Oct 1, 2021: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: Emerging research for not so emerging contaminants

Jamie DeWitt, PhD, DABT, in front of bookcases

Jamie DeWitt, PhD, DABT

Dept. of Pharmacology & Toxicology

Brody School of Medicine

East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine

She / Her / Hers

Website

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are environmental contaminants of emerging concern because they are detected ubiquitously in the environment, yet there is little known about their environmental behavior and effects on living organisms. This seminar will focus on PFAS that have been identified in surface waters of North Carolina and the descriptive and mechanistic approaches that the DeWitt Lab has taken to better understand the toxicological potential of what the public has come to call “forever chemicals.”

About the Speaker: Jamie DeWitt is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. Her laboratory’s research program focuses on functional effects of environmental chemicals on the immune system and its interactions with the nervous system during development and adulthood. She has B.S. degrees in Environmental Science and Biology from Michigan State University and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Science and Neural Science from Indiana University-Bloomington. She completed postdoctoral training in ecotoxicology at Indiana University-Bloomington and in immunotoxicology at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

With respect to PFAS, Dr. DeWitt has published numerous primary research articles and review articles, two book chapters, and edited a book on their toxicity. She has served as an external reviewer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency health effects assessment of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), the U.S. National Toxicology Program’s immune effects assessment of PFOA and PFOS, the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry toxicological profile for PFAS, and was a member of the International Agency for Research on Cancer working group for the assessment of the carcinogenicity of PFOA. Her laboratory is currently assessing the immunotoxicity of emerging PFAS that are of concern in NC.


Friday, October 1, 12:00-1:15 pm Eastern

Field Auditorium Room 1112, Grainger Hall (9 Circuit Dr, Durham, NC)

Masks are REQUIRED. Per campus policy, all Duke faculty, staff, students, and visitors must wear masks while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.


Prefer to attend remotely? Register HERE to receive a Zoom link for our entire Fall 2021 seminar series!

You only need to register ONCE to receive the link for our entire Fall series.