Jennifer Freeman

Courtesy Appointments

Department of Public Health

Areas of Expertise

• Environmental and molecular toxicology
• Developmental origin of health and disease (DOHaD)
• Developmental neurotoxicity
• Neurodegenerative disease
• Genome and epigenome alterations
• Zebrafish model system

HHS Signature Research Area(s)

• Developmental Health and Wellness
• Healthy Lifestyles and Vital Longevity

School of Health Sciences Research Area(s)

• Toxicology

Biography

Jennifer L. Freeman is a Professor of Toxicology in the School of Health Sciences at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. She received a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology and Molecular Cytogenetics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She did her postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. The interests of the Freeman laboratory are to define the underlying genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of toxicity of environmental stressors in the developmental origin of health and disease (DOHaD) paradigm. Current research projects are focused on metals, pesticides, PFAS, radiation, and other legacy and emerging contaminants. These projects are defining the immediate adverse impacts of a developmental exposure, the lasting adverse impacts of this developmental exposure throughout the lifespan, and/or the analysis of subsequent generations linking genetic, epigenetic, phenotypic, and behavioral assessments. These studies are investigating a developmental origin of disease pathogenesis with a specific focus on neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer’s disease/Parkinson’s disease), neuroendocrine dysfunction and downstream impacts to endocrine axes, and cancer with a goal of understanding the role of exposure to the environmental chemicals in these adverse health outcomes. All projects use the zebrafish vertebrate model system as a model for translation to human health.

Education

• PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
• Postdoctoral Researcher, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA

Websites

• Institute for a Sustainable Future
• Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience
• Purdue Center for Cancer Research
• Center on Aging and the Life Course
• Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery

Social Media Accounts

• @DrToxijen, Twitter

Current Courses

• HSCI 20200 - Essentials of Environmental, Occupational, and Radiological Health Sciences
• HSCI 57500 - Introduction to Environmental Health Science

Selected Honors/Awards

• Society of Toxicology, Women in Toxicology Outstanding Young Investigator Award - 2020
• Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, Purdue University - 2019
• Sigma Xi Mid-Career Research Award - 2018
• Book of Great Teachers, Purdue University - 2018
• Early Career Research Achievement Award, College of HHS, Purdue University - 2014