Gulf War Illness is an Occupational Disease: Research from Neuroscience and Behavioral Toxicology Perspectives

Roberta White became Chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Boston Universtiy in June 2003. A neuropsychologist, Dr. White studies the effects of exposures to industrial chemicals and chemical pollutants on brain function, using both behavioral measures and neuroimaging techniques. She has studied occupational lead exposures in adults, environmental lead exposure in children, prenatal exposure to methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls from maternal diet, and solvent exposures in children and adults.

A current project examines the effects of prenatal pesticide exposure among farm workers in South Africa. Recent brain neuroimaging studies include functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in adolescents with prenatal exposure to methylmercury and biphenyls, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of lead-exposed workers, and structural MRI in Gulf War veterans.

She has also studied the neurocognitive sequelae of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimers disease and is interested in gene-environment interactions underlying these disorders. Dr. White holds appointments in the Neurology and Psychology departments at BU and has trained over 100 students in environmental health, behavioral neuroscience, behavioral neurology, and neuropsychology.

The lecture is being sponsored by UNE's Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, the Center for Community and Public Health (CCPH), and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies. It is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided.