CEHC Annual Report - 2013

Letter from the Director..........................................................................................................................1
The Case for the Children’s Environmental Health Center........................2
The History of the Children’s Environmental Health Center.....................6
Our Model................................................................................................................................................................8
The Year in Numbers..................................................................................................................................9
The Year in Review....................................................................................................................................10
The Laboratory for Molecular Environmental Chemistry........................... 12
The Mount Sinai Pregnancy Biobank..................................................................................16
The Endocrine Disruptor Research Program............................................................17
Breast Cancer and the Environment...................................................................................18
Clinical Care at the Children’s Environmental Health Center..............20
Training the Next Generation of Leaders...................................................................... 21
The CEHC in the Community......................................................................................................22
Mount Sinai Greening Our Children.....................................................................................24
Looking Forward: The Importance of Philanthropy..........................................26
Staff, Executive Board, and Contact Information...............................................28
Annual Review 2013
Table of Contents

Letter from the Director
In 2013, the Children’s Environmental Health Center experienced tremendous growth—both in research development and leadership.
Seven years ago, the Children’s Environmental Health Center (CEHC) was proudly established at the Icahn School of Medicine
at Mount Sinai. Unlike other research organizations, which specialize in one disease or condition, the CEHC embarked on a
comprehensive model—one that examines the causes of all preventable diseases at the earliest stages of development.
Since our founding, philanthropic support has allowed our Center to make groundbreaking discoveries, recruit world-class scientists,
and make important policy changes. The pages ahead illustrate how the CEHC’s model has been successfully employed to improve the
health of our children, and they highlight some of our most prized accomplishments from the past year.
Most notably, 2013 marked an important time for the future of CEHC research. While the study of children’s environmental health
has made substantial gains over the past 50 years, new approaches are needed to advance the field. To develop these groundbreaking
techniques—which exceed our current ability to measure standard environmental chemicals—the CEHC recruited Robert O. Wright,
MD, MPH from Harvard to direct the new Laboratory for Molecular Environmental Chemistry. Construction of the Lab began in
September, and once completed in May of 2014, it will become the critical tool needed to prevent and cure childhood illnesses.
We also bid farewell to David Wasserman, inaugural Chairman of the CEHC Executive Board, and we honored Rhonda Sherwood,
inaugural Vice Chairman, by naming her the Founding Vice Chairman of the CEHC Executive Board and Founding Chair of the
Greening Our Children Luncheon. I extend my deepest thanks to David and Rhonda for their extraordinary leadership and vision
in building the CEHC. In May, we announced that Alex Bergstein would succeed David as the new Chairman of the CEHC Executive
Board. Alex has been an active supporter since the very beginning, and I am excited to work with her to grow the Center.
As we conclude another successful year, I would like to thank you for your generous support of
the CEHC. I hope that this update demonstrates how philanthropic support sustains our Center,
as we work together to discover the environmental causes of childhood disease.
Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc
Ethel H. Wise Professor and Chairman, Department of Preventive Medicine
Director, Children’s Environmental Health Center
Professor of Pediatrics; Dean for Global Health
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

2
The Case for the Children’s
Environmental Health Center
Around the world, rates of childhood disease
are increasing.
The physical environment in which American children live, learn, and play has changed dramatically over the past 50 years.
While the most traditional contagious diseases of childhood have been conquered, new pediatric illnesses have emerged.
In the United States…
Childhood asthma rates
have nearly tripled over the
past three decades. Asthma
is now the leading cause
of emergency room visits,
hospitalizations, and school
absenteeism.
One of every 88 children is
affected by autism spectrum
disorder. Neurodevelopmental
disorders—dyslexia, mental
retardation, and other
learning disabilities—now
affect 10 to 15% of the four
million babies born in the U.S.
each year. Another 14% are
affected by ADHD.
Childhood obesity has more
than tripled over the past 30
years, rising from 7% in 1980
to nearly 20% in 2008. Type II
diabetes, previously unknown
in children, is now becoming
epidemic.
Both childhood leukemia and
brain cancer have increased
in incidence by about 40%
since 1970. Cancer has
become the second leading
cause of death among children
under the age of 15.
2002 2006 2008
0
4
8
11.3
Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Per 1,000 children
Identified prevalence of autism spectrum disorders,
Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network
9.0
6.6
Asthma Prevalence in Children 1980–2007
Per 100 children 0 to 17 years of age
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2007
8
6
4
2
0 35+45+55+70+85+90+88Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

