H. Kim Lyerly, MD, is the George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Cancer Research and a Professor of Surgery, Immunology, and Pathology at the Duke University School of Medicine, where he also serves as core faculty in the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. A physician-scientist who directed the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center and served by presidential appointment on the National Cancer Advisory Board, Dr. Lyerly has increasingly focused his research on how environmental exposures—particularly air pollution and fine particulate matter (PM2.5)—affect human health across the lifespan. His work has documented measurable health benefits from cleaner air in North Carolina, including reduced respiratory and cardiovascular mortality following the state’s Clean Smokestacks Act, and has helped illuminate links between air quality and conditions ranging from heart and lung disease to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s. Appointed by the Governor to the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission, Dr. Lyerly is committed to translating rigorous science into policies that protect the health of North Carolina’s communities, especially those facing the greatest environmental burdens.