The new University of Washington Pediatric and Reproductive Environmental Health Scholars (UW PREHS) K12 program is designed for early-career clinicians interested in academic environmental health research training (MD, DDS, DMD, DO, DC, OD, ND, DVM, PharmD, DNP or PhD in clinical disciplines). Of high interest are clinicians and subspecialists in fields related to pediatric medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, nursing practice, and family practice.
Few clinical practitioners receive training in environmental health, yet accumulating research shows that pregnant women, the developing fetus, children, and adolescents bear a disproportionate burden of environmental exposures and are susceptible to adverse developmental health impacts. There is a need for clinically focused environmental health research and translation of results at the individual, community, and national levels in pediatric and reproductive health.
The UW PREHS K12 program will equip clinically trained scientists with expertise in environmental health, the science of environmental exposures and their health effects on the child life-course from fetal development to adolescence. The scholars will conduct research with senior mentors and develop skills in translation of science to answer real-life questions regarding the role of environmental factors on pregnancy health and child health and how to reduce these risks. The UW PREHS K12 program is based within the University of Washington Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences and partners with core University of Washington School of Medicine primary care clinical departments (Pediatrics, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Family Medicine) as well as the Department of Epidemiology, in the School of Public Health.
The NIH-funded UW PREHS K12 program will support three scholars annually for a continuous two- to three-year appointment period in which the scholars bridge clinical training to research independence through a mentored research experience in pediatric and reproductive environmental health. Graduate-level coursework can be taken at the UW School of Public Health (SPH) and can lead to a master’s level Public Health degree, if desired. The fellowship is housed within the UW SPH Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. The program directors are Catherine Karr, MD, PhD, MS, and Sheela Sathyanarayana, MD, MPH, faculty-scientists with expertise and NIH-grant funding focused on pediatric and reproductive environmental health.
Program Support of Scholars
The UW PREHS program provides salary support for the appointees plus associated fringe benefits. Trainees are expected to spend a minimum of 75% of annual full-time effort on research and training (i.e., at least 30 hours per week). Appointees have the opportunity to continue clinical activities for up to 25% effort based on individual department clinical needs. In addition, the program provides support for research supplies and for travel to scientific meetings and trainings. Tuition support will be available for a Master of Public Health (MPH) or similar program
Individuals from under-represented backgrounds are highly encouraged to apply.
Program Eligibility
Scholars must be citizens or noncitizen nationals of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time of appointment.
Candidates for the UW PREHS K12 Program must:
- Hold a clinical doctoral degree (e.g., MD, DDS, DMD, DO, DC, OD, ND, DVM, PharmD, DNP, or PhD in clinical disciplines) with a primary specialty focused on children and reproductive health (e.g., pediatrics, family medicine, women's health/obstetrics)
- Have completed postgraduate residency training in pediatrics, family medicine, women's health/obstetrics, or equivalent if from a different healthcare profession
- Be within 4 years of attaining board eligibility in their subspecialty
- Not be or have been a PD/PI on an R01, R29, U01/U10, subproject of a Program Project (P01), Center (P50, P60, U54) grant, or individual mentored or non-mentored career development award (e.g., K01, K02, K08, K22, K23, K24, K25, K99). Individuals who are or were PD/PIs on NIH Small Grants (i.e., R03s) or Exploratory/Developmental Grants (i.e., R21s) may be eligible providing they meet the other eligibility requirements. Individuals who received Pediatric Scientist Development Program (PSDP) K12 funds are eligible for this program, subject to the 6-year limitation on mentored K support.
Application Instructions
We encourage candidates to reach out to the program mentors/staff before applying to discuss potential research projects and best fit for the K12 program.
- CV: Suggestions for preparing a CV appropriate for an academic research position, including examples, can be found here.
- Three letters of recommendation: These letters should be written by supervisors, instructors and/or mentors and can be sent directly to the UW PREHS program at uwprehs@uw.edu.
