Juliane I Beier, PhD

Dr. Beier's research focuses on the interaction between environmental toxicants and metabolic liver diseases. Her work on vinyl chloride has contributed significantly to our understanding of how environmental chemicals modify liver disease risk, particularly in the context of MASLD/MASH and hepatocellular carcinoma. Her laboratory has demonstrated that even low-level vinyl chloride exposures can exacerbate underlying liver conditions and accelerate carcinogenesis, and has expanded this work to investigate complex environmental chemical mixtures — including legacy toxicants such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic — as risk modifiers for liver disease progression.As principal investigator on the R01 "Vinyl chloride modifies the risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease," Dr. Beier also leads the East Palestine Train Derailment Health Research Program (OT2 ES038710), conducting community-engaged liver health surveillance in residents exposed to vinyl chloride and other hepatotoxic chemicals following the 2023 disaster. She additionally serves as Co-I on the Pitt Momentum Fund "Rust to Resilience" project.Dr. Beier has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals, with an h-index of 31 (Google Scholar). She has authored multiple book chapters on hepatotoxicity. She has received multiple President's Choice Awards from AASLD and was prominently featured in national and international media following the East Palestine train derailment. She currently serves as Past-President of the Society of Toxicology's Mechanisms Specialty Section and as President of the SOT Allegheny-Erie Chapter, and continues to advance the field's understanding of how environmental exposures shape liver health outcomes.