The Division acknowledges environmental research as the cornerstone in appropriate treatment design for the many environmental concerns and health disorders that uniquely effect Long Island communities. Pesticides, carcinogens, radiation and chemicals are only a few of the many health hazards effecting farmers, manufacturers, and electronics industries and adjoining populations. The faculty has research background and interests that span the areas of cancer, pulmonary disease, health care workers, community environmental exposures, radiation and service outcome research. In addition, a wealth of research resources are immediately available when needed within the Department of Preventive Medicine, particularly the Division of Epidemiology.
The Division recently completed a feasibility study to determine whether a larger scale study should be undertaken to look at the health status of former and current employees of a major employer on LI. It is conceivable that the Division will conduct the proposed study when funding is acquired. The Division participated in a large Department study of the relationship between various environmental exposures and breast cancer; a major health concern on LI. Currently, the Division is participating in a large grant awarded to a union and run by a consortium including two other universities to study workers historically involved in an industrial process at three sites of a national government agency.
In the recent past, the Division applied for two major grants sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) requiring extensive internal and external coordination and recruitment efforts. The first was an initiative committed to improving the health of children and reducing their exposures to harmful environmental agents, entitle the Long Island Partnership for Environmental Health Equity. The Partnership's major goal was to link the resources and expertise of Stony Brook University researcher and providers of health services with the underprivileged communities who often suffer an undue burden of exposures to potentially harmful environmental agents. The other initiative was directed at providing a viable medical school curriculum and residency experience in occupational and environmental health for medical students, residents and primary care providers. Although both addressed areas in critical need for analysis and intervention, and were well received for the effort and program quality, neither were initiated because of funding unavailability. The plan is to pursue these needed programs since both fall well within the Division interest and in areas in need of research support.
The Division has also embarked on and completed research projects related to the Center's patient populations and its role as consultant. In addition, the Division has participated in studies coordinated and sometimes requested by other University departments mostly in response to incidents of exposure and clusters of patients with common complaints.
Supervising the research of the residents, medical students and graduate students enrolled in the Division advanced continuing educational programs is an ongoing task, in which the Division faculty participates. All residents attending the occupational medicine program and those in the certificate program are required to conduct research. As a rule, this is required for the successful completion of these courses.
The faculty has published in review journals, written chapters in textbooks, reviewed articles for major specialty journals, and has participated in grant application reviews conducted by NIEHS and other fund granting organizations.
Despite the limited staff providing extensive clinical and educational services, the Division has managed to invest time in research to expand its resources and enter into advanced research programs. Such a stage will be realized once the Division is financially settled with a steady flow of funding, patient populations and adequate research staffing support.