3
There is a strong and growing body of evidence
that links chemical exposures to increasing rates
of these diseases.
Since World War II, more than 80,000 new synthetic chemicals have been developed and are used today in a vast array of
consumer products—ranging from foods and food packaging to clothing, building materials, cleaning products, cosmetics,
toys, and baby bottles. Children are uniquely vulnerable to the effects of these chemicals. Their developmental processes are
easily disrupted, their ability to excrete toxic chemicals is significantly lower than adults, and their bodies are smaller and
absorb more chemicals.
During these unique “windows of early vulnerability,”
which occur during the nine months of pregnancy and
in early childhood, exposures to even low levels of toxic
chemicals can produce harmful effects—many of which
do not occur until later in life.
Rates of Childhood Leukemia 1975–2010
Per 100,000 children 0 to 14 years of age
Increase in Childhood Obesity
7+9320+801980
7%
2008
20%
33+46+44+46+54+491975 1985 1995 2000 2005 2010
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Cancer Institute, SEER Cancer Statistics Review
4
3
2
1
0

4
Childhood diseases not only take a personal toll on our
families, they also place an enormous economic strain on
our country.
$76.6
billionIn 2008, our country spent $76.6 billion
on children’s diseases of environmental
origins—including autism, asthma,
ADHD, intellectual disabilities, and
childhood cancer.
50%According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), almost
half of Americans are suffering from at
least one preventable chronic disease.
$1.5
trillionOur country spends more per capita than
any other nation on healthcare, including
$1.5 trillion on chronic diseases that are
known to be preventable.
America’s children are at risk of becoming the first
generation in over a century to live shorter, less healthy
lives than their parents.

5
Lead poisoning.................................................$50.9 billion
Autism..................................................................$7.9 billion
Intellectual disability....................................$5.4 billion
Mercury pollution...........................................$5.1 billion
ADHD....................................................................$5 billion
Asthma.................................................................$2.2 billion
Childhood cancer............................................$95 million
Total yearly cost...............................................$76.6 billion
The U.S. still spends more on direct medical care and
health insurance than it does on preventive action,
despite research showing that disease prevention is
one of the most cost-effective, long-term strategies to
improve health.
While public health initiatives have made great strides in reducing the overall
rates of preventable diseases, we need to focus on the causes of chronic
diseases—not merely deal with the consequences.
3.5%Childhood diseases of environmental
origin represented 3.5% of all direct
health care costs in the United States
in 2008.

The History of the Children’s
Environmental Health CenterUnder the leadership of Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc, the Children’s Environmental Health Center conducts groundbreaking
research to identify the environmental causes of childhood diseases. We translate these findings into solutions that protect
children’s health, using research to educate families and change public policy.
We have done it before…
Early 1970s
Dr. Landrigan conducts a
series of landmark studies
discovering that lead causes
brain damage to children—
even when exposures are too
low to cause obvious signs and
symptoms.
Late 1970s
Lead is banned from gasoline
and paint in the United States.
1985
Dr. Landrigan joins the
faculty of the Icahn School of
Medicine at Mount Sinai.
1988–1993
Dr. Landrigan chairs a
National Academy of Sciences
(NAS) Committee to examine
the effects of pesticides on
children’s health.
1993
The NAS report Pesticides
in the Diets of Infants and
Children is published,
concluding that “children
are uniquely susceptible to
the effects of pesticides” and
arguing that “children are not
little adults.”
1996
The NAS report persuades
U.S. Congress to pass the Food
Quality Protection Act—the
only federal environmental
law that contains explicit
provisions for the protection
of children’s health.
1997
U.S. President William J.
Clinton issues an Executive
Order that recognizes
that children are uniquely
susceptible to environmental
hazards.
6
For over four decades, Dr. Landrigan
has translated his research into real
actions that have improved the health
of our children.

7
1997–1998
Dr. Landrigan serves as the
Senior Advisor on Children’s
Health to the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA),
establishing a new Office of
Children’s Health Protection.
1999
The Pediatric Environmental
Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU)
is established at Mount Sinai
to diagnose and treat children
affected by environmental
exposures.
Early 2000s
Scientific authorities report that
the U.S. removal of lead from
gasoline and paint has caused
a 95% decline in childhood lead
poisoning, increased the average
IQ score by four to five points,
and saved the government $200
billion each year.
2002
The Mount Sinai Fellowship
in Children’s Environmental
Health is launched to
provide mentored training in
environmental pediatrics.
2007
The CEHC is founded at the
Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai.
2010
The CEHC is named a
World Health Organization
Collaborating Centre in
Children’s Environmental
Health—one of two Centres of
its type in the U.S.
2012
Robert O. Wright, MD, MPH
is recruited from Harvard to
serve as the CEHC’s Deputy
Director and direct the new
Laboratory for Molecular
Environmental Chemistry—
the critical component needed
to prevent and cure childhood
illnesses and advance the field
of children’s environmental
health.
We will do it again…
Jeanette A. Stingone, PhD, MPH (left), the Elizabeth Mascia Scholar in Children’s Environmental Health; Alex Bergstein (middle), Chairman of the Executive
Board; and Sarah Evans, PhD (right), Fellow in Children’s Environmental Health, translate CEHC research to the public.

