PHILADELPHIA — A group of researchers and environmental advocacy groups will come together to discuss environmental health issues dealing with air and water quality, cumulative exposures, and fuel transportation safety during an environmental justice conference held at the University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday. The event will join experts on the science and policy issues relevant to environmental health and provide an opportunity for discussion among groups who are working in this area. The Chester Environmental Partnership, the host of the event, is an environmental justice community organization founded in 2005 by the Reverend Horace Strand that has been working to improve environmental health in Chester, PA. The Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET), an NIEHS-funded Environmental Health Science Core Center located at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is a sponsor of this event. CEET has been a member of the Chester Environmental Partnership since its founding and shares the mission of enhancing environmental health and environmental justice for all people.
The conference is free and open to the public, but conference registration is required. The link to register is: Ceet.upenn.edu/EnvironmentalHealthandJusticeConference
WHEN: Tuesday, September 30, 2014, 8:00 a.m.
WHERE: Smilow Center for Translational Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Rubenstein Auditorium
3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104
WHO: Speakers from the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and Swarthmore College will give science presentations. The keynote speaker, Richard Moore, is a nationally known Environmental Justice Leader and former Chair of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council of the EPA, among others.
Symposium Schedule
| 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. |
Registration |
| 8:30 – 8:35 a.m. |
Welcome from Trevor Penning, PhD, CEET director |
| 8:30 – 8:35 a.m. |
Welcome from Rev. Horace Strand |
| 8:45 – 9:15 a.m. |
Keynote Speaker: Richard Moore, National Co-Director Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform |
| 9:15 – 9:35 a.m. |
Environmental Rights Amendment in Pennsylvania: Maya van Rossum, Delaware River Keeper |
| 9:35 – 10:35 a.m. |
Air Pollution in PA through an Environmental Justice Lens: Peter DeCarlo, Assistant Professor, Environmental Engineering and Chemistry Drexel University; Nicky Sheats, Director, Center for Urban Environment, Thomas Edison State College, NJ |
| 10:35 – 10:50 a.m. |
Break |
| 10:50 – 11:50 p.m. |
Cumulative Effects of Exposure: Marilyn Howarth, MD, Director, COEC, CEET, University of Pennsylvania; Amy Cahn, Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia |
| 11:50-1:00 p.m. |
Lunch |
| 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. |
Fuel Transportation Safety: Lynda Farrell, Executive Director, Pipeline Safety Coalition;
Rick Kessler, President Dow Lohnes Government Strategies |
| 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. |
Water Pollution in PA through an Environmental Justice Lens: Arthur McGarity, Professor Environmental Engineering Swarthmore College; Laureen Boles, President E4Progress, Environmental Planner, City of Philadelphia |
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
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