The Office of the Vice President for Research is pleased to announce the John P. Wyatt, M.D. Traveling Fellowship. A $10,000 award will be made to a UK scientist for the purpose of studying and disseminating information related to environmentally-caused diseases. A maximum of $3,500 will go to the UK researcher, with the balances to be used to cover travel expenses and honorarium for external symposium speaker(s). The symposium should be scheduled in 2020.

Interested faculty and senior research staff are to submit the following information, in a single PDF document, to vprgrants@uky.edu by Friday, November 5, 2021.

  • Brief proposal outlining the purpose and significance of the research and topic for the symposium (2-3) pages
  • Budget
  • Name of suggested external invited speaker(s)
  • Curriculum Vitae of the PI

This fellowship honors Dr. John P. Wyatt, M.D., who was director of the University of Kentucky Tobacco and Health Research Institute from 1974 until January 1980. Dr. Wyatt was a pathologist who received his M.D. from the University of Manitoba in 1938 and completed his medical training on a fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Before coming to UK in 1974, he was professor and head of the departments of pathology at the University of Manitoba and St. Louis University where he was involved in black lung research. Dr. Wyatt was a pulmonary diseases researcher who published over 100 articles covering viruses and diverse lung injuries. The John P. Wyatt, M.D. Traveling Fellowship is awarded biennially.

2020 Recipient:

Erin N. Haynes, Chair, Department of Epidemiology & Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health is organizing a virtual symposium to be held on Earth Day, April 22 2021. Howard Frumkin, Professor Emeritus of the University of Washington School of Public Health will present the keynote address entitled "Planetary Health: Human Well-Being on a Fast-Changing Planet”. Register now

2014 Recipient:

Andrew Morris, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, hosted the 2014 John P. Wyatt Lecture on Environmental Health and Disease titled “Impact of PCB Exposure on Human Health Risks” on October 14, 2014. He was assisted in planning the program by Bernard Hennig and Kevin Pearson. Featured guest speakers were Dr. Tomas Trnovec, a professor of Environmental Medicine at Slovak Medical University in Bratislava, Slovakia and Dr. Heather Henry, a health science administrator for the NIEHS where she oversees the Superfund Research Program. Dr. Trnovec’s lecture was titled: “Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants early in Life and Associated Disease Risks”. Dr. Henry spoke on: “Innovation in Environmental Health – New Tools and Approaches from the Superfund Research Program”. In addition, three early-stage researchers from the University of Kentucky were invited to present their work on cardiovascular effects of secondhand smoke in children, radon and secondhand smoke in renters and current areas of melanoma research and prevention.

2012 Recipient:

Gisela Garcia Ramos, Department of Biology, hosted the 2012 John P. Wyatt lecture on Environmental Health and Disease titled "Global Climate Change and the Emergence of Infectious Diseases" on December 12, 2012. This Symposium presented and discussed selected topics including Emerging Pathogens: the Ecology and Evolution in the Invasion of New Species, Invasive Mosquitoes and Human Health, and Biogeography and Infectious Disease Ecology and Climate Change. The Symposium also addressed students and faculty participants, with a program of activities consisting of distinguished lectures and a panel discussion of open access for the general public. 

Featured guest speakers were Dr. Ben Beard, Associate Director for Climate Change, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Dr. Steven Juliano, Distinguished Professor of Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University and Dr. Christopher Mores, School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, Louisiana State University.

2010 Recipient:

Hollie Swanson, Department of Molecular and Biomedical Pharmacology, hosted the 2010 John P. Wyatt Lecture on Environmental Health and Disease on November 19, 2010 titled "The Impact of Environmental Pollutants on Immune Function and Cardiovascular Disease."

Featured guest speakers were Dr. Mary K. Walker, Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Regents Professor, University of New Mexico, Fellow, American Heart Association; and Dr. B. Paige Lawrence, Associate Professor, Departments of Environmental Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester. A panel discussion on environmental health career opportunities was held. Student presentations, poster and prizes were also included.

2008 Recipient: 

Bernard Henning, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, hosted the Inaugural John P. Wyatt Lecture in Environmental Health and Disease, November 5, 2008.

Guest speakers included William A. Suk, PhD, MPA (then Acting Duputy Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program) and Philip J. Landrigan, MD MSc (Professor and Chairman, Department of Community & Preventive Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics, Director, Children's Environmental Health Center, Mount Sinai Scool of Medicine).