Building Transboundary Partnerships: Dr. Walt Klimecki Gives Seminar at the National Public Health Institute (INSP) in Cuernavaca, Mexico

Dr. Walt Klimecki, a research member of our US – Mexico Binational Center for Environmental Sciences and Toxicology, presented a seminar titled; “Human Genetics and ‘Gene by Environment’ Effects: Should we Liberalize the Definition of Environment?” at the National Public Health Institute (INSP) in Cuernavaca. Mexico on May 4, 2006.

Dr. Klimecki's presentation highlighted research interests shared between the University of Arizona Binational Center and INSP, namely understanding how the environments in which we live interact with our genetic backgrounds to influence susceptibility to disease.  Dr. Klimecki is a co-investigator of a recent grant submission to the U.S. Department of Defense, in which he and lead investigator Dr. Lizbeth Lopez-Carillo, an INSP epidemiologist, propose to study the influence of genetic background, diet, and environmental arsenic exposure on the contrasting prevalence rates of breast cancer between northern and southern Mexico.