Welcome to our January 2026 Newsletter!

The METALS team would like to thank the Texas A&M SRP Center for an amazing meeting in December 2025. We were able to connect with collaborators at multiple universities, staff at NIEHS, and learn about progress on SRP research across the country. METALS was well-represented at this meeting with 11 researchers attending and presenting their work. We presented 9 posters, 2 talks, had an informational table to showcase outreach materials, and contributed to the highlights in the trainees’ session and updates in the administrators session. We look forward to seeing everyone again for the next meeting!

The list of presentations are below:

UNM METALS Poster Presentations:

Carlolyn Roman, An Overview of METALS Community-based research on uranium mines

Mallery Quetawki & Asis Lopez, Communicating Culturally-Relevant and Community-Tailored Environmental Health Science Research to Partner Communities

Geisianny Moreira, Fungal tolerance to lead (Pb) is concentration and provenance dependent

Cristina Coffman, Uranium-bearing dust disrupts the colonic mucus layer and alters goblet cell physiology

Katherine Zychowski, Chronic U-dust exposure impact on extracellular vesicles and macrophage function

Jorge Moreno, Development of an autoimmune prone disease state following inhalation exposure to uranium bearing dust in MRL/MpJ mice

Erica Dashner-Titus, Thinking Zinc: An Intervention study for mitigation of metal toxicity

Fredine Lauer, UNM METALS Project BP Gut: Examining the effects of heavy metals on the GI tract

Mackenzie Freeman, Tracing the Environmental Dust Release from the Jackpile Mine, Pueblo of Laguna, NM by Particulate Matter Capture by Lichen

UNM METALS Oral Presentations:

Christopher Shuey, Conducting health studies in the six villages at the Pueblo of Laguna

Jose Cerrato, Reactions of U(VI) at acidic and neutral pH induce changes in dissolved natural organic matter composition

Julie In, Uranium-laden particulate dust alters intestinal epithelial proliferation and differentiation

To read abstracts of the posters and talks presented at the Texas A&M Superfund Research Center’s 2025 conference, click on the button below.

Member Spotlight

PRESENTATIONS

SACNAS

UNM METALS Team members presented their work at the SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science) Conference in Columbus, Ohio, between October 30th and November 1st.

Click on the tab below to view the list of speakers in the METALS session titled "Emerging Voices in Environmental Health: Trainees from the University of New Mexico Metals Exposure and Toxicity Assessment on Tribal Lands in the Southwest Superfund Research Program"

We are proud of the work that all our METALS trainees are doing. For more info on the research focus for METALS trainees visit: https://hsc.unm.edu/pharmacy/research/areas/metals/trainees.html

INVITED LECTURES

METALS director Dr. José M. Cerrato was invited by Iowa's SRP Center to give the Richard L. Valentine Distinguished Lecture titled "Metal Mixtures in Uranium Mine Wastes in Tribal Lands: Challenges & Opportunities Reactivity and Remediation”. October 4, 2025. Iowa City, IA

Dr. Cerrato also presented"Reactivity and Remediation of Metal Mixtures in Uranium Mine Wastes in Tribal Land” at Willamette University at the Dept. of Chemistry Seminar on November 3rd, 2025 in Salem, OR.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Laguna/Acoma Youth Summit



In partnership with the Pueblo Action Alliance, METALS participated in the Environmental Youth Summit at the Laguna-Acoma High School. METALS was invited to present on the research that is in partnership with the Pueblo of Laguna. We provided an overview of METALS environmental projects on water, land, air, and biomedical projects including the Health Studies at the Pueblo of Laguna.

News on The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA)

RECA was reinstated and expanded in 2025. This expansion means that more New Mexican uranium workers (or their families) may now be eligible for an additional $100,000 in compensation. For more info on RECA and free health screenings for please see the following websites:

Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) https://www.justice.gov/civil/reca

Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program (RESEP) https://hsc.unm.edu/resep/

NEW PUBLICATIONS

Jemison, N., Benavidez, A., Spilde, M., Trevizo, A. S., Brearley, A. J., Lezama-Pacheco, J., ... & Cerrato, J. M. (2026). Heterogeneous reactions control Cr (VI) release and sequestration in complex chemical mixtures of Cr, Fe, Cu, and organics. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EM00786K

Oh, M., Lim, E., Edeh, O., Yazzie, S., Kanda, D., Luo, L., ... & Zychowski, K. E. (2025). Extracellular vesicle proteomic expression is influenced by mining tenure in former uranium miners. Environmental Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2025.122737