Environmental Health Research

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Environmental Health Research

• Tom Jeavons School of
  Applied Sciences and Engineering

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Environmental Health Research

• Is the area of public health research that looks
  at environmental factors that influence health
  and disease interdisciplinary studies
• The air environment is a particular focus of
  Applied Sciences - ranging from particulates and
  chemical emissions in outdoor air to bioaerosols
  in indoor air

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Area of Research

• Fungal aerosols in indoor air
• Asthma and its relationship to indoor fungal
  exposure

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Current Research

• Who with?
• Epidemiological studies with Assoc. Prof. Michael
  Abramson, at Monashs Dept. of Epidemiology and
  Preventive Medicine (DEPM)
• Fungal beta-glucan and bacterial endotoxin
  analysis with Dr. Jeroen Douwes, Centre for
  Public Health Research, Massey University,
  Wellington, NZ
• Personal nasal sampling with Assoc. Prof. Euan
  Tovey (Woolcock Institute of Medical Research,
  University of Sydney)

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What is happening now?

• Personal air sampling - nasal sampler trapping
  studies
• Studies on the association between the presence
  of fungi in the nose, levels of fungal
  contamination of the bedroom environment, and
  asthma
• Asthma intervention studies effect of
  dehumidification/cleaning on asthma severity

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Whats ahead

• Personal exposure of cancer patients to fungi in
  the hospital and in the home environment
• Other collaborations?

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Conservation Biology Research

• Dr. Wayne Sturrock School of Applied
  Sciences and Engineering

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Area of Research

• Reproductive cycles of endangered species e.g.
  Squirrel glider
• Gene storage
• Pharmacological techniques in the collection of
  reproductive material

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Current Research

• Who with?
• Collaborative research with Monash Institute of
  Reproduction and Development (MIRD)
• Pearcedale Conservation Park (Moonlight Sanctuary)

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What is happening now?

• Investigating the estrous cycles of the squirrel
  glider (Petaurus norfolcensis)
• Techniques on collecting semen samples from
  endangered species (eg. Black Rhino).DANGEROUS
  WORK!
• Storage procedures of reproductive material (eg.
  testes, ovaries, embryos and cell lines
  fibroblasts)

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The future

• To be able to understand the reproductive cycles
  of endangered animals and,
• By using IVF technology, increase their numbers
  to a point where they can be re-introduced back
  into their natural habitat

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