8
➡➡➡
Our ModelThe research conducted at the CEHC employs the same evidence-based framework that has guided Dr. Landrigan’s past successes.
The Center recruits the best and the brightest pediatricians and researchers to work in the field of environmental pediatrics—
giving them the tools to conduct sophisticated research and building the foundation for positive change.
2013 Case Study:
Banning BPA from Cash Receipt Paper
in Suffolk County, New York
Research
Scientists—both at the
CEHC and other research
institutions—show that
prenatal exposure to
bisphenol A (BPA) is
associated with behavioral
anomalies, causing
irreversible injury to the
developing brain.
Education
Community members learn
about the harmful effects of
BPA at the CEHC’s educational
events, in the media, and
through community partners
in Long Island.
Advocacy
The CEHC testifies in
December 2012 in support of a
bill that would ban BPA from
cash receipt paper in Suffolk
County, New York.
Change
In an effort to keep residents
safer from potentially harmful
contact with BPA, the Safer
Sales Slip Act is signed into
law on January 3, 2013.
Left to right: Suffolk County Legislator Steve Stern; Suffolk County
Executive Steve Bellone; Karen Miller, President of the Huntington Breast
Cancer Action Coalition (HBCAC) and CEHC Executive Board Member; and
Shelby Poole, HBCAC volunteer, at the signing of the Safer Sales Slip Act.

9
2013: The Year in NumbersIn 2013, the CEHC’s signature research initiative, pilot research projects, generated $2.2 million in funding from the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) and private foundations. An additional $4 million are scheduled to be awarded by NIH through multi-
year grants over the next five years.
In addition to our pilot grant recipients, CEHC faculty and fellows were supported by
Funding from New Grants
Funding Agency Awarded in 2013*
National Institutes of Health.......................................................................................................................$4,000,000**
National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute..................................................................$500,000**
Conduits: Clinical and Translational Science Award............................................................................ $25,000
AETNA Foundation..................................................................................................................................................$13,000
American Academy of Pediatrics: Community Access to Child Health (CATCH).................. $10,000
Total......................................................................................................................................................................................$4,548,000
*Figures are rounded for presentation purposes.
**Figures represent total funding awarded in 2013, but actual funding may be allocated over several years.
In 2013,
the CEHC:
Raised more than $890,000
in philanthropic funding,
increasing its to-date total
to more than $4.75 million
Published more than 50
scientific, peer-reviewed
articles
Funded five new pilot
projects
Appeared in prestigious
media outlets like The New
York Times, ABC’s Tonight
Show, The Huffington Post,
and Parents magazine.
Pilot Grants Awarded NIH & Other Grants Received (Annual Direct Dollars)
Investing in Knowledge: Grant Dollars Generated by CEHC Pilot Projects
$1,399,862
$1,604,862
$1,719,862
$2,192,855
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
$500,000
$1,000,000
$0
$1,500,000
$2,000,000
$2,142,855
$772,980
$397,980
$284,960
$397,980

2013: The Year in ReviewWhile this report cannot adequately cover all of the innovations at the CEHC, the pages ahead represent some of our most
promising research, publications, and accomplishments in 2013. For example:
and his team led a pilot
study that tested health
messaging tactics surrounding
fish consumption during
pregnancy. Overall, the study
demonstrated that nuanced
public health messaging based
on scientific evidence can lead
to positive health changes.
Perry Sheffield, MD, MPH
and a team of collaborators
published a paper in
Environmental Health
Perspectives that analyzed the
impact of Hurricane Sandy
on climate change and public
policy. (photo, below)
Cheryl Stein, PhD published
a paper that found a positive
relationship between
perfluorinated acid (PFOA),
perfluorooctane sulfonate
(PFOS), and pregnancy-
induced hypertension. (PFOA
and PFOS are found in stain
repellents, carpet cleaners,
and some cookware.) Also
published in Environmental
Health Perspectives, Dr. Stein’s
study was named Paper of
the Month by the Children’s
Environmental Health Network.
10
Annemarie Stroustrup, MD, MPH
received a competitive K23
award from the NIH, “Chemical
Exposures and Infant Outcomes
in the Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit (NICU),” which will
continue research launched
by CEHC pilot funds in 2011.
(photo, below)

