Track in Toxicology and Environmental Health
The Toxicology and Environmental Health Track offers graduate training in applied areas of toxicology, with a focus on the translation of basic knowledge of chemical metabolism and mechanisms of cellular toxicity and carcinogenicity to diseases in human populations and changes n delicately balanced ecosystems. Students will become experts in exposure assessment, identification of susceptible populations and the role of risk assessment in developing environmental health policy and regulations. Students may choose to focus in one of four areas:
- Environmental Epidemiology and Toxicology in which students will take courses in epidemiology and human genetics, and will focus their research on identifying gene/environment interactions that increase an individual’s susceptibility to carcinogenic and target organ effects of environmental chemicals. Faculty in this area conduct research on health effects of air pollution and the role of genetic polymorphisms in chemical effects and drug metabolism.
- Forensic and Analytical Toxicology in which students will take courses in analytical chemistry and forensic toxicology and will focus their research on the development of more sensitive and specific measurements of drugs and chemicals in biological samples for better exposure assessment and characterization of metabolic profiles of chemicals in humans and ecological receptors. Many students in this track conduct their dissertation research at the National Institute of Drug Abuse located in Baltimore.
- Aquatic Toxicology in which students will take courses in environmental toxicology and aquatic toxicology and will focus their research on the impact of environmental chemicals on aquatic organisms and ecological systems. Many of the students working in this area conduct their research with faculty members at the Chesapeake Biological Laboatory in Solomons, MD after completing their initial year of coursework on the Baltimore campus. Faculty in this area have research focused on mechanisms of action of endocrine disruptors.
- Risk Assessment and Environmental Law in which students will take courses in risk assessment, regulatory management, and critical issues in law and science. Research in this area will focus on the impact of multiple chemical exposures on health risks and the use of research on the mode of action of chemicals for establishing health based environmental regulations. Opportunities for a dual JD/MS degree are available through the University of Maryland School of Law Environmental Law Program.