Qunwei Zhang, MD, MPH, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, has been awarded funding from the Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation (KSEF) for his two-year project "Oxidative Stress and Endothelial Cell Dysfunction in Animals Exposed to Ultrafine Particles and Cigarette Smoke" starting on July 1, 2008. In this project, the mechanisms underlying the synergistic effects of ambient ultrafine particles and cigarette smoke on endothelial cells will be determined. 

Dr. Zhang has also been awarded funding from the American Heart Association (AHA) for his two-year project "Mechanisms Underlying the Susceptibility of Diabetics to Ultrafine Particles" starting on July 1, 2008.  He will identify the cause(s) of particulate matter-induced cardiovascular diseases, and examine the effects of ultrafine particles on subjects with preexisting diseases such as diabetes.