October 03, 2008
Queens, N.Y. -
Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., noted pediatrician and the Ethel H.
Wise Professor and Chair of the Department of Community and
Preventive Medicine of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, will
participate in the Rendu Roundtable on Religion and Science
sponsored by the Vincentian Chair of Social Justice on October 9,
2008 at 4 p.m. in the University’s Bent Hall Auditorium.
Landrigan is the Principal Investigator for The National
Children’s Study (NCS) Vanguard Center in New York City and is
a leader in the design and implementation of The National
Children’s Study, a groundbreaking longitudinal study. The study
will follow 100,000 American children from conception to age 21 to
elicit important data in the areas of environment-- chemical,
biological, psychological and social factors-- that influence
health, growth, development and the risk of disease among these
children.
“The National Children's Study will impact how we care and plan
for our children while providing us with real data to make smart
decisions to address their health risks,” said Professor Marc E.
Gillespie, Associate Professor for Pharmaceutical Sciences at St.
John’s University. “Dr. Landrigan has been involved at all levels
of the NCS and now leads one of the initial tests sites in Queens.
He has set an excellent example of how science and public health
not only save lives but improve the quality of life.”
Dr. Landrigan’s lecture will highlight the scope of this study,
the core hypotheses of research efforts geared toward children’s
health and development as well as important data-sharing that will
be available for “adjunct research studies”. As the Study
proceeds, scientific knowledge will evolve and the Study will serve
as an appropriate platform upon which t build additional scientific
studies. This research is expected to form the basis of child
health guidance, interventions, and policy for generations to come.
The National Children’s Study is on the scale of the
“Framingham Study” of 1948 – which at the time embarked on ground
breaking research with 5,209 adult subjects from Framingham, MA, to
study heart disease)
“We are very fortunate to have Dr. Landrigan here at St. John’s
where so many of our students study environmental and health care
issues and so many are preparing for careers in health fields,”
said Sr. Margaret John Kelly, Executive Director for the Vincentian
Center for Church & Society at St. John’s University. “This
study will be very important over the next two decades and beyond
and will have many implications for public policy initiatives. It
is also hoped that the knowledge gained through Dr. Landrigan's
visit will be incorporated into our personal efforts to live in an
environmentally conscious fashion which respects present and
current generations.”
The Rosalie Rendu Roundtable on Religion and Science is an
interdisciplinary group of faculty and concerned
professionals. For the past three years, the Roundtable has
focused on the responsibility of caring for creation as a social
justice issue and has studied issues of the environment, food
security, health, and health care.
In addition to the academic community, the public is welcome and
can participate by e-mailing vccs@stjohns.edu or calling The
Vincentian Center for Church and Society at 718.990.1612. There is
no fee for admission to the lecture. A question and answer session
will follow Dr. Landrigan’s talk.
Media interested in attending can contact Dominic Scianna,
Assistant Vice President for Media Relations at St. John’s
University by calling (718) 990-6185 or e-mail inquiries to sciannad@stjohns.edu.