USC Environmental Health Centers

💬”I hope to bring awareness to the inequities of environmental health. Before being exposed to the research surrounding how the environmental crisis affects communities even in what could be deemed as simplistic ways, I never noticed the major disparities in the environmental health of certain communities”

👋 Say hello to Kennedy Phillips, a first-year Public Policy major!

🫁🌱Quick trip to Imperial Valley and the Salton Sea with the NIEHS director! Faculty and staff from the Division of Environmental Health participated in a community tour yesterday and visited the Comite Civico Health Office, the Red Hill Marina, a geothermal plant, and Grace Smith Elementary School to discuss air quality and children’s health!

📢Upcoming Experiential Learning in Sustainability Symposium

⏰ Wednesday, March 27th, 2024, from 11:45am to 1:30pm (Doors open at 11:45am, program will start at 12pm).

📍TCC 227 and Remote

👥This event will showcase the incredible work of SACI grantees from the 2021-22 academic year as they present their progress and share their experiences in integrating sustainability into their curriculum.

📲 RSVP: https://forms.gle/og2Bm4XqRjuXQ2i28

🌱🥥☀️ Stay fresh this summer with our DIY Coconut Oil Deodorant

Check out our full Personal Care Product recipe sheet here:https://envhealthcenters.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Personal-Care-Products-Webpage-.pdf

¡Hola a todos! ¡Estamos emocionados de presentarles a tres de los nueve miembros de nuestro equipo de investigación, dos de los cuales se criaron en Paramount!

1️⃣ Dr. Anthony Orlando: Profesor Asociado de la Universidad Politécnica del Estado de California, Pomona. El Dr. Orlando es un microeconomista aplicado que se enfoca en bienes raíces, finanzas y políticas públicas. Su último libro, Keeping Races in Their Places: The Dividing Lines That Shaped the American City (2021), entrelaza un análisis sofisticado basado en más de un siglo de datos con una narración accesible que le da vida a los números, todo con el fin de exponer los efectos arraigados en las comunidades estadounidenses con respecto a la injusta practica de redlining.
2️⃣ Jaime Lopez: Candidato a doctorado estudiando Planificación Urbana en la Escuela de Políticas Públicas Sol Price de la Universidad del Sur de California (USC). El Señor Lopez tiene títulos en producción cinematográfica y planificación urbana, y recientemente se desempeñó como Comisionado de Planificación de Paramount. Utilizando métodos cualitativos para centrarse en la planificación ambiental y participativa, ganó las becas de disertación Haynes Lindley y USC Mellon Sawyer en el 2022. Como parte de sus proyectos cinematográficos también ha dirigido dos documentales cortos centrados en la justicia ambiental en el sureste de Los Ángeles.
3️⃣ Moses Huerta: Residente de Paramount que ha supervisado y recopilado datos para un proyecto reciente de monitoreo del aire financiado por la EPA. El Sr. Huerta es ex Comisionado de Seguridad Pública de Paramount y ex candidato al Concejo Municipal, al igual de ser miembro activo de la vigilancia vecinal y del Equipo de Respuesta a Emergencias de la ciudad. El Señor Huerta ha sido certificado bajo la Regla 1469 de SCAQMD y ha cultivado y mantenido relaciones generativas con varios miembros del personal de la SCAQMD y El Consejo de Recursos del Aire de California (CARB).

Gracias por su atención y por seguir esta iniciativa. Si es posible, por favor compartan esta pagina con sus familiares, amistades y vecinos, y no olviden de hacer su reserva para los próximos talleres. Les presentaremos al resto del equipo en los próximos días. ¡Que tengan un feliz 4 de julio!

¡Feliz fin de semana a todos! ¡Estamos emocionados de presentarles a tres más de los nueve miembros de nuestro equipo de investigación!

1️⃣ Dra. Jill Johnston: Profesora asociada de Salud Ambiental en la Escuela de Medicina Keck de la Universidad del Sur de California (USC) y directora del Laboratorio de Investigación de Justicia Ambiental. La Dra. Johnston es científica de exposición y epidemióloga ambiental con amplia experiencia en investigación comunitaria y métodos de participación. Aporta su experiencia en metales tóxicos, disparidades en la salud, políticas públicas, participación comunitaria y difusión de la investigación. Su trabajo se enfoca en abordar las exposiciones desiguales a contaminantes dañinos que afectan a las comunidades de color desatendidas. Con una amplia experiencia en comunidades que enfrentan contaminación del aire y emisiones de metales tóxicos, la Dra. Johnston ha creado programas de investigación e infografías, desarrollando sus investigaciónes mientras se asocia con organizaciones locales, promotoras de salud comunitaria, legisladores y residentes.
2️⃣ Dra. Elizabeth Kamai: Investigadora Asociada Posdoctoral en la Universidad del Sur de California (USC). Epidemióloga ambiental con experiencia en tóxicos ambientales, resultados de salud durante el embarazo y la niñez, evaluación de exposición, GIS, investigación comunitaria y justicia ambiental. Sus proyectos de investigación actuales se centran en cómo los contaminantes ambientales afectan la salud de las poblaciones vulnerables y marginadas. El objetivo de la Dra. Kamai es vincular la investigación científica rigurosa con políticas que apoyen a las comunidades marginadas y aborden la injusticia ambiental.
3️⃣ Dr. Colin Maclay: Profesor investigador de comunicación y director ejecutivo del Laboratorio de Innovación de Annenberg en la Universidad del Sur de California (USC). Su investigación es exploratoria y participativa, toma diversas formas y aprovecha colaboraciones novedosas para generar datos que revelan oportunidades, avanzan en el descubrimiento e informan la intervención estratégica. El Dr. Maclay es bilingüe en español con más de 20 años trabajando en comunidades históricamente marginadas, minoritarias y desatendidas en los Estados Unidos y el sur global. Su trabajo en un proyecto del censo decenal de 2020 abarcó la desinformación, el aprendizaje, la participación comunitaria y la creación de contenido hiperlocal. Aporta una experiencia metodológica diversa, incluida la observación participante, grupos focales, entrevistas, sprints de diseño y hackatones.

