Scott Parrott, a Rutgers professor with more than 30 years of experience in methodology and statistics, will work with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to create a database of evidence linking toxic exposure to burn pits to diseases such as cancer. For Parrott, director of the Methodology and Statistics Support Team at the Rutgers School of Health Professions, his work is personal: His son-in-law was a service member for two tours in Iraq (2011 and 2015) and one tour in Afghanistan (2018) and was a military contractor in Kuwait in 2020. A decade later, Parrott’s son-in-law has problems breathing and is part of the VA study on lung injury because of his exposure to the burn pits. To read the full story.