About

Dr. Julia Rager is an Assistant Professor at the UNC School of Public Health, with a research focus on identifying relationships between exposures to chemical mixtures in the environment and toxicological outcomes. Her work encompasses three main thematic approaches: implementing computational mixtures modeling techniques to identify and prioritize the most harmful chemicals within environmental mixtures based on high dimensional data analyses; developing and employing mixtures toxicity tests to better characterize toxicological responses to complex mixtures through in vitro screening methods; and conducting chemical mixtures analyses using non-targeted and suspect screening methods to characterize the breadth of environmental chemicals humans are exposed to. Her ongoing research investigates various mixture exposure conditions, target organs, and disease outcomes, including inhalation exposures to atmospheric mixtures, wildfire smoke, e-cigarette mixtures impacting the respiratory system, as well as drinking water contaminants and natural botanicals affecting the liver and developmental toxicity outcomes. By combining exposure measures with toxicity outcomes, her work aims to inform chemical risk prioritization and risk assessment, ultimately seeking to improve chemical safety assessments to better protect public health.

Research topics

• Biology
• Computer Science
• Medicine
• Environmental health
• Genetics
• Biochemical engineering
• Physiology
• Environmental science
• Immunology
• Cell biology
• Engineering
• Risk analysis (engineering)
• Ecology
• Biotechnology
• Toxicology

Selected publications

• Two distinct trophectoderm lineage stem cells from human pluripotent stem cells

  Journal of Biological Chemistry · 2021 · 82 citations

  • Biology
  • Cell biology
  • Immunology

  stem cells. Derivation of TS cells from pluripotent stem cells will significantly enable construction of in vitro models for normal and pathological placental development.

  DOI

• New Approach Methods to Evaluate Health Risks of Air Pollutants: Critical Design Considerations for In Vitro Exposure Testing

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2020 · 88 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Biochemical engineering
  • Risk analysis (engineering)

  Air pollution consists of highly variable and complex mixtures recognized as major contributors to morbidity and mortality worldwide. The vast number of chemicals, coupled with limitations surrounding epidemiological and animal studies, has necessitated the development of new approach methods (NAMs) to evaluate air pollution toxicity. These alternative approaches include in vitro (cell-based) models, wherein toxicity of test atmospheres can be evaluated with increased efficiency compared to in vivo studies. In vitro exposure systems have recently been developed with the goal of evaluating air pollutant-induced toxicity; though the specific design parameters implemented in these NAMs-based studies remain in flux. This review aims to outline important design parameters to consider when using in vitro methods to evaluate air pollutant toxicity, with the goal of providing increased accuracy, reproducibility, and effectiveness when incorporating in vitro data into human health evaluations. This review is unique in that experimental considerations and lessons learned are provided, as gathered from first-hand experience developing and testing in vitro models coupled to exposure systems. Reviewed design aspects include cell models, cell exposure conditions, exposure chambers, and toxicity endpoints. Strategies are also discussed to incorporate in vitro findings into the context of in vivo toxicity and overall risk assessment.

  DOI

• Review of the environmental prenatal exposome and its relationship to maternal and fetal health

  Reproductive Toxicology · 2020 · 101 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Environmental health
  • Medicine
  • Physiology
  DOI

Recent grants

• Geospatial modeling of iAs exposure

  NIH · $26.0M · 2020–2030

• Pre- and Postdoctoral Training in Toxicology

  NIH · $16.6M · 1982–2028

Frequent coauthors

• Rebecca C. Fry

  129 shared

• Lisa Smeester

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  45 shared

• Ilona Jaspers

  32 shared

• Lauren A. Eaves

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  28 shared

• Alexis Payton

  19 shared

• Celeste K. Carberry

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  18 shared

• J. F. Wilkerson

  18 shared

• T. Michael O’Shea

  17 shared

Labs

• Curriculum in Toxicology & Environmental MedicinePI

Education

• PhD, Environmental Sciences and Engineering

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  2013

Similar researchers at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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• Linda Adairh-106