Environmental Health Sciences

The Environmental and Molecular Toxicology Track trains students to identify and understand the health consequences of exposure to various environmental toxins. In addition, our students learn the physiological, cellular, and molecular mechanisms through which these toxins act to cause harm. Due to the breadth of knowledge and expertise needed in this field, it is by necessity interdisciplinary, bringing together researchers from chemistry, biochemistry, biology, molecular biology, toxicology, environmental sciences, and medicine.

Regardless of the precautions taken, it is inevitable that we will all be exposed to many toxic chemicals. New chemicals are introduced into our environment every day, increasing the challenge of determining the health consequences associated with exposure to these toxins. It is our role to understand which chemicals cause adverse health effects, and to then determine the mechanism(s) by which these compounds act. In this manner we will be able to identify which individuals are at greatest risk and how to minimize the risk of exposure or to mitigate its effects.

The mission of the Molecular Toxicology Track is to provide a foundation for understanding how to interpret and critically analyze the science of environmental molecular toxicology and to understand how to apply it correctly to developing environmental health policy.

If you have any questions about this track, please contact Dr. Greg Freyer.