and colleague Ruth A.
Etzel, MD, PhD, FAAP
published the first textbook
in children’s environmental
health. This multi-author
textbook, published by Oxford
University Press, contains
over 60 chapters. Seven of the
CEHC’s faculty and fellows
contributed.
Elizabeth Garland, MD
continued her work
examining the design impacts
of affordable housing on
children’s health (photos,
below). She presented at
Fit City 8 at the American
Institute of Architects, was
interviewed on a number of
local news networks, and
received a large grant from
Kresge, Wells Fargo, and the
JPB Foundation for over $1.5
million.
Perry Sheffield, MD, MPH and Cheryl Stein, PhD (top)
Annemarie Stroustrup, MD, MPH and Elizabeth Garland, MD (bottom)
11

12
The Laboratory for Molecular
Environmental Chemistry
An Incubator for Scientific Innovation
In order to prevent and cure chronic illness in children, we must
accelerate the rate at which we understand the origins of these
diseases. We must transcend existing approaches with new methods
that allow us to understand how, when, where, and to what degree
environmental chemicals enter the body.
The Laboratory for Molecular Environmental Chemistry is a state-of-the-art facility
that will support research to discover the environmental causes of diseases in
children. Once built, the Lab will be equipped with innovative technologies that
expand the scope, quality, and volume of research conducted at the CEHC.
In addition to measuring standard environmental chemicals present in the human
body—such as metals, pesticides, and flame retardants—the Lab will develop
new methods that reconstruct exposures that occurred years earlier, identify how
mixtures of chemicals produce toxicity, and reveal how the chemicals themselves are
dispersed throughout the body’s tissues.
Since greater productivity translates into more knowledge, the establishment of the
Lab will enable the CEHC to generate more discoveries, secure more funding, and
ultimately improve the health of our children.
Chitra Amarasiriwardena, PhD and Manish Arora, BDS, MPH, PhD
visiting the construction site for the Laboratory for Molecular
Environmental Chemistry, scheduled to be completed in May of 2014

13
Currently, researchers from virtually all institutions in the
United States send their study samples to a lab at the
CDC in Atlanta.
720+21=Processing at the CDC can take 24 months or longer.
Processing at the Lab will take 14 to 21 days.
Percent improvement: 1,000%

14
A pediatrician and
environmental epidemiologist,
Dr. Wright came to Mount
Sinai from Harvard in 2012
to direct the Laboratory for
Molecular Environmental
Chemistry. He is currently the
Principal Investigator on five
NIH grants—which total over
$11 million. His funding level
represents the top .03% of
researchers who apply for NIH
funding. Although these grants
are already awarded, much of
this funding cannot be accessed
until the Lab is completed.
Manish Arora, BDS, MPH, PhD
Trained as a dentist, Dr.
Arora represents part of the
transdisciplinary team that
will assist Dr. Wright in the
new Laboratory. Dr. Arora
will direct the Exposure
Biomarker Laboratory,
where he will implement
groundbreaking research
techniques that facilitate a
better understanding of the
timing, dose, and duration of
toxic exposures.
Chitra Amarasiriwardena, PhD
As an analytical chemist,
Dr. Amarasiriwardena
specializes in the examination
of trace metals—like arsenic
and manganese—which
are present in the human
body in extremely small
quantities. She previously
directed the trace-metal
laboratory at Harvard’s
Channing Laboratory and will
oversee analytical chemistry
operations in the new Lab.
Jia Chen, ScD
A molecular and genetic
epidemiologist, Dr. Chen’s
research focuses on
understanding complex
interactions between the
environment and our genes.
She has worked at Mount
Sinai for fifteen years,
directing her own Laboratory
for Molecular Epidemiology,
which will be merged with the
new Lab once construction is
completed.
Luca Lambertini, PhD
As a molecular biologist,
Dr. Lambertini studies the
biochemistry of the placenta
in order to identify new
biomarkers that lead to
chronic and developmental
disorders in children. He
began his career at Mount
Sinai in 2006, where he
developed and patented a new
tool to sample the human
placenta and helped launched
the Pregnancy Biobank.
Who’s Who in the Lab
Reconstructing
Past Exposures
Many chemical exposures
occur unbeknownst to the
victim. In May, Dr. Arora
published a study that
highlighted the role of
baby teeth in accurately
measuring the dose and
timing of prenatal exposures,
effectively reconstructing
the history of when a toxic
exposure occurs.
Since tooth layers
grow similarly to trees,
sophisticated analyses can
be conducted on baby teeth
to predict both the timing and
dose of chemicals—occurring
as early as the second and
third trimesters. Published
in the prestigious journal
Nature, Dr. Arora’s paper
drew precise conclusions
about the dietary history
that occurred over 100,000
years ago in a Neanderthal
child—demonstrating the
extraordinary strength
and accuracy of the “tooth
biomarker.”

