The mission of the Notre Dame Lead Innovation Team (LIT) is to use research and technology to flip the paradigm for lead poisoning identification and testing. Currently, in the US, the framework for lead testing and identification begins when a child receives a blood test, if they are found to be positive at or above the threshold, public health services are activated to help the child. In this scenario, a child must be poisoned first, before services are provided for the child, family, and home. ND LIT is working to reverse this framework; we have developed a Lead Screening Kit to help families identify lead hazards before a child is exposed and poisoned.
Heidi Beidinger-Burnett is a professor of the practice at the Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame. With a master of public health from the University of Illinois-Chicago and a Ph.D. in educational leadership and organizational analysis from Western Michigan University. She has developed a broad background in public health, policy, community-based research and leadership. Her research is focused on public health and policy, most recently focusing on lead poisoning prevention including the development of new technologies to screen home environments for lead as well as the development and implementation of new local and statewide policies. Beidinger co-founded the Notre Dame Lead Innovation Team and the St. Joseph County Lead Affinity Group, a community coalition. She served on the St. Joseph County Board of Health for over 7 years, 3 of which she served as president.