- Personal statement:
- In this statement, describe how your previous educational, career and life experiences have prepared you for the UW PREHS program; your ideas for research directions you may pursue during the program; and how you intend to use the UW PREHS fellowship to advance your career goals.
- If applicable, discuss your commitment to the ideals of antiracism and diversity, inclusion and equity (DEI) in reproductive and pediatric environmental health research and practice.
- If you have discussed potential research projects with any UW PREHS program mentors, provide details.
- Your statement should be two to three pages in length.
Please submit CV and personal statement to the UW PREHS program coordinator at uwprehs@uw.edu.
Application packets will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and qualified applicants will be invited to an interview. The UW PREHS program leadership will aim to inform applicants of their status within about one month of their interview.
The application period will remain open until all positions are filled or June 1, 2022, whichever comes first.
Fellows interested in receiving a concurrent master’s degree will be directed on how/when to apply to the UW School of Public Health: sph.washington.edu/apply
Application timeline
- Applications accepted: February 1 ‑ June 1, 2022
- Interviews and notification of acceptance conducted on a rolling basis
- Program start: September 1, 2022
Potential applicants who have questions about the fellowship or application process may contact: uwprehs@uw.edu.
Curriculum
Required elements of training for each scholar include:
- Participation in the PREH Seminar Series
- Integration with the PEHSU Consultation and Outreach Service
- Development of an Individualized Career Development Plan
- Participation in the UW Biomedical Research Integrity Program
- Development and implementation of at least one research project
- Mentorship meetings
Faculty
Program Leadership
Catherine Karr, MD, PhD, MS is an environmental epidemiologist and a pediatric environmental medicine specialist. Dr. Karr’s research areas include environmental contaminants and pediatric respiratory health including asthma, health of farmworker children, global children's environmental health, and fostering a collaborative and supportive infrastructure for team science. Much of her research utilizes community engaged research approaches.
Dr. Karr is Professor of Pediatrics and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington. She has an adjunct appointment in Epidemiology. She has leadership roles on several federally funded centers at the UW, the Pacific Northwest Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, the Interdisciplinary Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics and Environment, and the Northwest Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit. She is a Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded ECHO PATHWAYS study, which brings together three cohorts to focus on prenatal stress, environmental chemical exposures, and child neurodevelopmental and respiratory outcomes. Dr. Karr maintains a general pediatric practice at the UW Pediatric Care Center. Dr. Karr was also the Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded Home Air in Agriculture; a Pediatric Intervention Study (HAPI) and the EPA-funded Next Generation Sensors and Scientists to reduce wood smoke in a multi-cultural rural setting (NextGENSS).
She will serve as primary mentor for scholars with interest in her research studies.
Sheela Sathyanarayana, MD, MPH is a pediatric environmental health specialist. Her research interests focus on exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals including phthalates and bisphenol A, and their impact on reproductive and child health development. She has focused on the intersection of nutrition and the environment on health outcomes as well as interventions to reduce harmful chemical exposures.
Dr. Sathyanarayana is a Professor of Pediatrics and Adjunct Professor within the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington. She is an investigator at Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development and leads the Pilot Program within the Interdisciplinary Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics and Environment at UW DEOHS. She serves as a Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded ECHO PATHWAYS study, which brings together three cohorts to focus on prenatal stress, environmental chemical exposures, and child neurodevelopmental and respiratory outcomes. She serves as the Principal Investigator for The Infant Development and Environment Study, a multi-center cohort study of phthalate exposures in pregnancy and health outcomes in children. She is an attending physician for the Northwest Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit. She served as past chair of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee, as well as on the National Academies of Sciences, National Research Council Committee on Endocrine-Related Low Dose Toxicity. She currently serves on the US EPA’s Scientific Advisory Committee for the Toxics Substances Control Act. Dr. Sathyanarayana practices general pediatrics at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and is Medical Director of the University of Washington Newborn Nursery in Seattle, Washington.
She will serve as primary mentor for scholars with an interest in her research focus areas.
Program Mentors
Please contact uwprehs@uw.edu for more information.