Gracias por su atención y por seguir esta iniciativa. Si es posible, por favor comparte esta página con sus familiares, amistades y vecinos. Presentaremos al resto del equipo en los próximos días.

🎨🌱🎤USC's Arts & Climate Collective is hosting a free festival on April 11th at Founder's Park! There will be live music, a resource fair, food giveaways, environmental justice artwork, and more.

For more information + to RSVP, click the link in our bio!

🌱Thank you to the Boyle Heights Museum for inviting our EH MATTERS group to their fifth historical exhibition focused on “Air and Soil in Crisis: Community Empowerment to Fight Environmental Degradation in Boyle Heights.”

This exhibition showcased the many environmental stressors faced by the Boyle Heights community, including lead soil contamination from Exide and air pollution from major freeways.

Some of our research was also highlighted, including our Truth Fairy Project and our “Air Pollution in South LA” infographic.

Thank you to Yesenia and the rest of the team for highlighting the environmental history of Boyle Heights!😁

The EJ team working on the Odors, Air Pollution, and Health study in Carson held the second of a series of workshops focused on healthy living and reducing exposures to toxins. They collaborated with the I ❤ Carson group to give a workshop on Green Cleaning Products for more than 40 women from the community. They gave a presentation on reducing exposures to toxins in cleaning products and then everyone in attendance did a DIY activity making their own multipurpose cleaners and laundry detergents.

👨‍🦳🧑‍🦳Exposición al plomo puede afectar a la salud de las personas mayores, provocando trastornos neurológicos, daños renales e hipertensión. ➡️ ¡Swipe para saber más!

🌱Special thanks to for leading Monday’s Get the Lead Out community meeting! Residents received information about the soil contamination + research findings & resources to protect themselves and their families.

❤️💄🌱EJ Lab put on a personal care product workshop in collaboration with the “I Heart Carson" community group. 32 community members attended our workshop which included a presentation on chemicals in personal care products, and a DIY activity where they had the opportunity to make their own personal care products. All of the people who attended the workshop made their own deodorant and body exfoliating scrubs which was really fun, engaging, and impactful!

EJ Lab put on a personal care product workshop in collaboration with the “I Heart Carson" community group. 32 community members attended our workshop which included a presentation on chemicals in personal care products, and a DIY activity where they had the opportunity to make their own personal care products. All of the people who attended the workshop made their own deodorant and body exfoliating scrubs which was really fun, engaging, and impactful!

😁We had a great time at Saturday’s Health & Safety Fair in Wilmington! We handed out green cleaning & beauty products to community members and provided information/resources on air pollution and health.

😁First EH MATTERS journal club of the year! Amazing discussion with our students.

💨The CleanAirNow coalition is based in Kansas City, and advocates for better air quality to ensure the health of their communities. They work to empower youth and adults to organize, lead, and advocate for the region’s most vulnerable communities.

😁We are so excited to have members of the coalition here next week to learn more about their environmental justice work and the goods movement. RSVP for the talk by clicking the link in our bio!

👋Meet EH MATTERS fellow Tomás!

“As a Q***r Latino, I knew that I wanted to uplift my community through doing work that bolstered the Q***r and Latinx community. Likewise, both my parents are immigrants who arrived without knowing English. I knew Spanish and Romanian before I knew how to speak English. It was in such a unique upbringing that I was able to learn the gift that is open and clear communication. It is in bringing this more conscientious self, that I believe I would augment the EM MATTERS cohort.”

➡️Read Tomás’ full profile here: https://envhealthcenters.usc.edu/ehmatters-2022-cohort

👋Meet EH MATTERs fellow and biology major Peyton Hall!

“As a woman of many identities, I bring many diverse perspectives to EH science. Just as it did in my previous research, my background as a Black-Hispanic woman translated to my understanding of how and why Black women are treated the way that they are in modern medicine. This understanding due to my own personal experiences allowed me to develop a better thematic analysis for the qualitative component of my research and after my paper was done, allowed me to advocate and make a difference for my community, with ample credibility. It is important to have diverse voices and experiences in EH because environmental problems affect different groups in different ways. In research, a diverse research team allows participants to feel more understood and allows research itself to be more inclusive. Furthermore, environmental issues are diverse. As a result, the perspectives that are researching these issues should be diverse.”

