FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 20, 2026
Iowa City, Iowa — The University of Iowa’s new program, the Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking (INSIGHT), has announced that a group of distinguished national experts will serve on its advisory board.
Iowa INSIGHT, officially launched on July 1, 2026, is a statewide initiative working to identify environmental factors contributing to Iowa’s high cancer rates and other public health challenges. The program seeks to generate scientific evidence to empower individuals, communities, and decision-makers with data and information to advance solutions that improve health outcomes across Iowa.
The advisory board will help guide the strategic vision for Iowa INSIGHT by ensuring scientific rigor and providing support for the program’s long-term success. Board members bring research expertise from both academic and government sectors in areas including environmental monitoring, drinking water contamination, air pollution, human exposure assessment, and environmental epidemiology.
“I’m thrilled to work alongside this esteemed group of researchers to help grow and strengthen Iowa INSIGHT,” said David Cwiertny, Iowa INSIGHT program lead and director of the University of Iowa’s Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination (CHEEC). “Their combined experience, knowledge, and areas of expertise will help build a strong foundation for the program and support early, actionable results.”
Laura Beane Freeman, National Cancer Institute
Dr. Beane Freeman investigates cancer risk associated with several occupational and environmental exposures. Specifically, she studies the agricultural environment, including pesticides; industrial chemical exposures, such as formaldehyde; and drinking water contaminants, such as disinfection by-products.
Mark Borchardt, (Retired) USDA Agricultural Research Service
Dr. Borchardt is an expert on the measurement, fate, transport, and health effects of human and agricultural zoonotic pathogens in the environment. He has also conducted research on nitrate and microbial contamination of groundwater, including private rural wells.
Rima Habre, University of Southern California
Dr. Habre’s research focuses on how environmental exposures affect human health. She develops innovative methods to measure human exposure to pollutants and studies how air pollution and social factors influence health, particularly among vulnerable populations and throughout different stages of life.
Keeve Nachman, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Nachman works at the intersection of science and policy, applying a multidisciplinary approach to solve public health and environmental challenges within the food system. His research aims to generate scientific evidence to support decisions that mitigate human exposure to chemical and microbial hazards in food production.
Heather Stapleton, Duke University
Dr. Stapleton focuses on identifying chemicals in building materials, furnishings, and consumer products, and estimating human exposures, particularly among vulnerable populations. Her work supports environmental health research focused on thyroid disease and cancer.
Jennifer (JT) Teerlink, State of California Department of Pesticide Regulation
Dr. Teerlink brings expertise in pesticide contamination, with a focus on characterizing pesticide residues, identifying contamination sources, understanding how pesticides move into surface waters, and developing targeted strategies to reduce their environmental impacts.
For additional information about the Iowa INSIGHT advisory board members, visit https://iihr.uiowa.edu/iowa-insight-advisory-board.
“These scientists will provide invaluable perspectives to help Iowa INSIGHT achieve its goals,” said Borchardt. “Made for Iowa, INSIGHT studies can be custom translated to environmental health policies specific to the needs of Iowans. I’m thrilled to help INSIGHT scientists reach this goal.”
“I am honored to join the INSIGHT Advisory Board and contribute to this tremendous effort and mission to protect the health of Iowans,” said Habre. “It is remarkable to see the level of dedication and the cutting-edge science the team is advancing to understand the cumulative environmental health risks the community is facing and to drive action where it’s needed the most.”
ABOUT IOWA INSIGHT: Iowa INSIGHT was created through a generous $5 million founding gift from Sharon and Kyle Krause with the Krause Family Foundation. An additional $1 million from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust further supports this work, helping build toward a $10 million program.
The initiative is a collaborative effort between CHEEC and IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering (IIHR), bringing together complementary expertise in environmental monitoring, biomonitoring, data science, and community engagement to advance the work. Cwiertny leads the initiative alongside Larry Weber, IIHR director.
For more information, visit iihr.uiowa.edu/iowa-insight.
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