Health and the Environment

Protecting Wellness

Just as humans affect the environment, the environment affects humans. Penn State researchers are collaborating on ways that human health is being impacted, from pollution and toxins to infectious disease and climate change.

Systems In Sync

Dynamics of disease, environmental change, and gene-environment interactions have been affecting human, animal, and plant health for decades. From indoor pollution to infectious disease to climate change, health is being impacted.

Researchers are addressing these important factors in order to disrupt infectious disease vectors, enable precautionary design of chemicals and materials, and develop medical treatments to minimize negative impacts.

Scientists are also identifying an increasing number of beneficial human/environment interactions, including the microbiomes in our digestive systems and on our skin.

Penn State continues to grow in this area with the College of Health and Human Development's focus on Environmental Health Sciences.

A team of Penn State researchers is collaborating on a potential new method to treat cancer by delivering a unique nanoparticle to a localized cancerous area in mice and activating the treatment through light exposure — IEE faculty member Adam Glick and a team of Penn State researchers are collaborating on a potential new method to treat cancer by delivering a unique nanoparticle to a localized cancerous area in mice and activating the treatment through light exposure.

Health and the Environment Research

Featured IEE Researchers

Sandeep Prabhu

Department Head and Professor, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences

James Freihaut

Professor, Architectural Engineering

Institutes, Centers, & Programs

Health and the Environment News

Featured Stories

Ten interdisciplinary research teams awarded IEE seed grants

June 24, 2025 | psu.edu

More than 30 researchers from seven Penn State colleges received seed funding from the Institute of Energy and the Environment to advance innovative, early-stage work addressing critical energy and environmental challenges.

Mentions: Benjamin Lear, Jonathan Mathews, James Adair, Yi Zhang, Rui Shi, Joshua D. Lambert, Elizabeth Elacqua, Bert Chandler, Kenneth Knappenberger, Raymond E. Schaak

‘Forever chemicals’ detected in 65% of sampled private wells in Pennsylvania

June 16, 2025 | psu.edu

To better understand potential contamination of the groundwater feeding the 3.5 million people served by private well systems in Pennsylvania, a team of researchers from Penn State conducted a novel three-year citizen science study of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — often referred to as forever chemicals — in 167 private wells across the commonwealth.

Mentions: Heather Preisendanz, John (Jack) Vanden Heuvel, Faith Kibuye, Jennifer Fetter, Susan Boser, Cheryl Thompson, Tamie L. Veith, Kelly Kosiarski