15
Instrument Lab: Enables our
team to analyze the distribution of
chemicals with the exact location
of organs—a vast improvement
over standard methods that only
determine average concentrations
of the entire tissue.
Ultra-Clean Room: The gold
standard in analytical chemistry
labs, this room is equipped with
technologies that reduce the risk
of contamination, allowing our
team to evaluate chemicals at
low concentrations—the key to
understanding toxicity.
Metals Prep Lab: Ensures
that samples are prepared properly
for the most accurate results.
Molecular Lab: Enables our
team to perform procedures like
DNA/RNA extraction, allowing us
to understand how our genes may
“program” us for diseases later in life.
Lab Benches
Offices
Cold Room: To prevent
the degradation of samples and
ensure valid results, this room is
fitted with equipment to maintain
the temperature of 4° Celsius. This
enables researchers to process
delicate biological samples, such as
blood, tissues, and cells, which are
sensitive to higher temperatures.
Inside the Laboratory for Molecular
Environmental Chemistry
Location: Mount Sinai’s Atran Berg Building
Research Space: 4,000 Square Feet
1
1
2
5
3
3
4
4
5
6
7
6
7
2
Construction of
the Laboratory
began in September and is
scheduled to be completed
in May of 2014. Once
established, the Laboratory
for Molecular Environmental
Chemistry will be the first
facility of its kind operated
by a medical institution,
and it will be the only
research lab in the country to
combine full environmental
analytical capability with new
technologies in the field of
epigenetics.
With this Lab located
in-house, the CEHC will
revolutionize how children’s
environmental health research
is conducted—reaffirming
its place as an international
leader in the field.

16
The Mount Sinai
Pregnancy Biobank
Since its establishment in 2011, the Pregnancy Biobank has quickly
developed into a platform for collaboration. The CEHC is now working
with the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medicine, Psychiatry,
Endocrinology, and Pediatrics to launch new research studies.
The Mount Sinai Pregnancy Biobank is a unique, shared resource that fosters scientific
investigation into the environmental causes of childhood diseases. Currently, this tissue repository
is being implemented through a two phase process:
1. The first “cross-sectional” phase focuses on the events surrounding delivery, where samples
of placental tissue and umbilical cord blood are collected.
2. The second “longitudinal” phase involves using these samples to support multi-year
epidemiologic studies, which will examine the links between prenatal environmental exposures
and childhood diseases.
In 2013, the Biobank team finalized
procedures for the first phase and
launched its first longitudinal study,
Programming of Intergenerational
Stress Mechanisms (PRISM). This
study, overseen by lead investigator
Rosalind J. Wright, MD, MPH,
examines the impact of air pollution,
maternal stress, and genetic
susceptibility on risk of childhood
asthma and obesity.
Spotlight on
Collaboration
Rosalind J. Wright, MD,
MPH is a developmental
epidemiologist with
transdisciplinary training
in environmental health
and stress mechanisms.
She is interested in
the role of both social
factors and physical
factors (air pollution,
chemicals, dietary factors,
allergens) as early life
predictors of chronic
disease. Dr. Wright’s
work was featured at the
CEHC’s seventh annual
educational symposium,
Managing Stress to Reduce
Toxicity of Environmental
Chemicals on December 3,
2013—where she served as
the keynote speaker.
Left to right: The Pregnancy Biobank
team—Joanne Stone, MD, Joseph
Gilbert, MPH, and Luca Lambertini,
PhD—with a mother who will be
giving birth at Mount Sinai.

