Dr. J. Calvin Kouokam is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville. He is a member of the Cancer Care & Control Program at James Graham Brown Cancer Center. He holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Yaounde, a Maîtrise and an M.SC from the University of Yaounde, and a Ph.D. from the University of Saarland. His main research focus is the study of the mechanisms by which particulate hexavalent chromium causes lung cancer, particularly the role of inflammation in hexavalent chromium-induced cancer. In addition, they examined nutraceuticals with anti-inflammatory properties for their potential beneficial effects on hexavalent chromium-induced toxicity.
Dr. Jamie L. Young Wise is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology at the University of Louisville with an avid interest in studying heavy metals, chemicals, liver disease, PFAS, and their interactions with humans, wildlife, and the environment. She obtained her Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Louisville in 2020. She is currently studying the impacts of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the Henderson County, Kentucky community alongside Dr. John Wise Sr., Dr. Becky Antle, and Ms. Ashley Logsdon. The goals of Dr. Young’s research are two-fold: (1) to determine the amount of PFAS that communities are being exposed to and whether they are being exposed through water, air, or both, and (2) to understand how the PFAS exposure is impacting the health of Henderson County citizens.
Dr. Abou El-Makarim Aboueissa is a Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Southern Maine. He obtained an MS in Mathematical Statistics from Alexandria University and an MS in Applied Statistics from Michigan State University. He then earned his PhD in Statistics from Western Michigan University. His teaching experience includes teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses in statistics, biostatistics, data science, mathematics, and statistical evaluation of clinical data from multi-center clinical trials. He has a good range of teaching experience, both in person and online, which he has gained over 35 years. The scope of Dr. Aboueissa’s research interest is broad, drawing upon theoretical and applied statistics. Most of his recent work has focused on developing statistical inference techniques for estimating population parameters from incomplete data, assuming that the distribution of an underlying population is normal or lognormal. Dr. Aboueissa’s interdisciplinary research includes but is not limited to, pharmacology, toxicology, nursing, applied medical, communications, and environmental sciences, which reflect his interest in applied statistics. His future research will focus on pure theory of statistics and applications.
Dr. Lu Cai is a tenured Professor of Departments of
Pediatrics, Radiation Oncology and Pharmacology, and Toxicology, and Director of
Pediatric Research Institute, the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Dr.
Cai received his MD in 1983 and Ph.D. in 1990 from Jilin University, China. He
has had his postdoctoral training at the University of Western Ontario and McGill
University (1993–1999), Canada. He has been a member of several societies
or associations, including the Society of Toxicology, American Diabetes
Association, American Heart Association, Radiation Research Society, and
Dose-Response. Dr. Cai’s research interests and expertise include the cellular
and molecular mechanisms of diabetes-induced cardiovascular diseases, more
specifically for the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy and the roles of
trace elements such as zinc and iron and related metallothionein in the
development of diabetic complications, as well as the health effects of
environmental contamination of heavy metals such as cadmium or ionizing
radiation on the victim and their offspring.
