Our speaker lineup includes leading experts in wildfire smoke research, public health practice, and environmental policy.

Opening remarks by: Michael Zwick (VP of Research Rutgers) | Perry Halkitis (Dean, Rutgers School of Public Health) | Erik Svendsen (CDC)

Keynote speakers: Kyle Walsh (NIH-NIEHS) | Jonathan Samet (UC Boulder) | Gustavo Matute-Bello (NIH-NHLBI)

Oral sessions: Alexandra Noël (LSU) | Alika Maunakea (University of Hawaii) | Alison Lee (Mount Sinai) | Amy Padula (UCSF) | Audrey Gaskins (Emory U) | Yang Liu (Emory U) | George Kelesidis (Delft University) | Jim Zhang (Duke University) | Kai Chen (Yale) | Mohammed Baalousha (USC) | Ruben Juarez (University of Hawaii) | Shuo Xiao (Rutgers Health) | Sotiris Pratsinis (ETH)| Rawad Saleh (U. Georgia)| Zhanghua Chen (USC) | Vasilis Vasiliou (Yale University) | Nikos Mihalopoulos (NOA, Greece) | Stefanos Kales (Harvard U)

Panelists:Michel Boufandel (NJIT) | Erik Svendsen (CDC) | Christa Wright (ULRI CIRI) | Mark Wilson (ULRI CIRI) | Jason White (Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station) | Robert Laumbach (Rutgers SPH) | Yohannes Tesfaigzi (Harvard U) | Gustavo Matute Bello (NIH-NHLBI) | Omowunmi Sadik (NJIT)

7:30 – 8:30 AM Registration and Coffee

8:30 – 8:35 AM Welcome and Charge — Dr. Philip Demokritou, Scientific Organizing Committee

8:35 – 8:45 AM Welcome Remarks — Dr. Michael Zwick (VP for Research, Rutgers) & Dr. Perry Halkitis (Dean, Rutgers SPH)

8:45 – 9:00 AM Opening Remarks — Dr. Erik Svendsen (CDC, Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice)

9:00 – 9:15 AM Keynote Address — Dr. Kyle Walsh (NIH-NIEHS Director)

9:15 – 9:30 AM Keynote Address — Dr. Gustavo Matute-Bello (Lung Division Director, NHLBI)

9:30 – 10:00 AM Keynote Address: Jonathan Samet (University of Colorado Boulder) — Epidemiology and Wildfires: What Are the Questions and What Are the Answers?

10:00 AM – 11:15 AM Theme Session 1: Wildfires and Impact on Population Health
Chair: Dr. Yohannes Tesfaigzi, Harvard University
▸ Dr. Alika Maunakea (University of Hawaii) — Hidden in the Ash: Heavy Metal Exposure and Lung Function After the Maui Wildfires
▸ Dr. Ruben Juarez (University of Hawaii) — Beyond Exposure: Mental, Physical, and Social Determinants of Health After the Maui Wildfires
▸ Dr. Amy Padula (UCSF) — Wildfire Smoke Exposure and Pregnancy Outcomes: Insights from California
▸ Dr. Stefanos Kales (Harvard University) — Sudden Cardiac Death in US Firefighters: State of the Science
▸ Dr. Audrey Gaskins (Emory University) — Wildfire Smoke and Human Fertility
▸ Questions & Answers

11:15 – 11:30 AM Coffee Break · Poster Flash Talks (90 sec, 1 slide each)

11:30 AM – 12:25 PM Theme Session 2: Wildfires and Impact on Air Pollution
Chair: Dr. Mark Wilson, UL CIRI
▸ Dr. Yang Liu (Emory University) — The Multi-faceted Health Impact of Wildfires
▸ Dr. Kai Chen (Yale University) — Wildfire Smoke as a Cardiovascular Threat: Cumulative Exposure and Compound Events
▸ Dr. Nikos Mihalopoulos (NOA, Greece) — Impact of Wildfires on Air Quality, Human Health, and Climate in Southern Europe
▸ Questions & Answers

12:25 – 1:35 PM Lunch · Poster Presentations

1:35 – 2:30 PM Theme Session 3: Wildfires and Mechanisms of Disease
Chair: Dr. Christa Wright, UL CIRI
▸ Dr. Alison Lee (Mount Sinai Medical Center) — Biomass Burning and Life Course Health Trajectories
▸ Dr. Alexandra Noël (Louisiana State University) — Beyond the Soot: Differential Cardiopulmonary Toxicity of Wildfire Smoke in Mice
▸ Dr. Shuo Xiao (Rutgers University) — Female Reproductive Impact of Wildfire Emitted Particulate Matter
▸ Questions & Answers

2:30 – 3:30 PM Theme Session 4: Exposomics and Remediation
Chair: Dr. Jose G. Cedeño-Laurent, Rutgers SPH
▸ Dr. Vasilis Vasiliou (Yale University) — Can Exposomics Map the Chemical Complexity of Wildfire Emissions and Health Outcomes?
▸ Dr. Zhanghua Chen (USC) — Wildfire Smoke and Cardiometabolic Dysfunction: Can Indoor HEPA Filtration Reduce Health Risk?
▸ Dr. Jim Zhang (Duke University) — HEPA Use During Wildfires: Does it Improve Health?
▸ Dr. Mohammad Baalousha (USC) — Fires at the Wildland-Urban Interface Transform Metal(loid)s to More Toxic Forms
▸ Questions & Answers

3:30 – 3:45 PM Coffee Break

3:45 – 4:30 PM Theme Session 5: Wildfires and Climate — Lessons from Carbonaceous Aerosol Sources
Chair: Dr. Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, NOA, Greece
▸ Dr. Rawad Saleh (University of Georgia) — Combustion Conditions in Wildland Fires Affect Smoke Production, Chemical Composition, and Toxicity
▸ Dr. Sotiris Pratsinis (ETH Zurich) — Combustion Generated Carbonaceous Aerosols and Their Impact on Air Quality and Climate
▸ Dr. George Kelesidis (Delft University of Technology) — The Climate Impact of Carbonaceous Aerosol Emissions from the 2023 Canadian Wildfires
▸ Questions & Answers

4:30 – 5:30 PM Panel Discussion: Research Needs and the Way Forward
Chair: Dr. Michel Boufandel, NJIT
▸ Dr. Yohannes Tesfaigzi — Harvard Medical School
▸ Dr. Christa Wright — UL Research Institutes
▸ Dr. Gustavo Matute-Bello — NHLBI
▸ Dr. Omowunmi Sadik — NJIT
▸ Dr. Erik Svendsen — CDC
▸ Dr. Jason White — Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
▸ Dr. Robert Laumbach — Rutgers SPH / EOHSI
▸ Dr. Mark Wilson — UL Research Institutes