17
The Endocrine Disruptor
Research Program
Under the leadership of Shanna H. Swan, PhD, the CEHC has built one of the strongest endocrine
disruptor research programs in the country—defined by national and international collaboration.
The Endocrine Disruptor Research Program (EDRP) was launched in 2012 to bring new visibility to the emerging research area of
endocrine disrupting chemicals. These chemicals, which can mimic and block our body’s hormones, are found in many everyday
products—including plastic bottles, detergents, personal care products, the linings of metal food cans, cosmetics, toys, flame
retardants, food, and food packaging.
The Second Derald H. Ruttenberg Visiting Professorship
Dodging Deception: How the Science
Behind BPA is Being Misrepresented
In April, the CEHC awarded Frederick vom Saal, PhD from the
University of Missouri with the second Derald H. Ruttenberg
Visiting Professorship in Endocrine Disruption and Children’s
Health. Dr. vom Saal has played an active role in the debate about
the safety of BPA—producing the first research to show that low
level exposures to BPA could pose a threat to human health.
“We have a regulatory system that is focused on treating endocrine disrupting
chemicals as poisons—acute toxic chemicals that, at very high doses, will kill you.
But hormones aren’t acutely toxic. They operate at very low doses. So, in order for
the regulatory system to work correctly, we need a system that has, first of all, the
willingness to test these chemicals at the right doses, particularly at levels that we
are exposed to.” — Frederick vom Saal, PhD
The Second Derald H. Ruttenberg Visiting Professorship in Endocrine Disruption and Children’s Health
Research Update: Phthalate Exposure
Associated with Neurodevelopment
At the end of 2013, a team of CEHC researchers—Roni
Kobrosly, PhD, Sarah Evans, PhD, and Shanna H. Swan,
PhD—along with collaborators from other institutions
published a paper in Environmental Health Perspectives that
found exposure to certain phthalates late in pregnancy was
associated with behavioral problems in boys.

18
Breast Cancer and
the Environment
Breast cancer is a complex disease, impacted by both genetic factors and environmental influences.
The CEHC is at the forefront of this research—investigating how these factors interact to increase risk
of breast cancer development.
The CEHC is currently one of nine research institutions funded in the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program
(BCERP), a joint effort supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Cancer
Institute (NCI). Our team leads two large studies:
“Environmental and Genetic Determinants of Puberty”
Principal Investigator Mary S. Wolff, PhD
Community and Outreach Translation Barbara Brenner, DrPH, DSW
“Breast Cancer Genomics in Windows of Susceptibility
to Endocrine Disruptors”
Principal Investigators Susan Teitelbaum, PhD and Jia Chen, ScD
Community Partners Karen Miller, Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition
Laura Weinberg, Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition

19
Research Update: Earlier Onset of
Puberty Linked to Obesity
After spending seven years following over 1,200 girls in San
Francisco, Cincinnati, and New York City, BCERP collaborators
found that girls with higher body mass indexes (BMI)
experience earlier onset of puberty, as measured by breast
development. This study, published in the journal Pediatrics,
found that girls—most notably Caucasian ones—are hitting
puberty at younger ages than previously reported.
Reaching Multicultural Communities:
Advocates Mentoring Advocates
To address racial and ethnic health disparities in breast
cancer education, CEHC researchers have developed a new
program that matches experienced breast cancer advocates
with advocates in East Harlem. This program, which includes
developing new workshops and community presentations, will
extend outreach efforts currently performed in the “Breast
Cancer Genomics in Windows of Susceptibility to Endocrine
Disruptors” study.
At a Glance: Environmental and
Genetic Determinants of Puberty
Study launched 2004
More than 400girls enrolled
Current ages of participants
10-15 years
More than 45%characterized as obese
Average Age of Breast Development
African American.................................. 8.8 years
Asian........................................................9.7 years
Caucasian................................................9.7 years
Hispanic.................................................. 9.3 years
From back to front, left to right: Karen Miller, Laura Weinberg, Mary Wolff, PhD,
Andrea Rothenberg, Barbara Brenner, DrPH, DSW, Lina Jandorf, MPH, and
Sarah Evans meet with their community partners in East Harlem.

20
Clinical Care at the CEHC
The CEHC provides expert clinical consultation to families affected by environmental toxins at the
Mount Sinai Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU).
The Mount Sinai PEHSU is a member of a national and international network of experts in children’s environmental health.
Located throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the PEHSUs were created to ensure that both children and their
communities have access to special medical knowledge about hazardous environmental exposures.
At a Glance:
The Mount Sinai PEHSU
Founded 1999
Serves New York, New Jersey,
U.S. Virgin Islands, and
Puerto Rico (EPA region II)
More than 6,500patients treated
116students and medical professionals trained
Advocating for a
Statewide Network of
Children’s Environmental
Health Centers
Around the country, pediatricians report that they are not
comfortable managing environmental aspects of disease,
despite the high prevalence of these problems. In the CEHC’s
home state of New York, only 19.4% of pediatricians have
received specific training in environmental history taking.
To address this issue, the CEHC released a comprehensive
report, New York State’s Children and the Environment, in
December. The reports provide scientific evidence to fund a
network of Centers of Excellence in Children’s Environmental
Health in New York State.
These Centers, modelled after the CEHC and the PEHSU, would
provide expert diagnosis and treatment for children suffering
from diseases of environmental origin.