🤓Read Peyton’s full profile here: https://envhealthcenters.usc.edu/ehmatters-2022-cohort

👋Meet EH MATTERS fellow and Health Promotion & Disease Prevention major Nisha Lerdsuwanrut!

“My identity as a Southeast-Asian woman from a low-income background has contributed greatly to the way that I see the world around me. I spent my childhood in both Thailand and Los Angeles where I have lived drastically different lifestyles in terms of socioeconomic status and being a part of the minority and majority population. These experiences have fostered a great awareness of how race and income impact someone’s life, and have helped shape my values and passions. As a field that impacts everyone, diversity and representation is increasingly important in environmental health to make well informed, effective decisions.”

📖Read Nisha’s full profile here: https://envhealthcenters.usc.edu/ehmatters-2022-cohort

Meet EH MATTERs fellow and Global Health major Marilyn Perez!

“Being Mexican American and coming from a city that is predominately people of color, I hope to bring the perspective of those in the Latinx community. It is so important to have diverse voices and experiences in environmental health because although it can affect everyone, environmental health injustices continue to occur within minority populations.”

You can read Marilyn’s full profile here: https://envhealthcenters.usc.edu/ehmatters-2022-cohort

A few pictures from Saturday’s Community Teach-In to End Neighborhood Oil-Drilling at the Murphy Drill Site! Our team presented on the health impacts of oil drilling.

Meet EH MATTERs fellow and Human Biology major Fabiola Sosa!

“My journey in becoming a healthcare provider works towards expanding my understanding and knowledge that views patients as a mosaic of different factors rather than a list of symptoms. In the context of patient care, knowing the ways in which health outcomes are influenced by environmental health will guide my process in diagnosing and treating patients given their ways of life. Health care and patient outcomes can be improved and maximized when providers develop understanding, compassion and patience, values of which can be strengthened through EH MATTERS.”

Read Fabiola’s full profile here: https://envhealthcenters.usc.edu/ehmatters-2022-cohort

Meet EH MATTERS fellow and Environmental Science and Health major Dominic Pak!

"As an aspiring physician, researcher, and environmentalist my overarching goal with anything I do is to address social injustices and disparities in underserved communities. This internship provides a guided learning opportunity to gain practical knowledge and applicable experience in addressing larger environmental issues and how to offset positive change within the field of environmental health."

Read Dominic’s full profile here: https://envhealthcenters.usc.edu/ehmatters-2022-cohort

Meet EH MATTERS fellow and Global Health Major Catalina Perez-Montejano!

"As a first-generation Mexican-American college student, I will be able to create a breakthrough in not only being the first one I’m my family to be involved with the research but also in creating a diverse research environment within environmental health. There is a need for diversity in environmental health, and I believe that the experiences I gained in my community could provide my community an opportunity to be represented. Ultimately, the commitment I have to my small farm town community is why I want to further my education and create a space for students like me to achieve higher goals within the education system."

Read Catalina’s full profile here: https://envhealthcenters.usc.edu/ehmatters-2022-cohort

Health

USC Environmental Health Centers updated their website address.

El óxido de etileno (EtO) es un gas incoloro inflamable de olor dulce. Se utiliza principalmente para fabricar otros productos químicos, como anticongelantes, y se emplea como plaguicida y agente esterilizante en menores cantidades.

Deslice el dedo para conocer las diferentes fuentes y sus efectos sobre la salud.

Ethylene Oxide (EtO) is a flammable colorless gas with a sweet odor. It is primarily used to make other chemicals, such as antifreeze, and is used as a pesticide and sterilizing agent in smaller amounts.

Swipe to learn about the different sources and health impacts!

Members of the USC EJ Lab were in Torrance this weekend at the Del Amo Action Committee Community Health Fair! We shared information about air pollution, health, and our new study about Health, Odors, & Air Quality. For more information, visit: https://ejresearchlab.usc.edu/en/carson-study/

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Miembros del Laboratorio EJ de USC estuvieron en Torrance este fin de semana en la Feria de Salud Comunitaria del Comité de Acción de Del Amo. Compartimos información sobre la contaminación del aire, la salud y nuestro nuevo estudio sobre Salud, Olores y Calidad del Aire. Para más información, visite: https://ejresearchlab.usc.edu/en/carson-study/

This morning our research coordinator, Venezia Ramirez, presented as part of the MADRES center at the NIH Environmental Health Disparities Center meeting along with Lety and Sandra, who are a part of Esperanza Community Housing and the community engagement core for MADRES.

They highlighted the leadership of community health workers (promotoras) and the role that plays in advancing environmental justice. We would like to personally thank the Promotoras for their insightful knowledge of language justice to help increase environmental health literacy and the importance of building research capacity in their community!

Thank you to our community partner, Pacoima Beautiful, for inviting us to participate in Saturday's Vaccine Clinic & Health Fair. It was great talking to community members and providing information on air pollution & health.