Research

Pediatric Environmental Medicine Center Research

The Pediatric Environmental Medicine Center (PEMC) at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC was established with two research goals in mind: Increasing the understanding of environmental factors that lead to major health problems and improving the health of the children who are the most susceptible.

Opened in 2007 with a five-year grant from The Heinz Endowments, the PEMC investigates how environmental exposures, such as second hand smoke, mold, air pollution and other contaminants, impact the health of children. Its initial focus is childhood asthma.

Asthma is a common health problem that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. The greatest growth – more than 80 percent – has been among boys and girls under the age of 18. The medically underserved are the most vulnerable to this disease.This chronic respiratory disorder is linked to environmental triggers, and recent breakthroughs have identified genes that predispose some children to asthma.

In the Greater Pittsburgh region, the prevalence of asthma is about 25 percent higher than the national average, yet the use of emergency services by children with asthma is three to four times the national average, underscoring the seriousness of the disorder. In response, the PEMC supports the region’s needs with:

Community outreach programs and screenings
Prevention and intervention programs for parents and caregivers
Educational presentations
Continuing Medical Education and training courses for healthcare providers
Advocacy to develop and promote environmental health policies that protect children
Research on the impact of environmental factors on children’s health

To achieve its goals, the center uses nontraditional approaches, such as healthcare delivery in the local communities via Children’s Hospital’s Ronald McDonald Care Mobile with timing optimized to provide access to families. The program also partners with medical and social service resources of the community to optimize the impact of its interventions.

The first major research undertaking by the PEMC is a cohort study that will follow children with asthma and identify characteristics that make them more susceptible to the disease.

Clinical Team

Clinical Director
Fernando Holguin, MD, MPH

Shean J. Aujla, MD
Sally Wenzel, MD

Collaborators
Cliff Davidson, PhD, Carnegie Mellon University
Paul C. Lioy, PhD, Rutgers University
Bambang Parmanto, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Health and Rehabilitative Services
Michael Yonas, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Family Medicine

Last Update
March 29, 2010

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