Sarrah Hannon receives NIEHS F31 Training Grant
Aug. 15, 2022
Sarrah Hannon, UA SRC Trainee working with Dr. Xinxin Ding in Project 2, receives NIEHS Individual Predoctoral Fellowships to Promote Diversity (F31) training grant! This award provides up to five years of support for research training of predoctoral students from diverse backgrounds leading to the Ph.D. or equivalent research degree in the biomedical, behavioral, health services, or clinical sciences.
Sarrah Hannon’s project revolves around studying the potential ability of naphthalene to bind to and damage DNA. Naphthalane is commonly known as the main ingredient in mothballs, but it is also generated in fire smoke and found in car or plane exhaust.
Hannon is working with Dr. Jefferey Burgess, from the UA College of Public Health, to conduct tests on blood samples taken from firefighter recruits after a live-fire training exercise. As naphthalene is generated in fire smoke, it could provide us some insight into risk assessment for firefighters. Hannon’s research interests include environmental contaminants and their impact on the predisposition to disease, but also understanding the etiology of rare diseases like her own. The results of this work could be impactful for risk assessment and cancer in firefighters.
Sarrah Hannon is planning to remain in academia after she completes her PhD to teach and start her own lab!
Congratulations Sarrah Hannon and much success in your research path!