The 2026 CLEAR/CURES/PIGE Annual Research Symposium, “Found in Translation: Achieving Environmental Health Science Goals in the Great Lakes Region,” will take place November 18, 2026, at Wayne State University’s Student Center Ballroom in Detroit.

The symposium will bring together researchers, clinicians, public health practitioners, trainees, community partners, and policymakers to explore both the research and communication dimensions of environmental health translation. Discussions will address advancing discoveries from bench to bedside, exchanging findings across scientific and clinical communities, and communicating emerging evidence to support public understanding, community action, and informed policymaking.

The program will feature a keynote on microplastics by Dr. Matthew Campen,Distinguished Professor in the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy. His research expertise is largely focused on how inhaled pollutants like ozone, particulate matter, and complex combustion mixtures can cause toxicity beyond the lungs, including neurological and maternal-fetal health effects. He currently directs the Center for Metals in Biology and Medicine (NIGMS funded) and has authored over 150 peer reviewed manuscripts. He has worked to better understand the nature of micro- and nanoplastics exposures, dosimetry, and toxicity using approaches that incorporate real human/clinical samples.

Agenda: 

8 a.m.: Breakfast and registration

9 a.m.: Welcome address from CLEAR/CURES and Dr. Bernard J. Costello, senior vice president for health affairs, distinguished professor of surgery, School of Medicine, Wayne State University

9:15 a.m.: Session 1: Translational resarch to the general public - Dr. Fred Schumacher, associate professor of population and quantitative health sciences, co-leader of the Population and Cancer Prevention Program, Case Western Reserve University, and Dr. Ana Daugherty, director of the Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University

10:15 a.m.: Coffee break

10:30 a.m. - Session 2: Translational research to the scientific community - Dr. Matt Campen, director of the New Mexico Center for Metals in Biology and Medicine, Regents' Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico; and deputy director and training core director for the NIEHS P42 UNM Metal Exposure and Toxicity Assessment on Tribal Lands in the Southwest Superfund Research Program Center, University of New Mexico

11:30 a.m.: Lunch

12:15 p.m.: Trainee session (5 minute poster pitches)

12:30 p.m.: Poster session with competition

1:30 p.m.: Panel session: Translation to clinical community

• Dr. Sonia S. Hassan, associate vice president, Office of Women’s Health, Wayne State University; founding director, Maternal SOS Network; professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine

• Dr. Phillip D. Levy, associate vice president for Population Health and Translational Science, Wayne State University; director, Wayne Mobile Health Unit Program; professor of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine

• Dr. Scott M. Williams, professor, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences and Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; director, Ph.D. program in Epidemiology and Biostatistics

• Dr. Gil Mor, director and scientific director, C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development; vice chair for research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; John M. Malone Jr., M.D. Endowed Professor, Wayne State University School of Medicine

2:30 p.m.: Session 3: Translational Research to Public Audiences & Policymakers -

• Nina Ignaczak, founder and executive director, Planet Detroit; Environmental Journalist and Documentary Filmmaker
• Matthew Williams, volatilization to indoor air specialist, Remediation and Redevelopment Division, Michigan Department of Enviroment, Great Lakes, and Energy; technical lead, vapor intrusion technical assistance and support team

3:30 p.m.: Closing remarks

3:45 p.m.: Awards and departure