Selected Presentations
2019 Scientific Advisory Committee Meeting
WSU/CPPS News – Meier, K.
Dr. Meier discussed news from WSU Spokane’s campus and the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Topics included administrative changes within the college and university, student numbers, and research funding at CPPS.
2019 Financial & Administrative Development – Bedell, M.
Ms. Bedell summarized administrative and financial information including: personnel support, the FY2019 budget vs. spending, the FY2020 budget, and salary increases. Additionally, the WSU foundation awarded the first A.C. James scholarship this year.
2018 SAC Recommendations & 2019 Overview – Tolmachev, S.
Dr. Tolmachev described the USTUR’s response to each of the SAC’s recommendations from last April’s meeting. This was followed by an overview of FY2019 activities, which included: a funding increase for FY2020, Dr. Dumit’s PhD defense, professional services, the health physics and NHRTR databases, radiochemistry progress, and the USTUR’s research activities.
Registrant Statistics and IRB Changes – McComish, S.
Ms. McComish briefly summarized Registrant statistics and recent donations. This was followed discussion on topics related to a proposed records request form, and an overview of changes made to the USTUR’s scientific collaboration and data access policy.
Radiochemistry Progress Report – Tabatadze, G.
Dr. Tabatadze described operation of the radiochemistry laboratory. Topics included analytical methods, status of tissue analyses, new equipment, and new functionality of the USTUR’s in-house radiochemistry database.
Million Person Study, USTUR and Mission Mars – Boice, J.
Dr. Boice discussed types of radiation that astronauts would encounter during a mission to Mars, including heavy ions traveling at high speed (HZE particles). Our understanding of the potential impact of HZE particles on human health is limited to animal studies. However, the Million Person Study aims to use the alpha dose to former nuclear workers as a surrogate for HZE dose.
ACJ/USTUR Scholar – Kinsey M.
The first recipient of the AC James memorial scholarship shared some information about herself and her educational goals.
A Long and Winding Road DOE Worker Studies – Ellis, E.
Dr. Ellis discussed the sources and management of data used for the Million Person Study’s epidemiological research. The worksites collected medical and exposure information out of concern for the health and safety of workers. The links between these data, early epidemiological studies, DOE’s Comprehensive Epidemiological Data Resource (CEDR), and MPS were discussed.
The Intersection of Epidemiology, Dosimetry & Biostatistics: Optimal Approaches in the Million Person Study – Golden, A.
Dr. Golden used a recently-published study of uranium workers from Mallinckrodt Chemical Works as an example of the epidemiological approach used by the Million Person Study. She discussed vital status, dosimetry, and biostatistical methods, as well as the results of the study.
Dosimetry: Radiation Protection to Health Effects – Eckerman, K.F.
Dr. Eckerman discussed topics relevant to calculating tissue doses for the Million Person Study. He gave an overview of past and current biokinetic models for internal emitters, discussed absorbed dose to individual tissues from external radiation, and shared what they have learned about developing feasible exposure scenarios.
WSU-PNNL Nuclear Science and Technology Institute – Henson, N.
Dr. Henson introduced the Nuclear Science and Technology Institute (NSTI). NSTI facilitates multi-disciplinary research by moving from one-to-one collaborations between WSU and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to a strong network of collaborations.
Research Plan and Operation in FY2020 – Tolmachev, S.Y.
Dr. Tolmachev summarized the USTUR’s research and operational goals for the coming year. He discussed funding and personnel, radiochemistry, plans to hire a post-doctoral researcher, and the importance of collaboration.