CLEAR Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Michael Petriello

Dr. Michael Petriello is Co-Investigator of Project 4 and Co-Lead of the Research Experience and Training Coordination Core at CLEAR at Wayne State University. 

Please tell us about yourself.

My lab primarily studies how environmental pollutants and nutrition interact to influence health. I have focused primarily on metabolic disorders such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, but my involvement with CLEAR has gotten me extremely interested in early life outcomes such as preterm birth.  I earned a PhD in Toxicology at University of Kentucky and was fortunate to work with the long-standing Superfund Research Center for many years where I learned the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations.  One of these collaborations led me to investigate the importance of the gut microbiome in pollutant-induced disease which ultimately led me to receiving a NIEHS Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) which helped me secure a faculty position at Wayne State.  Personally, I am a diehard sports fan and enjoy visiting all the great breweries Michigan has to offer.  My two young children, wife, and I also enjoy the outdoors and can't wait to try Michigan skiing this winter and the lakes this summer.  

What has been the most exciting/fulfilling part about working with CLEAR?

I'm so excited to be able to share what I learned as part of the Kentucky Superfund, especially related to unique opportunities for our trainees.  I'm a big believer in developing an environment that allows CLEAR to be trainee-led and to cultivate trainee developed projects that could spark subsequent grant applications for the trainees themselves or the next cycle of CLEAR.  Additionally, as preterm birth and maternal exposures are new research directions for me, I've really enjoyed getting to know and collaborate with experts at the C. S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development here on campus.    

What's next on the horizon for you?

I recently was awarded my first R01 focused on PFAS exposures and cardiovascular risk, so that will keep me busy through the cold months ahead!  I hope to submit some additional new grants with the Mott Center folks as well as I work toward tenure and promotion.  For CLEAR, the RETCC will be opening up applications for the second year of internal funding for trainees to develop new collaborations between the projects.  The RETCC also hopes to identify some trainees interested in visiting other Superfund Research Centers to learn new methodologies and techniques.  We are so fortunate to be able to build a new Center here at Wayne State and I'm excited to see how it all develops and grows.