Table of contents  •  Who we are ... people and programs  •  What we do ... and whom we serve  •  
Facts and figures  •  Acknowledgments


Where we've been ... and where we're going  •  
The Health of Environmental Health

Our first biennial report two years ago had an image of a cell on the cover, emphasizing the scientific nature of our work. This time we feature a contemporary Native American artist, Clarissa Hudson, who uses her Tlingit heritage in innovative and thought-provoking ways. The new possibilities from creative uses of traditional elements mirrors our approach to the content of this report—in which we seek to find new opportunities to make a difference using both established and emerging public health science.

Continuing achievements

Students
During the last two years, 29 students received undergraduate degrees, 38 MS degrees, 6 MPH degrees, and 5 PhDs. The outstanding undergraduate students were Leonard Di Toro in 2000 and Shireen Assaf in 2001. The outstanding graduate students were Ed Doran in 2000 and Francesca Noel Hudson in 2001. Twenty-one papers were published by students in academic journals. Many other students received honors, which are summarized on pages 39 and 40.

New educational initiatives
A five-year training grant has been awarded to the Department of Environmental Health and the Department of Health Services for a joint graduate program in occupational health services research. The program offers doctoral and postdoctoral training and students will be able to participate in research conducted in the Occupational Epidemiology and Health Outcomes program.

We have reworked our PhD offering in the Industrial Hygiene track to apply more broadly to recognition, assessment and management of hazardous exposures to chemical, biological, and physical agents, in both industrial and nonindustrial settings. This change acknowledges the shift in the nature of work in the United States, and the general lessening of distinctions between workplace and community environmental health issues. We have also reshaped the Environmental Health pathway in the Master of Public Health degree program to better respond to the needs of nonphysician professionals who seek additional training in Environmental Health. Both new curricula will be offered to students during the 2001–2003 biennium.

Faculty
Three faculty members were promoted in the biennium: Drew Brodkin to Associate Professor, Lianne Sheppard to Research Associate Professor, and Janice Camp to Senior Lecturer. Three more achieved tenure: Joel Kaufman, John Kissel, and Noah Seixas. Dr. Peter Johnson, a University of California, Berkeley-trained engineer with interests in ergonomics and repetitive motion injury, was recruited to the Industrial Hygiene and Safety faculty after a multiyear search effort. Dr. Steven Guffey, a veteran member of the industrial hygiene faculty, left in 2000 to take a senior position with West Virginia University’s Industrial and Management Systems Engineering program. Two faculty searches are currently under way, one to replace Dr. Guffey and one to add a specialist in water and water supply issues to the Environmental Health Technology faculty.

Faculty who were honored include Dr. Zhengui Xia, completing her term as Sheldon Murphy Assistant Professor, with significant research success to her credit; Curt Omiecinski, succeeding Dr. Lucio Costa as Toxicology program director; Dr. John Kissel, elected to head the International Society for Exposure Analysis (ISEA); Dave Eaton, becoming president of the Society of Toxicology; and Janice Camp serving as president of the Pacific Northwest section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. Additional faculty honors are summarized on page 40.

Staff
Among the 100+ classified and professional staff in the Department, many received awards and honors. Marcy Harrington received the DEH staff outreach award in 2000 and Kathy Hall received it in 2001. Collin White received the Department’s outstanding staff service award in 2000 and Adrienne Hidy received it in 2001. Further honors are summarized on page 40.

Research
We continue to be awarded multi-investigator programs and centers. The start of the biennium saw the launch of the EPA Northwest Center
for Particulate Air Pollution and Health. This Center, one of five established nationally, is conducting research to better understand the relationship between air quality and public health.

In collaboration with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a new Toxicogenomic consortium will study how genes respond and adapt to environmental toxicants, and the ways that these genetic responses can cause environmentally-related diseases. A goal of the consortium is to develop new techniques for using and analyzing microarrays, “gene chips” that can analyze hundreds or thousands of genes simultaneously. Three other large program grants, CRESP (funded by the US Department of Energy), the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health center (PNASH), and the UW Superfund Basic Research Program (funded by NIEHS) were successfully renewed. The Department’s research on children and pesticides was widely covered by local and national media.

