Career Development Award: Center for Appalachian Research in Environmental Sciences: For Dr. Cetewayo Rashid

Research Goals: My interest is in metabolic disease, specifically type 2 diabetes. Many researchers focus on macronutrient overconsumption as the etiological agent causing type 2 diabetes. However, we know that non-nutritional environmental factors, such as environmental chemical exposure, also significantly increase diabetes risk. A critical component of my career development is establishing animal models of human exposures so that we can better understand their etiological and pathogenic roles in metabolic disease. My research has long focused on the contribution of environmental chemical exposure on metabolic health, with a particular emphasis on exposure that occurs during critical windows of developmental susceptibility. As a graduate research assistant I investigated the effects of maternal coplanar polychlorinated biphenyl exposure on the metabolic health of offspring. During my post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, I investigated the health consequences of both maternal and paternal bisphenol A exposure. My goals and objectives are to continue this career and research trajectory, conducting important environmental health sciences research related to exposures across the lifespan and their impact on diabetes susceptibility.