Sharon and Kyle Krause are donating a founding gift of $5 million to launch a new research initiative at the University of Iowa to study how environmental exposures affect human health as Iowa’s rates of cancer and other chronic illnesses have risen, the university announced today.

The Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking, or INSIGHT, program will support epidemiological studies to understand connections between environmental exposures and adverse health outcomes, with a focus on cancer, to potentially power future solutions and innovations, according to a news release.

The new initiative launches July 1 and is a collaboration between the UI Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination and IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering. 

“As lifelong Iowans, Kyle and I are deeply committed to seeing this state and its people thrive,” Sharon Krause, co-founder of the Kyle J. and Sharon Krause Family Foundation, said in a prepared statement. “That’s why we’re proud to partner with the University of Iowa to unlock critical research that will pave the way for solutions to address the health and well-being of both the environment and the people of Iowa. By supporting this work, we hope to help generate the insights needed to drive meaningful change, inform future decision-making and improve health outcomes across Iowa.”

Sharon Krause is the founder of Dalla Terra Ranch, which began as Iowa’s only organically certified sheep ranch in Booneville. The ranch moved west to 223 acres in Earlham and in 2022 gifted part of the property to In Harmony Farm, an Iowa nonprofit empowering up-and-coming farmers to grow healthy food and build thriving farm businesses while using sustainable practices.  

The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust is also providing a $1 million supporting gift to the INSIGHT program, which plans to build toward a $10 million program.

The program will work to identify the factors that influence cancer rates and other health problems, prioritizing maternal and newborn health, neurodevelopment and autism-related outcomes.

In addition to epidemiological data and research, areas of focus for the program include:

Environmental monitoring: Leverage and grow existing environmental monitoring of Iowa’s air and water while expanding analyses to assess risks from emerging environmental threats.

Biomonitoring: Build expertise and infrastructure to measure environmental chemicals in human tissues or fluids, generating data needed to link environmental exposures and health outcomes.

Knowledge sharing: Raise awareness and motivate action among Iowans by making environmental and health data accessible online and sharing insights through public events statewide.

An advisory committee of nationally recognized experts in these areas will help guide the program, providing specialized expertise and strategic support.

David Cwiertny, the William D. Ashton Professor of Civil Engineering and director of the UI Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination, will lead the initiative. His research focuses on watersheds, water treatment and the movement and fate of pollutants such as pesticides and “forever chemicals” in the environment.

Cwiertny said the situation in Iowa is complicated, but he’s excited to take on the challenge.

“There’s an opportunity here to make sure we can contribute to help Iowa, the place that we came to and never wanted to leave,” said Cwiertny, who moved his family to Iowa from California in 2011. “It’s very fulfilling.”

Larry Weber is the Edwin B. Green Chair in Hydraulics and director of the IIHR. He has a long history of service to Iowans related to water resources, flooding, water quality and watershed processes, according to a press release. Weber said the program represents a “bold vision” for Iowa’s future that can deliver measurable results for future generations.

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