Facts & figures
Growth continued in departmental funding from all sources in the past biennium. Fueled by research grants, our overall budget was up slightly more than 22% from the 1997–1999 total, one of biggest expansions in our Department’s history. As Figure 1 shows, federal sources of departmental support (primarily competitive research grant programs) account for about 60% of our total support, up from 50% in 1993–1995. From 1997–1999 to 1999–2001, state funds, including funding from the University and funds from the Washington state industrial insurance system (Medical Aid and Accident funds) declined from 26% to 25% of our total support base. Use of these funds is shown in Figure 4.

Patterns of how departmental support originates and how it is used are not much changed from the previous biennium. As Figures 2 and 3 A/B show, federal funds are dominant in research and student support activities, while state funds are major elements of academic programs, teaching, service programs, and service project efforts. Uses of state funds provided by the industrial insurance system were essentially unchanged from 1997–1999. The combination of service programs and special initiatives rose from 30% of all Medical Aid and Accident funding in 1997–1999 to 36% in 1999–2001.

Recent initiatives

Service
In the past biennium, we have emphasized the following areas: greater dialogue with external groups, particularly those linked to our worker protection mission; a more interactive process for setting funding priorities for departmental service initiatives; and greater use of distance learning technologies and on-site contract courses. We developed a certificate program to make our educational offerings more accessible to working safety and health professionals.

Through these activities, we let others know about our mission and programs, and learned more of their needs and interests. The goal of working more closely with employers, workers, regulators, consultants, and safety and health professionals was the focus of considerable activity in the past two years. Department Chair Dave Kalman and Assistant Chair for Outreach Sharon Morris have met with representatives from many labor, trade, and professional associations in the state. They and other faculty have met with several key groups that address workplace safety and health issues.

We increasingly combine our service, teaching, and research missions to the mutual benefit of clients, students, and researchers. For example, an employer requested that we assess noise expo-sure on his construction sites. This became a class project, giving many students experience in the field and giving the employer a comprehensive noise assessment report. He and other employers subsequently requested that we assess silica exposure at construction sites and make recommendations for controlling exposures. The experience gained during these projects and the history of access to the worksites enabled us to compete successfully for a federal grant to conduct further research in this area.

With counterparts at the Department of Labor and Industries, we organized a summit in September 1999, which brought together departmental faculty and staff with program leaders and other professionals at L&I. This review of collaborative efforts increased interaction between the two departments. One outcome is the planned creation of a certificate program in industrial hygiene, intended to allow working industrial hygiene staff to upgrade their training and credentials while staying employed.

Departmental faculty, Labor and Industries, and the Departmental Advisory Committee (members are listed on page 56) participated in an 18-month process to evaluate programs conducted with Medical Aid and Accident funds and develop priorities for new initiatives. After reviewing nine projects, it was agreed to end funding for two, to continue four as before, to expand three others,
and to propose two new activities.

New technologies
Another theme is the transformation of communications wrought by the digital revolution. It is clear that this revolution will continue to change how we as educators and knowledge seekers transfer information, knowledge, and even skills. We have begun to participate in these changes. For example:

Looking ahead

During the next biennium, we look forward to making progress on several fronts. Our educational mission will continue to have high priority as we look forward to new recruitment efforts that will attract ever more capable students to our programs. We will also continue to develop electronic communications as an instructional tool.

Two academic programs will be the special focus of departmental review and possible enhancement: the undergraduate program and the graduate
program in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. These programs are challenged by the changing realities of their respective missions. Undergraduates need broad and versatile skills balanced with an orientation to the practical requirements of employment as an environmental health practitioner. Occupational medicine programs across the country are struggling to address the significant unmet demand for OM-trained physicians while coping with the economic pressures created by the reshaping of the health care industry.

Outreach and communication with our external constituent groups will remain a top priority. We will continue to meet with interested groups and develop activities and opportunities for responding to emerging needs.

Departmental resources will receive careful planning and review. We are hoping to improve the quality and quantity of our space for teaching, research, and other scholarly activities in the coming biennium to keep pace with programmatic and faculty growth.

In conclusion

The Department of Environmental Health has enjoyed a high level of success in the past two years. Despite that success, we continue to recognize the need to make sure that the research we conduct, the students we educate, and the services we provide meet the needs of the changing environment in which we live. This is the exciting nature of our world, which we invite you to share.

-Dave Kalman