore social, economic, and environmental factors that adversely affect children’s health and well-being and develop creative strategies to promote health and well-being for children and, thereby, Break the Cycle of Environmental Health Disparities
Please email lrubi01@emory.edu if you have any questions
Break the Cycle of children’s Environmental Health Disparities is a program featuring students from universities around the country who will present their projects on strategies to improve the quality of life for children who grow up under adverse social, economic and environmental circumstances.
