Working Groups
Metabolism Disruptor Working Group
The metabolism disruptor working group consists of over 100 scientists from around the globe interested in understanding the role of metabolism disrupting chemicals in obesity, diabetes, NAFLD and metabolic syndrome. This group shares information, publications and ideas for sessions at meetings. It is a great way to find out who is doing what in the area of environmental chemicals and metabolic diseases. If you are interested in joining the Metabolism Disruptor Working Group, contact HEEDS.
Early Career Working Group
This group assists in mentoring students, postdocs, and new researchers in the EDC field. If you are interested in joining the Early Career Working Group, contact HEEDS.
HEEDS Elders is a group of EDC researchers nearing retirement. The group discusses how to hand down widsom to new researchers in the field, and how to transition to retirement. More information on the blog here and the webpage here.
Potential HEEDS Working Groups
HEEDS is interested in developing scientifically focused work groups. The goal of each group would be to increase communication, coordination and collaboration in that research area. Each group would function as a google group and meet via zoom perhaps 3-4 times per year to discuss the science in their particular EDC area, plan webinars, reviews, collaborations and how to move the field forward.
Possible working groups include but are not limited to:
- Male Reproduction
- Female Reproduction
- Immune Function
- Cancers
- Brain and learning and memory
- Others
Annual EDC Strategies Workshop
HEEDS holds occasional brainstorming workshops to aid in coordinating research in the EDC field, most recently in 2019.
The first strategies workshop was held in Raleigh NC December 2017. It was an invitation-only brainstorming session focusing on the state of the science, communication and policy goals. Some goals that came out of this workshop include:
- Increase translation between in vitro, animal and human studies
- Identify common mechanisms of environmental chemicals, including heavy metals, that affect cell signaling
- Evaluate and identify expanded windows of vulnerability including transgenerational, preconception, puberty and aged
- Develop, guide and validate high throughput screening assays with endpoints focused on disease endpoints
- Identify biomarkers of EDC-associated diseases
- Focus not only on disease prevention but also interventions to reduce the effects of EDC exposures
- Work with chemists to design safer alternatives to prevent cases of regrettable substitution
- Collaborate with physicians to identify clinically relevant endpoints, biomarkers of disease, and to determine who is sensitive and at risk for disease development
- Develop consortium science programs
- Continue and expand biomonitoring and exposure assessment studies and include new contaminants (e.g. agnostic approach)
- Develop improved animal models of human disease
- Build the field of transgenerational inheritance focusing on germline transmission
- Improve the acceptance of EDC studies in diseases susceptibility across multiple scientific disciplines
Contact Us
If you are interested in joining any of the groups described above, or in starting your own HEEDS EDC Focused Work Group, contact HEEDS below: