Southern Environmental Health Project
Southern Environmental Health Study
Tracking environmental exposures and health in people across the Southern U.S. to better understand links to cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11176026 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project will follow about 35,000 participants and collect health surveys, location-based exposure information, and biological and environmental samples over time. A subset of 800 participants will undergo a deeper exposome program with more detailed measurements of chemicals and other environmental factors. The project will build a large sample bank of blood and other specimens for future testing and link exposures to cancer outcomes through active follow-up. Findings aim to pinpoint environmental contributors to cancer risk so communities and regulators can act to reduce harmful exposures.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults living in the Southern United States who are willing to share health information, provide blood or other samples, and be followed over time are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People outside the recruitment area or those seeking immediate medical treatment are unlikely to get direct clinical benefit from participating in this observational research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify environmental exposures that raise cancer risk and guide prevention, policy, and screening efforts.
How similar studies have performed: Large cohort studies have linked some exposures to cancer, and this project expands on those efforts by using deeper exposome measurements that are newer and less tested at this scale.
Where this research is happening
Nashville, United States
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center — Nashville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zheng, Wei — Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Zheng, Wei
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.