IU School of Public Health environmental health expert to serve on EPA committee

James E. Klaunig, professor of environmental health at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, has been appointed to serve on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board's Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee through Sept. 30, 2015. The newly formed committee provides advice and input regarding toxicological reviews of environmental chemicals in the EPA's Integrated Risk Information System.

"Dr. Klaunig's research and expertise are an incredible asset to the school and to Indiana University," said Mohammad Torabi, founding dean and chancellor's professor at the School of Public Health-Bloomington. "His scientific and technical expertise, experience and innovation will play a critical role in the success of the EPA's approach to environmental protection."

Klaunig's research interests are dedicated to understanding the mechanisms of chemically induced toxicology and carcinogenesis with emphasis on human health and genetic and environmental factors affecting human risk. His research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the EPA, the Department of Defense and an array of non-federal sources, such as the American Cancer Society.

"It is a great honor to be asked by the administrator of the EPA to serve," Klaunig said. "I look forward to providing independent advice on scientific issues underlying the toxicology and relative human risk of environmental agents to the EPA."

Dr. James Klaunig

In the past, Klaunig has served as a member of the Cancer Etiology Study Section of the National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health; was named the Robert B. Forney Professor and Director of Toxicology at Indiana University School of Medicine; and was director of the Department of Toxicology and state toxicologist for the State of Indiana. He was also the founding director of the Center for Environmental Health at the IU School of Medicine and an associate director of the IU Cancer Center.

"Professor Klaunig's appointment to this position exemplifies both his experience and excellence in research in environmental health, which make him uniquely qualified to serve as an advisor to the EPA," said Alan Ewert, interim chair of the Department of Environmental Health at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington.