EHN founder honored as environmental health champ.

EHN founder honored as environmental health champ.

Pete Myers recognized by the National Institutes of Health as one of 12 inaugural 'Champions of Environmental Health Research'.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Pete Myers, founder and chief scientist of Environmental Health Sciences, has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health for "significant contributions" to how our environment influences the health of communities, families and individuals worldwide.


Myers is one of 12 "Champions of Environmental Health Research," picked to commemorate 50 years of such work by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of NIH. This is the first time in its history that NIH has bestowed this award.

"It’s a complex research field that needs the attention of top scientists, and I congratulate these awardees for their outstanding contributions," said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.

It’s a complex research field that needs the attention of top scientists, and I congratulate these awardees for their outstanding contributions.

– Dr. Francis Collins, NIHThe NIEHS is part of the National Institutes of Health and funds about 1,000 grants totaling more than $300 million a year. Overall the NIH invests $32 billion annually in medical research. 

In bestowing the award, NIEHS director Linda Birnbaum cited Myers' contributions to global awareness of the health effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Myers' "leadership and exceptional commitment to promote scientific excellence in environmental health science," Birnbaum wrote, has helped fuel "sound public policy decisions."

Other champions include Charles Blumberg, an architect and principal player in the sustainable buildings movement; Dr. Jeffrey Gordon, an expert on the microbiome; Dr. Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician known for decades of work protecting children against environmental threats; and Jeanne Rizzo, head of the Breast Cancer Fund.

"For someone who completed a Ph.D. in behavioral ecology almost 40 years ago and began environmental health work in earnest only in 1990, it is truly humbling to be listed alongside these giants in the field," Myers said. "I've been fortunate to have many mentors and colleagues guide me, and a terrific staff at EHS who made all this work possible."

The champions will be honored during an NIEHS 50th anniversary program on Nov. 1 in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

This is the second major public service award Myers has won this year for his work on endocrine-disrupting chemicals. In April Myers shared the Endocrine Society's ;"Laureate Award for Outstanding Public Service" with Jean Pierre Bourguignon of the University of Liege, Andrea Gore of the University of Texas and Thomas Zoeller of the University of Massachusetts. The Endocrine Society is the world's largest professional association of endocrinologists, medical doctors, scientists and educators dedicated to researching and treating conditions and diseases related to the human body's complex system of glands and hormones.

Myers is an author or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed research papers and the 1996 book, "Our Stolen Future," that explores the scientific basis for how contamination threatens fetal development.

He is chief scientist of Environmental Health Sciences, a not-for-profit organization he founded in 2002 to increase public understanding of the scientific links between environmental factors and human health. Environmental Health Sciences publishes two news websites, EHN.org and DailyClimate.org.

Myers has served as board chair of H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment; the Consultative Group on Biological Diversity; and the National Environmental Trust (now part of the Pew Charitable Trusts). He is a trustee of the Jenifer Altman Foundation.

In 2013 Myers was awarded the Frank Hatch "Sparkplug" Award for enlightened public service by the John Merck Fund. And in 2014 Myers shared, with Arlene Blum and the late Theo Colborn, the Jean and Leslie Douglas "Pearl Award," bestowed by the Cornell Douglas Foundation for work providing a sustainable planet for future generations.

A piece of wood with green leaves in the shape of the world's continents on it.

Trump administration’s shutdown of USAID devastates global conservation efforts

After a sweeping dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, conservation projects protecting wildlife, forests, and ecosystems across dozens of countries are collapsing due to funding cuts.

Adam Welz reports for Yale Environment 360.

Keep reading...Show less
Sunrise in the woods

Get our Good News newsletter

Get the best positive, solutions-oriented stories we've seen on the intersection of our health and environment, FREE every Tuesday in your inbox. Subscribe here today. Keep the change tomorrow.

Two nuclear towers in the distance with smoke emitting from them

Trump’s nuclear revival plan faces obstacles at Tennessee Valley Authority

The Trump administration's push for a nuclear energy renaissance faces internal turbulence at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), with leadership shake-ups and tariff policies threatening to slow progress rather than speed it up.

Gautama Mehta and Katie Myers report for Grist.

Keep reading...Show less
A woman looks at a handmade journal that includes pressed flowers and leaves.

Independent bookshops are helping people fight climate despair with the right stories

In the UK, three indie bookstores are blending climate action and storytelling to help readers find hope, connection, and purpose in the face of planetary crisis.

Lottie Limb reports for Euronews.

Keep reading...Show less
A river runs between hills covered with trees displaying fall foliage colors.
Credit: Photo by Liz Guertin/Unsplash

Maryland’s conservation streak shows how far a small state can go

Maryland just became the first U.S. state to meet the “30 by 30” conservation goal — six years early — and it's already aiming for 40% by 2040.

Cara Buckley reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
A woman stands in front of a garbage dump next to an abandoned building holding a poster that says "there is no planet b."

Environmental groups brace for a new era of fear and federal targeting

As the Trump administration sharpens its attacks on environmental nonprofits, Earthjustice president Abigail Dillen warns the movement is under threat like never before.

Sharon Lerner reports for ProPublica.

Keep reading...Show less
A copy of Pope Francis' Laudato Si encyclical propped against a wooden pew in a church with the pope's photo on the cover.
Credit: Johan Bergström-Allen / www.carmelite.org/FlickrCreative Commons Attribution 2.0 no restrictions

Pope Francis made climate change a moral crisis. Following his death, the world needs a new voice

Pope Francis turned the climate crisis into a global moral reckoning, but as the planet warms, his loss leaves a gaping hole in the fight for climate justice.

Chico Harlan reports for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
blue and white solar panels on green grass.

Clean energy tech is outpacing politics and reshaping the global power landscape

Even as the Trump administration moves to expand fossil fuels and slash climate regulations, clean energy industries are accelerating beyond the reach of political backlash.

The Vox climate team sets out to analyze the clean energy transition in a special, multi-story project.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

People  sitting in an outdoors table working on a big sign.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

joe biden

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.