Training the Next
Generation of Leaders
Each year, the CEHC selects the most accomplished pediatricians and postdoctoral students to
participate in its Fellowship in Children’s Environmental Health—a mentored training program in
epidemiological research.
In 2013, the CEHC welcomed two new fellows:
Jeanette A. Stingone, PhD, MPH is an epidemiologist who
studies how exposure to air pollution during pregnancy can
contribute to adverse birth outcomes and the development
of childhood diseases. Specifically, she is interested in how a
woman’s diet and nutrient intake during pregnancy can modify
the relationship between air pollution exposure and congenital
heart defects. During her fellowship, Dr. Stingone plans to
extend her research to examine other adverse birth outcomes,
including preterm birth and spina bifida. She is the inaugural
Elizabeth Mascia Scholar in Children’s Environmental Health.
Lauren Zajac, MD, MPH is a pediatrician, who recently
completed a residency in Social Pediatrics at Montefiore
Medical Center in the Bronx. During her fellowship, she
will be investigating the role of various types of housing
stress on childhood asthma outcomes. A longtime advocate
of environmental health policy, Dr. Zajac is also partnering
with local non-profit organizations to address improving
environmental health issues in schools.
Jeanette A. Stingone, PhD, MPH (left)
Lauren Zajac, MD, MPH (right)
21

22
The CEHC in the Community
The CEHC is deeply committed to understanding and improving the health of East Harlem—
our home community. In 2013, CEHC researchers led several community programs:
Cyclopedia: Empowering
Urban Adolescents
through Bicycling
Cyclopedia is a unique positive youth development program
that combines physical activity with collaborative online
documentation to promote health and achievement
outcomes. A literal sense of place engenders a sense of
belonging to that place and the empowerment to take an
active role in one’s community.
Cappy Collins, MD, one of the CEHC’s pediatricians, has
worked with community partners in East Harlem since
2008 and expanded Cyclopedia to Rochester, New York in
2010. Cyclopedia alleviates toxic stress in impoverished
communities, which often manifests as increasing rates of
asthma, obesity, poor school achievement, and other adverse
health outcomes. East Harlem children produce hundreds of
photos and writings each season as they journey to all five
boroughs under their own power.
At A Glance: Biking in 2013
20cyclists
Rides organized over 6 weeks: 12
29%improvement in fitness
50% improvement in stress
Funded by Citizens Committee
for New York City
Community partner: Stanley Isaacs
Neighborhood Center
Cappy Collins, MD (second from left) with Cyclopedia riders.

23
Growing Up Healthy in East Harlem:
Obesity Research in Action
Growing Up Healthy (GUH) is a long-term cohort study that follows over 300 girls to
understand how environmental exposures affect growth and development—particularly
obesity and age of puberty. In addition to chemical exposures, the CEHC team is also
analyzing the spaces where East Harlem children live and play as risk factors for obesity.
In 2011, Maida Galvez, MD, MPH, Co-Principal Investigator of GUH, and her team
partnered with New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P) to measure the characteristics of all publicly
accessible open spaces in East Harlem—examining what features inspire children to play.
Their findings were then compared to data from the GUH study to determine how the type
and amount of open space influence obesity risk. Results were completed this year and
submitted for publication.
Bringing
Science
to the
Community
In 2013, Barbara Brenner,
DrPH, DSW and the GUH team
launched a new program, in
which study participants are
given hands-on experience in
Mount Sinai research labs.
These “Days of Discovery”
not only educate East Harlem
children about science and
medicine, but they also aid in
study retention—keeping girls
engaged with the GUH study
to produce the most accurate
results.
Where Do East Harlem’s
Children Play?
87%in large parks
24%in “pocket parks” (small parks)
16%in neighborhood parks

Mount Sinai
Greening Our Children
Close to $600,000 Raised at Sixth Annual Benefit Luncheon
Over the past six years, the CEHC’s annual benefit has raised over $2.7 million
to launch new research projects and has taught guests from the tri-state area
how to protect their children from environmental hazards.
1 2 3
4 5 6
24

