Justin Colacino

Justin Colacino is an Associate Professor affiliated with multiple institutions at the University of Michigan, including the School of Public Health (Environmental Health Sciences, Nutritional Sciences), the Program in the Environment (College of Literature, Science, and the Arts), and the School for Environment and Sustainability. He holds a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences and an MA in Statistics from the University of Michigan, along with an MPH and BS from the University of Texas.

His research focuses on environmental health, toxicology, and epigenetics, particularly examining how exposure to chemicals like lead, phthalates, and bisphenols affects cellular and molecular processes. He utilizes single-cell transcriptomics, high-throughput screening, and epidemiological data to study environmental justice, health disparities, and mechanisms linking toxicant exposure to diseases such as cancer and cognitive decline.

Recent publications highlight his work on chemical-specific transcriptomic and epigenetic alterations, environmental injustice in cancer risk (MI-CARES cohort), and computational approaches to exposome-health relationships. He leads studies on sex-specific programming of DNA methylation, SH-SY5Y neuronal differentiation disruptions, and immune biomarker associations with environmental chemicals.

Colacino employs advanced models like organoids and enteroids to investigate toxicant impacts on stem cells and tissue homeostasis, contributing to understanding environmental carcinogenesis and neurodevelopmental toxicity. His interdisciplinary approach bridges public health, environmental science, and computational biology.

He can be contacted at colacino@umich.edu.