The Impact of Environmental Chemicals on Reproductive Health

January 18, 2024
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Facebook Live and C2ST YouTube TV

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Program Series:
Life ScienceScience and Society

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Hormones help regulate various body processes such as growth, metabolism, mood, and reproduction. We can think of our body’s endocrine system as one that acts like a communication hub where hormones are used as messengers! Certain chemicals, which can be natural or human-made, can play tricks by either mimicking hormones, blocking them, or interfering with their production or breakdown; We call these sneaky trickster chemicals endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs can be found in things we use every day like certain plastics, pesticides, and some products like cosmetics or cleaning agents. In short, we are exposed to EDCs through the air, water, or food we consume. What are the potential effects of subjection to these disruptors, even in small amounts? What health concerns should we be looking out for as a result of exposure? Join C2ST and Dr. Jodi Flaws to learn more about the impacts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on reproductive health and more!

 

Event Details

Thursday, January 18th, 2023 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm CT, C2ST Facebook Live & C2ST YouTube TV.

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Featured Guests

Dr. Jodi Flaws (she/her), Professor of Comparative Biosciences, The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Jodi A. Flaws is a Professor of Comparative Biosciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

She received a B.S. in Biology from St. Xavier University, a M.S. in Biology from Loyola University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Arizona. Following completion of the Ph.D. degree, Dr. Flaws performed postdoctoral research at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. Following postdoctoral training, Dr. Flaws accepted an Assistant Professor position at the University of Maryland, where she subsequently was promoted to Associate Professor. In 2006, Dr. Flaws accepted a position as Professor of Comparative Biosciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Flaws’ research program focuses on determining the mechanisms by which environmental chemicals affect the development and function of the ovary and female reproductive system. Her research is funded by grants from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. She has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers that have involved extensive participation and authorship by graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, veterinary medical students, and undergraduate students. Dr. Flaws has also served as an Associate Editor for Biology of Reproduction, Reproductive Toxicology, the Journal of Ovarian Research, and the Journal of the Endocrine Society. Dr. Flaws also served as the Chair of the Cellular, Molecular, Integrative Reproduction Review Panel for the National Institutes of Health. She currently serves as the Secretary for the Society for the Study of Reproduction and as an Associate Editor for Toxicological Sciences. Dr. Flaws is the recipient of the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Maryland Student Mentoring Award, the Patricia Sokolove Outstanding Mentor Award, the Dr. Gordon and Mrs. Helen Kruger Research Excellence Award, the Pfizer Animal Health Award for Research Excellence, the University Scholar Award, the Women in Toxicology Mentoring Award from the Society of Toxicology, the Society for the Study of Reproduction Trainee Mentor Award, the Lifetime Scientific Achievement Award from the Reproductive and Developmental Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology, the Kenneth P. DuBois Award from the Midwest Regional Chapter of the Society of Toxicology, the Dr. Erwin Small Teaching Excellence Award, and the Society for the Study of Reproduction Research Award.