The CEHC is excited to host its first evening fundraiser on Friday, May 16, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency
in Greenwich, Connecticut. For more information, please visit www.greeningourchildren.net.
This year’s event honored Jessica Alba—actress, author, and founder of The Honest Company—
with the Mount Sinai Champion for Children Award. In her acceptance speech, she applauded the
CEHC for its commitment to studying the impact of environmental chemicals on children’s disease.
In addition to the signature Green Expo, this year’s event introduced two interactive seminars, where
guests learned firsthand how to make educated decisions about the products that enter their homes.
1. Honoree Jessica Alba with CEHC Director Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc • 2. CEHC faculty Maida Galvez, MD, MPH; Luca Lambertini, PhD; and Jia Chen, ScD
3. Benefit Co-Chairs Rachel Weiss, Amy Clark, Jeanine Behr Getz, Anne Ogilvy, Jill Brack, Maura Mandell, Lisa Boyle, Wendy Mindel Rubinstein, and Robin Pastore
4. Men’s Committee members Robert Getz, Reginald Brack, David Ogilvy, and Lloyd Mandell • 5. Executive Board members David B. Murphy and Karen Miller with
Dr. Landrigan • 6. Dr. Landrigan with Executive Board members: Tanya L. Murphy, Suzanne B. Price, Anne Robertson, Rhonda Sherwood, Alex Bergstein (Chairman),
Wendy Mindel Rubinstein, and Christopher Gavigan • 7. Dr. Landrigan and Jessica Alba with CEHC faculty Robert O. Wright, MD, MPH; Rosalind J. Wright, MD, MPH;
and Maida Galvez, MD, MPH • 8. Rhonda Sherwood and Dr. Landrigan present the Mount Sinai Champion for Children award • 9. Guests at the Green Expo
10. Annemarie Stroustrup, MD, MPH leads her seminar, “Chemicals in Our Cabinets” • 11. Jill Brack, Tiffany Costanzo, and Toby Cone at the Expo
7 8
9 10 11
25

Looking Forward
The Importance of Philanthropy
Philanthropy is crucial for advancing the work of the Children’s Environmental Health Center.
In addition to general unrestricted support, the CEHC is looking to develop and enhance several key initiatives and programs
that are vital to its long-term success. Support of these current funding priorities will not only catalyze new research, but will
also create a legacy for donors by connecting their philanthropy to scientific achievement within children’s health.
26

Priority Funding Needs and Naming Opportunities
Name and endow the Children’s Environmental Health Center....................................................$5 Million
Name and endow the New York Children’s Study............................................................................$3 Million
Name and endow a Children’s Environmental Health Professorship...........................................$2 Million
Name and establish the Mount Sinai Pregnancy Biobank..............................................................$1.5 Million
Name and endow a Children’s Environmental Health Fellowship................................................$1 Million & above
Name and establish the Laboratory for Molecular Environmental Chemistry...........................$1 Million
— Laboratory (4)*...................................................................................................................$100,000 each
— Laboratory Bench (8).........................................................................................................$50,000 each
Name and endow a Children’s Environmental Health Research Program**...............................$250,000 & above
— The Endocrine Disruptor Research Program
— The Autism and Learning Disabilities and Discovery and Prevention Program
— The Growing Up Healthy in East Harlem Program
— The Pilot Research Project Program
Support a Children’s Environmental Health Fellowship................................................................$20,000–$80,000***
Seed a Children’s Environmental Health Pilot Research Project...................................................$20,000–$100,000
Sponsor the Annual Children’s Environmental Health Symposium.............................................$20,000
* Two of the four laboratories are currently available. ** Other research programs available based on interest. *** The cost of a fellowship is $80,000 per year.
To learn more about supporting the CEHC, please contact Jacqueline Leitzes in the Mount Sinai Development Office
at jacqueline.leitzes@mountsinai.org or 212-731-7430.
27

28
Staff
Director
Deputy Director
Katherine Southwick
Program Manager
Jacqueline Leitzes
Associate Director of Development, Children’s Health
Contact the CEHC
Children’s Environmental Health Center
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1057
New York, New York 10029
T: 212-824-7125
F: 212-996-0407
E: info@cehcenter.org
www.cehcenter.org
Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center
@MountSinaiCEHC
Executive Board
Alex Bergstein
Chairman
Christopher Daggett
Benjamin B. Edmands
Christopher Gavigan
Richard Fuller
Karen Miller
David B. Murphy
Tanya L. Murphy
Jonathan Piel
Suzanne B. Price
Anne Robertson
Wendy Mindel Rubinstein
Hattie Ruttenberg
Rhonda Sherwood
David Wasserman
Written and edited by Katherine Southwick; designed by Anne Garland. Printed on recycled paper.
Please contact us by phone (212-659-8500) or email (PhilanthropyOptOut@mountsinai.org) if you wish to have your name removed from our distribution list of fundraising materials.

CEHC Annual Report - 2013

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