Skip Navigation

Texas A&M University

Superfund Research Program

Community Health and Continuing Education

Project Leader: Kirby C. Donnelly
Grant Number: P42ES004917
Funding Period: 2000-2008

Project-Specific Links

Project Summary (2005-2008)

Outreach activities supported by the Superfund Basic Research Program at Texas A&M focus on the development and delivery of environmental health information to health care professionals, students and community groups. The Core continues the delivery of health education modules on "Environmental Health" and "Risk Communication" to health care professionals. These modules have been delivered locally and via a distance education format to more than 400 individuals over the past two years.The Core also provides educational modules to high school students, and a summer enhancement program to math and science teachers. An "Environmental Health" curriculum for high school students is being developed in collaboration with local teachers and curriculum specialists for a pilot delivery during Fall, 2004. These curriculums are developed with the support of graduate students and investigators in all of the Texas A&M SBRP projects. In addition, the Core continues to support risk communication activities with local health departments. In the past, these activities have included presentations, community meetings, and brief reports for health departments in San Antonio, Austin and Laredo, TX. A new activity of the Outreach Core is to organize community meetings and present research results to study populations in Azerbaijan and China. With the support of the core’s collaborators in these countries, community presentations are being translated into the appropriate language and presented once each year to the communities where the research is being conducted. The goal of providing health education to these groups and communities is to prevent disease. Although genetic and environmental factors have been implicated in certain diseases, it is apparent that communities should also be advised that the use of proper hygiene and a balanced diet coupled with appropriate exercise represent the most effective means of disease prevention.

Back
to Top