Annual John B. Little Symposium to explore the spectrum of radiation exposure
Humans are exposed to ionizing radiation every day—from natural sources like sunlight and soil as well as from medical technologies such as X-rays and CT scans. Yet there is still much we don’t know about the role such exposures play in human health. On Friday, Oct. 24, the 28th annual John B. Little (JBL) Symposium at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health will shine a light on this topic by bringing to campus world-renowned experts investigating the ways radiation affects our health.
Speakers at the symposium, hosted by the John B. Little (JBL) Center for Radiation Sciences, include Petros Koutrakis, professor of environmental sciences at Harvard Chan School, who will talk about radiation exposures in the environment; David Brenner, professor of radiation biophysics and environmental health sciences at Columbia University Medical Center, who will discuss low-dose exposures and the importance of identifying ways to accurately measure them; and Marc Weisskopf, the Cecil K. and Philip Drinker Professor of Environmental Epidemiology and Physiology at Harvard Chan School, who will present his research investigating the increased health risks experienced by people living near St. Louis-area Coldwater Creek, which was polluted by nuclear waste during the development of the first atomic bomb.
“There’s still a lot left to be learned in radiation sciences,” said Kristopher Sarosiek, associate professor of radiation biology and cell death and co-director of the JBL Center. “Given the ubiquity of radiation exposures, understanding how they are impacting our DNA, our cells, our tissues, and potentially driving different types of diseases is of critical importance.”
The event honors the legacy of the late John “Jack” B. Little, the former James Stevens Simmons Professor of Radiobiology, Emeritus at Harvard Chan School and a pioneering radiation biologist.
“Jack was a great mentor,” said Zachary Nagel, associate professor of genomic and cancer biology and co-director of the JBL Center. “Everyone who worked with him has a story about how he inspired them. With the symposium, we hope to keep up the spirit he fostered at the School of supporting and encouraging our trainees to get involved in the science and have fun while doing so.”
To see the full program of the 28th Annual JBL Symposium, click here.
To register to attend, click here.
