Each student must post (1) substantial initial post with a minimum of 300 words. All
initial posts must contain at least (2) professional references (must be within 5
years), one may be the course textbook, properly cited in the current APA format.
Late discussion posts are not accepted in this course.

The student must also reply to at least (2) classmates using a minimum of 200 words
per reply (please don?t start working on the replies unless I provide the student
replies or tell you to do so). All replies in the discussion forum should enhance the
discussion. Non-informative messages posted in the discussion forum will not be
counted towards the required number of replies for that topic.

Discussion Topic

Explore the 2012-2017 strategic plan of the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences (NIEHS) @
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/strategicplan/strategicplan2012_508.pdf.

(Links to an external site.)

1. What are the institute?s mission and vision? How did the institute develop its
strategic plan? (p. 16).

2. Identify the institute?s seven themes for research and exploration.
3. How did the institute determine the themes?
4. Which theme area seems of greatest priority?
5. What does the term ?interdisciplinary? research mean? Who might be

involved?

1. Write a proactive question to the initial post.
2. reply to at least (2) classmates using a minimum of 175 words per reply, must

contain at least (2) professional references (must be within 5 years), current
APA format

Student 1 GA:

The mission of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is to discover
how the environment affects people in order to promote healthier lives. Their vision is to
provide global leadership for innovative research that improves public health by
preventing disease and disability (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences,
2017). The NIEHS planning process had three phases: stakeholder input, analysis of
strategic themes, and development of strategic goals. The seven themes for research
and exploration are fundamental research, exposure research, translational science,
health disparities and global environmental health, training and education,
communications management, and crosscutting theme: knowledge management and
collaborative and integrative approaches. During the stakeholder community workshop,
a diverse group of environmental health professionals discussed and identified strategic
themes that directly supported the mission and vision. The theme health disparities and
global environmental health seems of greatest priority which is associated with
environmental toxicants and other stressors taken in by vulnerable populations. It
incorporates aspects of all the other themes: fundamental research, exposure research,
translational science, training and education, and communications and engagements.
Interdisciplinary research is a mode of research by teams or individuals that combines
information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts, or theories from two or
more disciplines for fundamental understanding or to solve problems whose solutions
are beyond the scope of a single discipline or field of research practice (Kivits, 2019).
Interdisciplinary research can include community members and health professionals
such as scientists and physicians.

Provocative question: Since new systems-based approaches to exposure science
that utilizes omics technologies are now emerging, what would be some
advantages that would contribute to health outcomes?

Student 2 KC:
The mission of the national institute of environmental health sciences is to discover how
the environment would affect people in order to promote healthier lives. The institute?s
vision is to provide global leadership for innovative research that improves public health
by preventing disease and disability (NIEHS). The institute developed its strategic plan
with many goals. On page 16 of this article, it is said that they need to understand how
combined environmental exposures affect disease pathogenesis. It is also said that they

transform exposure science by enabling consideration of human exposures and
biological pathways in order to create a blueprint for incorporating exposure science into
human health sciences (NIEHS). The seven themes for research and exploration 1.
Fundamental Research 2. Exposure Research 3. Translational Science 4. Health
Disparities and Global Environmental Health 5. Training and Education 6.
Communications and Engagement 7(cross cutting themes) Knowledge Management
and Collaborative and Integrative Approaches. The institute determined these themes
by recognizing them as important domains that represent their vision and mission – they
go by these themes because it reflects the interdisciplinary nature of environmental
sciences. The theme area that seems to be the greatest priority to me, would be
knowledge management. ?A simple yet effective classification of knowledge sources
can be achieved based on their nature and criticality, reflecting the major sources of
knowledge being addressed, namely information stemming from development activities,
manufacturing experience, and knowledge from technology transfer activities? (Rathore,
Garcia-Aponte & Golabgir, 2017). Knowing the research and science that has been
obtained is crucial for the next steps. Being able to understand the findings is what
advances the research and therefore proceeds in the next steps that need to be taken.
The term interdisciplinary research means to have two types of studies to be intertwined
– exactly how this institution is doing with discovering how the environment affects
people. Multiple teams may be involved with interdisciplinary research due to the fact
that they have expertise in different areas. Since they have expertise and great
knowledge of one study, they can collaborate together in order to identify desired
results.

PROACTIVE QUESTION:

– If given the required resources and generous funding, what would you base
your research off of, and why?