2022 Fall/Winter Highlights of Hope

At VAI, we are fortunate to have an exceptional team of scientists
who are working hard to understand the nuts and bolts of
epigenetics and to translate these insights into a healthier future.
Dr. Nick Burton explores how our environment, especially microbes,
can impact our health and the health of our offspring — even
before they are born. His research has extensive implications for
understanding how epigenetics contributes to human disease and
how the environment we are exposed to today affects not only our
own health, but also our children’s.
Dr. Yvonne Fondufe-Mittendorf investigates how environmental
factors, such as toxicants, impact our genetic code and contribute to
cancer. Her research is illuminating powerful new insights that could
influence our understanding of health and disease, providing a path
forward for new strategies for cancer prevention and treatment.
Dr. Heidi Lempradl is investigating how parents’ dietary choices and
environmental exposures may impact the health of their offspring
in the hopes of translating her findings into new ways to prevent
disease and create a healthier future.
Dr. J. Andrew Pospisilik examines the role of chance and probability
in how our genes are turned on or off. These processes, surprisingly,
can unexpectedly trigger, or even protect us from, disease.
DR. HEIDI LEMPRADL
DR. J. ANDREW POSPISILIK
Join us for A Conversation About Health & the
Environment Hosted by Carol Van Andel, an event
that will highlight groundbreaking research into
the intricate connections between our health and
our environments — and how these connections
may be leveraged to prevent disease and build a
healthier future. You’ll hear from VAI scientists
Dr. Yvonne Fondufe-Mittendorf, who studies the
link between cancer and toxicants like arsenic,
and Dr. Heidi Lempradl, who investigates how the
effects of certain chemical exposures could ripple
through the generations.
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE HIGHLIGHTS OF HOPE | 13