International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) North American Chapter (NAC) 2026 Regional Conference

About This Grant

ABSTRACT/PROJECT SUMMARY The International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) North America Chapter (NAC) was formed in 2019 focusing on promoting research collaborations across North American institutions. Since then, it has grown to host 1055 members from or residing in the United States (US), Bermuda, Canada, and Greenland. Although ISEE Global hosts an annual international meeting, this meeting is held on different continents each year, and visa issues and travel expenses often inhibit attendance by students, trainees, and early career researchers. Therefore, the ISEE-NAC started hosting regional meetings in 2023 to accommodate members with barriers to attending the global meeting when the location is not in America. Given the success of our previous regional meeting, recent changes in institutional funding allocation, and travel restrictions for international students and trainees and federal employees, we have experienced an increased interest in hosting the ISEE-NAC meeting in 2026. This meeting will enhance the mission of ISEE-NAC by providing a venue for environmental health and epidemiologic researchers, practitioners, and government personnel located in North America to network with potential new collaborators. The 2026 ISEE-NAC regional meeting will be held with a theme of “translating environmental health research to inform public health practice” and will be critical to moving our field forward. Meeting planning is already underway. Together with the organizing committee, we are planning a 2.5 day in-person meeting in Baltimore, MD (June 1-4, 2026) at the Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus. The purpose of this meeting is to: provide networking and professional development opportunities for students, trainees, and early career scientists in environmental epidemiology (Aim 1); illuminate environmental epidemiology research throughout North America (Aim 2); and highlight research related to environmental health and epidemiology intervention, translational research, and community engagement (Aim 3). By focusing on community engagement, translation, and implementation, this meeting supports NIEHS Strategic Plan 2025-2029 items related to solutions-focused research and translation, building collaboration and partnership, and supporting training and workforce development through increasing public access to important environmental health findings.