UR Institute for Human Health and the Environment

What's the big deal about microplastics? In the first hour of "Connections with Evan Dawson" on 6/15/26, did you know that Rochester is a hotbed for microplastics research? Our experts tell us what they've learned to help us protect our health.

Read what IHHE faculty members, Drs. Marissa Sobolewski, Alison Elder, and Dan Croft say about air pollution and brain health.

Air Pollution and Brain Health: What You Need to Know Discover how air pollution affects brain health in children and adults. URochester Medicine researchers reveal links to learning difficulties, dementia, and Parkinson's—plus steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.

What if pregnancy could help predict health decades later?

As the number of women with metabolic and neurological diseases rises, our researchers are furthering our understanding of how environmental exposures during pregnancy (like chemicals found in plastics) may influence long-term maternal health.

This work is part of a broader shift in medicine ➡️ recognizing pregnancy as a window into future health, with implications for prevention, early detection, and public health policy.

It’s official! University of Rochester has announced the formation of the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health Sciences, which unites biomedical toxicology and population-level environmental and public health. 📣

A Single Mission: Protecting People and Places—Introducing Environmental Medicine and Public Health Sciences The new department combines nationally recognized strengths in toxicology, epidemiology, policy, and community health research and will build upon decades of leadership in environmental health, prevention science, and community engagement.

Congratulations to Dr. Wyatte Hall! He was named on the Forbes Accessibility 200 list for the second time (he was also on Forbes’ inaugural 2025 list). 🎉

Forbes' Accessibility List 2026: Innovation in Accessibility Forbes’ Accessibility List highlights the biggest innovators and impact-makers at the forefront of accessibility for people with disabilities. See who made the list.

The "Meet the Plastics" fact sheets created by our Lake Ontario MicroPlastics Center (LOMP) are a featured material for the Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH) Resource Center.
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/environmental-medicine/lake-ontario-microplastics-center/resources

University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
University of Rochester
RIT Collaborative for Plastic and the Environment
Rochester Institute of Technology

Congratulations to Dr. Francisco (Paco) Cartujano-Barrera for receiving funding from the Orleans County Health Department as part of the NY State JUUL Settlement Fund. 🎉

His project will assess the efficacy of "The Villainous V**e" comic book which encourages va**ng prevention and cessation among adolescents ages 12 to 17.

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Francisco Cartujano Barrera, M.D. | URochester Medicine The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) is one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers. It forms the centerpiece of the University of Rochester’s health research, teaching and patient care missions. The University of Rochester Medical Center is a private, coeducational, nonsec...

Congratulations to Dr. AnaPaula Cupertino for receiving the 2026 Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement Senior Faculty Award! 🎉

www.urmc.rochester.edu

Dr. Scott McIntosh was awarded a 5-year contract from the NY State Department of Health to continue funding the Center for To***co-Free Finger Lakes (CTFFL). 🎉

The CTFFL, which serves 11 counties in Western NY, assists health care providers with identifying and treating ni****ne addiction.

Center for To***co-Free Finger Lakes - Research - Public Health Sciences - URochester Medicine URochester Medicine / Public Health Sciences / Research / Ni****ne & To***co Research Core / Center for a To***co-Free Finger Lakes Welcome to the Center for a To***co-Free Finger Lakes The Center for a To***co-Free Finger Lakes (CTFFL) is one of eight contractor organizations in New York State fund...