Table of contents  •  What we do ... and whom we serve  •  Where we've been ... and where we're going  •  
Facts and figures  •  Acknowledgments


Who we are ... people and programs  •  Our Department

Organizational chart

Entering a new millennium

Our Department

• Academic programs
  
  
• Other departmental programs
  
  
  
  
  

In the Department of Environmental Health, we identify, seek to understand, and help manage the effects of the environment on human health by ...

• evaluating and controlling workplace hazards
  
  
• maintaining a safe supply of food and drinking water n discovering the mechanisms of occupationally and environmentally related diseases
  
  
• improving methods for treatment and disposal of solid and toxic wastes
  
  
• researching how the environment interacts with genetics to influence human health
  
  
• studying how environmental chemicals affect the health of children
  
  
• educating the next generation of occupational and environmental health professionals

Academic programs    [back to top]

Environmental Health Technology students learn to identify major sources of contamination in water, air, soil, and food and take appropriate prevention, control, and communication measures. Students may achieve a Master of Science degree. One PhD pathway is also suitable for Technology program students.

Industrial Hygiene and Safety students study health hazards found in the workplace, such as chemicals, airborne particles, noise, vibration, ergonomic factors, and safety hazards. They learn to recognize these hazards, evaluate the possible health risks, and implement effective control measures. The program offers a PhD degree and two Master of Science tracks: industrial hygiene and safety/ergonomics.

The Occupational and Environmental Medicine residency trains physicians in occupational and environmental medicine through clinical, didactic, and practicum components. The program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and leads to a Master of Public Health and board eligibility in Occupational Medicine.

The Toxicology program focuses its study on the adverse effects of chemical exposures on human health, and engages in basic and applied research on the molecular, genetic, and biochemical mechanisms underlying these effects, together with the behavioral consequences and risk analyses associated with environmental and workplace toxicant exposures. Both master's and doctoral degrees are offered.

The Department's Undergraduate program offers two Bachelor of Science degree paths. One focuses on sanitary hazards associated with drinking water, wastewater, food, housing, and insects and rodents. The other focuses on chemical and physical hazards associated with indoor and outdoor air, water, soil, and the workplace.

Other Departmental programs  [back to top]

Service programs

The Field Research and Consultation Group conducts field-based research and provides occupational and environmental health and safety consultation to companies that request assistance. Consultants observe work practices, collect samples or other data, obtain laboratory analyses, and, in some cases, coordinate medical examinations. Consultations include a final report summarizing findings of worksite evaluations and recommendations for controlling workplace exposures. The Field Group also works with companies to design and evaluate effective control strategies. These services are funded by the state's Medical Aid and Accident Funds.

The Environmental Health Laboratory provides chemical analytical services to Washington's employers, labor groups, and governmental organizations. It also performs chemical analyses and provides consultation related to occupational and environmental health to researchers within the University. The Laboratory has been accredited by the American Industrial Hygiene Association since 1977.

Centers and institutes

The Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health (CEEH), funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), pulls together more than 50 faculty from 18 UW departments to study how environmental factors interact with genetics to influence diseases such as cancer, birth defects, asthma, and chronic neurological diseases. A key focus is to understand how different people metabolize drugs and chemicals, which can affect their disease susceptibility or resistance. The Center, in collaboration with the Institute for Public Health Genetics, supports a research and outreach effort that addresses the ethical, legal, and social issues related to the collection and use of genetic information.

Within the CEEH, the Community Outreach and Education Program (COEP) helps the public understand how genetic and environmental factors interact to produce disease. COEP's projects include:

• A curriculum that uses environmental health sciences as a framework to integrate science, social studies, and English. Students share their experiences through statewide videoconferences.
  
  
• Statewide distribution of a School to Work curriculum, which raises awareness of health and safety issues for working teenagers. The goal of this collaborative project between the Department of Environmental Health and the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries is to work with teachers statewide to prevent work-related injuries in teenagers.
  
  
• Community partnerships, including a collaboration with the Shoalwater Bay Tribe to develop a shellfish monitoring management plan.

Center for Chemically Related Illness, part of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine program, seeks to offer the best diagnosis and treatment of patients with chemically related illness, improve public understanding of such illness, and conduct research on this topic. Patients are usually referred through the workers' compensation system.

The EPA Northwest Research Center for Particulate Air Pollution and Health (PM Center) is one of five in the country funded by the EPA. The Center addresses health effects of particulate matter air pollution. Its researchers are from the departments of Environmental Health, Atmospheric Sciences, Biostatistics, and Civil and Environmental Engineering (UW and Washington State University). The PM Center emphasizes partnerships with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, Environmental Protection Agency Region 10, Washington state Department of Ecology, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication (IRARC) works to improve risk assessment methods and the scientific foundations supporting risk assessments. Three research programs fall under IRARC:

The Center for Child Environmental Health Risks Research is funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and NIEHS to further knowledge of children's susceptibility to toxicants.

The Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP) works with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to advance cost-effective cleanup of the nation's nuclear weapons production facility waste sites. A goal is to give affected parties a greater understanding of the scientific and technical basis of environmental management decisions.

The Center for the Study and Improvement of Regulation is funded by Carnegie Mellon University to merge the study of pollution, risk, public health, technology, economics, organizations, and history to improve environmental health and safety regulations.

The International Scholars in Occupational and Environmental Health is a training program based in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine program. The Center is funded by the National Institutes of Health through the Fogarty International Center and NIEHS and by NIOSH. It supports research and training partnerships with faculty and scientists in Vietnam, Thailand, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

The Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety is one of 16 education and research centers funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). It supports graduate and continuing professional education in industrial hygiene, safety, occupational medicine, and occupational health nursing. The Center serves as an educational resource for Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska.

The Occupational Epidemiology and Health Outcomes Program conducts research to improve medical care, update treatment guidelines, and provide information on treatment outcomes to injured workers and their physicians.

The Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (PNASH) conducts research, develops interventions, and provides professional education to improve the safety and health of Northwest workers in farming, fishing, and forestry. To meet these aims, Center researchers work closely with colleagues at Northwest universities and in collaboration with employers, labor, community organizations, and government agencies. The PNASH Center is funded by NIOSH and the state of Washington.

The Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation Initiative works closely with the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), and with business and labor to improve the quality of occupational safety and health policies and programs in Washington. An interdisciplinary team is assembled for each project, based on its needs. Research activities include focus groups, qualitative interviews, site visits, content analysis, program evaluations, and other consultation.

The Superfund Basic Research Program is a NIEHS-sponsored, interdisciplinary program involving faculty, staff, and graduate students from DEH, Civil Engineering, Biochemistry, Forestry, and Microbiology. The goals are to develop biological markers to assess people's exposure to toxicants and susceptibility to disease, to assess physiological damage in humans and wildlife, and to develop new technology to remediate contaminated sites.

The UW/OSHA Training Institute Education Center offers high-quality, hands-on training on standards mandated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and state agencies in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. Training is offered via traditional classroom and distance learning technologies.

David Bonauto, attending physician, and Paul Darby, resident, of the Occupational and Enviromental Medicine program examine patient x-rays