ChicAgo Center for Health and EnvironmenT (CACHET)

1. OVERALL: ABSTRACT This is the revised submission of the first competing renewal proposal for the “ChicAgo Center for Health and EnvironmenT (CACHET)” – the first NIH P30 Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) Core Center in the Chicago area established in 2017 with an equal partnership between the University of Chicago (UofC) and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). With synergistic partnership between the two universities with complementary strengths, CACHET promotes multidisciplinary EHS research among clinician, laboratory, and population scientists to evaluate, delineate, and ultimately reduce environmental health related disparities among residents of Chicago and beyond. The continuation of a dedicated EHS research center in Chicago is warranted by deep- rooted environmental and social inequalities and their associated health outcomes across population sub- groups. In this context, the CACHET mission is to elucidate biological, social, and behavioral underpinnings between relevant urban environmental exposures and human disease and translate the findings to reduce health inequities within our communities. Our overall goal is to mitigate environmental health-related disparities among residents of Chicago and beyond. While there was some EHS research at both institutions prior to the establishment of CACHET; over the past 3.5 years, CACHET has integrated this research, brought researchers together, formalized and steered intra- and inter-institutional collaborations, and significantly enhanced EHS research support infrastructure in the Chicago area. Specifically, CACHET has established Biomarkers and Microbiome Cores, a dynamic Pilot Project Program (PPP), a vibrant Community Engagement Core (CEC), and a highly translational Integrated Health Sciences Facility Core (IHSFC) – all new to the Chicago area. Within this short time frame, and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, CACHET has made positive impacts on interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaborations, multi-sectorial partnerships among community/city/state agencies, and translational EHS discoveries. Leveraging our progress and lessons learned so far, and responding to reviewers’ critique of our first resubmission, we are moving forward by i) streamlining CACHET focus group structure to improve interactions, synergy, and translation, ii) better leveraging the UofC- UIC complementarity and institutional infrastructure to maximize CACHET efficiency, iii) responding to the P30 RFA new emphasis on translational EHS research, iii) addressing NIEHS strategic mission, and, iv) addressing the trans-NIH initiative on structural racism on EHS research. We have revamped the CEC with new leadership and a community-focused agenda; we formed a “Environmental Biomarkers Core (EBC)” by merging the previous ‘Biomarkers’ and Microbiome’ Cores with enhanced access to other institutional Omics Cores (not funded by CACHET); we refined the IHSFC to augment its services to access and leverage large cohorts established and led by CACHET members; and we have enhanced diversity in EH research capacity in Chicago through pilot projects and tailored career development.