Yesterday, federal scientists, academic researchers and community leaders officially opened the East Palestine Train Derailment Health Research Program Office, establishing a permanent local hub for long-term health studies following the Feb. 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern train derailment.
The office, located at The Way Station in downtown East Palestine, will serve as the center for enrollment, research coordination, community meetings and ongoing engagement between scientists and the people most affected by the disaster.
The program is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in partnership with the University of Kentucky, University of Pittsburgh and Yale University, bringing together national experts in environmental health, exposure science and epidemiology.
"This office represents a promise kept to the people of East Palestine," said Kyle Walsh, Ph.D., director of NIEHS. "We committed early-on that this would not be a short-term response. It would be a long-term scientific and public-health effort rooted in this community. Having a permanent, local presence ensures that residents are not just participants in this research, but true partners."
The East Palestine Health Research Program is designed to track potential health effects associated with chemical exposure from the derailment, including respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and cancer-related outcomes. The studies will follow residents over time, creating one of the most comprehensive community-based environmental health investigations ever conducted following a rail disaster.
"This is about building a scientific record that is strong enough to support real answers and real accountability," said Erin Haynes, Dr.P.H., principal investigator and Kurt W. Deuschle Professor of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health in the UK College of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health. "By establishing this office here, we are making it easier for residents to engage, ask questions and stay connected to their own data and the research process."
The program also prioritizes transparency and community voice - a departure from how many disaster-related health studies have been conducted in the past.
"People here have lived with uncertainty for three years," said Juliane Beier, Ph.D., co-investigator with the University of Pittsburgh. "This research program allows us to listen, respond and conduct research in a way that respects lived experience while producing high-quality science."
Nicole Deziel, Ph.D., a Yale environmental epidemiologist and co-investigator, along with Michelle Bell, Ph.D., emphasized that the program will track both exposure and health outcomes over time.
"This is not just about what happened in 2023 - it's about what it means for people's health in 2026, 2030 and beyond. That kind of long-term research is essential to understanding the true impact of environmental disasters."
For Misti Allison, an impacted resident and leader of the community advisory board, the opening of the office is deeply personal.
"For three years, families in our community have shown incredible persistence and strength," Allison said. "This office gives us a place where science, health care and lived experience work together in support of that commitment."
Allison added that the research program is also about building a path toward care and accountability.
"We are not just collecting data," she said. "We are building the case for long-term health monitoring, treatment and coverage for everyone who was affected."
Impacted community members and workers can visit the office to learn more about the research, sign up for studies and participate in ongoing community engagement events. The program will also continue to host public meetings, listening sessions and educational workshops. Those who want to participate can do so by going to research.uky.edu/environment/east-palestine-health-research.
The UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science provides critical direct support for the program, with the CCTS Biomarker Analysis Lab conducting much of the primary laboratory work. Researchers including Haynes and CCTS Director Katherine Hartmann, M.D., Ph.D., are tracking physical and mental health impacts through annual surveys and clinic visits.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number OT2ES038696 and by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UL1TR001998. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
