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STAR Grantee Receives Science Award
Dr. Shanna Swan recently received the Jenifer Altman Award for her outstanding dedication to scientific integrity in environmental health sciences and the pursuit of science in the public interest. The award is given to five scientists selected by the Board of Directors of the Jenifer Altman Foundation. The award is not only given to scientists for their outstanding contributions to science but also for the questions and criticisms that can surround research. The Foundation recognizes and honors the fact that these scientists faced more than healthy debate among peers, remaining committed even against private interests threatening their research, reputations and livelihoods.
Swan is a professor and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Rochester in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology with secondary appointments in the Department of Environmental Medicine and the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine. In addition to her EPA grants, she has received funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Services and other sources for work related to the impact of environmental concerns on reproduction and the health of children.
As an EPA Science To Achieve Results (STAR) grantee, Swan is working on the "Study of Phthalates in Pregnant Woman and Children," a multi-year, multi-million dollar undertaking to determine whether elevated exposure to phthalates was associated with changes in reproductive development. Phthalates are chemical compounds used to make plastics more flexible and are commonly used in soaps, cosmetics, teething rings, nail polish, and other plastic products. Results of this study will identify home and personal care products associated with elevated phthalate levels in women of reproductive age and their offspring. Swan recently published some preliminary results in "Phthalates and Baby Boys: Potential Disruption of Human Genital Development" in Environmental Health Perspectives.
Swan is also currently working on another EPA STAR grant entitled "Current Use Pesticides: Assessing Exposure and Spermatotoxicity" that considers the effects of agricultural pesticides on male fertility. The study compares sperm counts of men living in rural, agricultural settings to men living in urban areas with little or no use of agricultural pesticides.
The Jenifer Altman Foundation is a private foundation dedicated to the vision of a socially just and ecologically sustainable future through program interests in environmental health and mind-body health. Jenifer Altman was a Senior Research Associate at Commonweal, a health and environmental research institute in Bolinas, California. She established the Jenifer Altman Foundation shortly before her death in 1991.