The Clean Air for Carolina Kids project is a cross-disciplinary effort combining our team’s expertise in environmental testing, analytical chemistry, statistical analysis, environmental risk assessment, and community outreach.
This study is a partnership between RTI International, a nonprofit research institute, and NC Central University, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU).
RTI International Team Members
Li Han, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Han is a research chemist who has more than 20 years of experience in nanomaterial research and sensor development. For the Clean Air for Carolina Kids project, she oversees all aspects of the project, with specific focus on PM 2.5 sensor deployment, data collection, and analysis. Throughout the project, she will work with the Co-PIs and team members to ensure accuracy and quality of the technical research, disseminate scientific stature material, and ensure effective community outreach and communications.
AJ Kondash, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Kondash is an environmental scientist who has several years of experience partnering with community scientists and childcare centers to protect human health. For the Clean Air for Carolina Kids project, he leads the child care facility enrollment process, coordinates project outreach and communication, and serves as the Co-PI for the project.
Jennifer Hoponick Redmon, MPA, MSES, CHMM
Co-Investigator
Ms. Redmon is an award-winning researcher with nearly 20 years of experience investigating complex environmental problems and developing practical solutions to advance public health. For the Clean Air for Carolina Kids project, she oversees children's environmental health intergation, including translation to a wide audience and scientific stature, and supports the child care facility enrollment process.
Tracy Dombek
Co-Investigator
Ms. Dombek is a research chemist who has over 25 years working in air quality. Her passion for chemistry has led her to investigate and understand how pollutants are transformed in the atmosphere and how they impact human health and condition. For the Clean Air for Carolina Kids projects, she is supporting the installation and operation the active sampling equipment and processing data obtained throughout sampling efforts to ensure that data are meaningful and useful to broaden our knowledge of the direct impact that local pollutants have on our community and children.
Christa Bethelmy
Research Assistant
Ms. Bethelmy is a project management specialist with expertise working in Early Childhood Education and public health. Her passion for children has led her to supporting children's environmental health projects. For the Clean Air for Carolina Kids project, she supports project management activities, the coordination of environmental sampling, and recruitment activities.
Anna Gold
Research Assistant
Ms. Gold is an environmental scientist and has spent several years working directly with children as a child care provider and supporting RTI's community and child care center centric programs. For the Clean Air for Carolina Kids project, she supports project management activities, the coordination of environmental sampling, and recruitment activities.
Cindy Salmons
QA Officer
Ms. Salmons is an environmental chemist with over 35 years of experience at RTI, primarily in quality assurance. She has prepared and reviewed numerous QAPPs, QMPs, and SOPs. She conducts internal audits and assists with external audits, including those associated with RTI’s accreditations. She supports projects in a variety of areas including those with modeling, survey, data management, and laboratory aspects. She has a BS in chemistry from Duke and a MSPH in environmental chemistry from UNC Chapel Hill. She is assisting with quality assurance on this grant.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
NC Central University Team Members
John Bang, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Bang, a professor at North Carolina Central University, brings over 30 years of expertise in characterizing particle behavior and assessing its effects on human health and ecology. As part of the Clean Air for Carolina Kids project, he plays a crucial role in ensuring quality assurance and quality control throughout the study design, data collection, and analysis phases. Additionally, Dr. Bang contributes to student training in collaboration with the team at RTI International.
Elliott Gray Stanley
Research Assistant
Elliott is an Undergraduate at NCCU studying Earth, Environmental, and Geospatial Sciences. He is supporting data collection and analysis phases of this project.
Mackey Mackenzie
Research Assistant
Mr. Mackey Mackenzie is a graduate student in the Department of Environmental, Earth, and Geospatial Sciences (EEGS) at North Carolina Central University. He earned his B.S. degree from the same EEGS department, specializing in environmental science. Mack has a keen interest in health disparity issues, particularly those related to air exposure-induced cardiopulmonary diseases. His academic and research endeavors have focused on PM (particulate matter) exposure assessment using monitored data, PM field sampling, and studying the effects of PM on the aggregation of beta amyloid proteins.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Advisory Boards
Our team is supported by a Scientific Advisory Board and a Community Advisory Board. Our two external advisory boards have multi-disciplinary expertise in children’s environmental health, child care policy, and community engagement. Our external boards ensure our study methods and activities deliver accurate, impactful, and inclusive findings and recommendations for families, preschools, decision-makers, and other stakeholders.
We are proud to have support and receive guidance from the following experts:
Scientific Advisory Board
- Jamie DeWitt, PhD
Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Eastern Carolina University - Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson, PhD
Department Head, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, NC State University - Ed Norman, MS
Program Manager, NC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Division of Public Health, NC Department of Health and Human Services
Community Advisory Board
- Linda Chappel
Senior Vice President, Child Care Services Association - Ashley Graham
Health Educator, NC Choose Safe Places Program, Division of Public Health, NC Department of Health and Human Services - Andrea Lewis
Assistant Section Chief, NC Division of Child Development and Early Education, NC Department of Health and Human Services - Jenna Nelson
Executive Director, NC Early Education Coalition