Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences

About DEOHS

Student Profiles

Toluwalose Okitika: Increasing awareness of environmental issues in native Nigeria

Health communication has infiltrated Africa with messages about infectious diseases, but it has largely overlooked environmental health problems, said Toluwalose (Tolu) Okitika, who is from Nigeria and came to the University of Washington as an MPH student in the Environmental and Occupational Health program. Read more . . .

My biggest concern is global climate change

Junior, 21
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Majors: Environmental Studies and Environmental Health Read more . . .

Vanessa Galaviz: Community Volunteer Recognition Award

PhD student Vanessa Galaviz received a Community Volunteer Recognition Award at the Martin Luther King Tribute on January 12, 2012. Read more . . .

Boris Reiss, PhD student

New PhD student Boris Reiss has lived, studied, and worked all over the world. Read more . . .

Can distance from roadway affect blood pressure? MPH student investigates

Stephanie Chan is investigating whether women who live close to a major roadway are more at risk for high blood pressure, which in turn can lead to heart disease. Read more . . .

Undergraduate melds interests in Chemistry with Environmental Health

Kendra Broadwater, a senior in the Undergraduate Environmental Health program, is an accomplished student. Read more . . .

How Readily Are Household Chemicals Absorbed Through Skin?

Every day, we are exposed to a host of pesticides, phthalates, and other semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) that are ubiquitous in the food we eat and in the air and dust that surround us. What remains unclear is the relative importance of various exposure routes in accounting for the total amount of a given chemical found in the body. Read more . . .

In Pursuit of Making the Public Healthier

"I knew I wanted to major in Environmental Health and spend the rest of my life pursuing a career in it," says undergraduate Sarah Helgeson. Read more . . .

Chili and Lemongrass Make Good Pesticides

MPH student Jennifer Krenz worked in Cambodia on a project led by Associate Professor William Daniell to evaluate a pesticide-use reduction program. Read more . . .

Faculty Profiles

June Spector: New faculty member dedicated to improving worker health

Whether she is seeing patients, teaching students, or meeting with other doctors, June Spector feels connected to a goal she believes in: improving health outcomes for injured workers. Read more . . .

David Eaton Elected to Institute of Medicine

In October 2011, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) announced that Professor David Eaton had been elected a member. One of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine, membership recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Read more . . .

Immersion in Air

Professor Daniel Luchtel’s research and recreational life have had a common theme: immersion in air. For nearly 40 years he has worked in respiratory toxicology with a body of research that has broadened from the cellular to policy level. When he wasn’t in the lab, Luchtel was often in the mountains, skiing in the winters or climbing mountains in the summers. He said that nothing compares to the views at high altitudes, “on a very steep ridge with air all around you.” Read more . . .

Sally Liu, In Memoriam

Sally Liu, an affiliate professor in our department, passed away on June 6. Since 2004, she had been an environmental health scientist and research professor at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), an associated institute of the University of Basel in Switzerland. Read more . . .

Researcher Wins 2010 Ergonomics Professional of the Year Award

The Puget Sound Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (PSHFES) presented Associate Professor Peter Johnson with the Ergonomics Professional of the Year award at the annual PSHFES Ergonomics Symposium in September. Read more . . .

Leader in Metal Toxicity Research

After more than 40 years of investigating toxic metals in the environment, Jim Woods received research professor emeritus status in July, which he says "leaves the door open" to continuing his research. Read more . . .

Pioneer in Pollution Research

Jane Koenig was hired by the department 36 years ago to lead human research studies on common air pollutants. In July, she was appointed professor emeritus and lauded for her contributions. Read more . . .

My (First) 30 Years in Neurotoxicology

Professor Lucio Costa delivered the UW School of Public Health's (SPH) Winter 2010 Distinguished Faculty Lecture. This story was originally published in the SPH's February E-news. Read more . . .

photo: A teacher with a “broad perspective”

Richard Gleason: A teacher with a “broad perspective”

In September 2009, Lecturer Richard Gleason was awarded the Lifetime Safety and Health Leadership Award from the Puget Sound Safety Summit, an alliance of government, management, and labor to develop methods and solutions to improve workplace safety. Read more . . .

Alumni Profiles

Rafael Ponce: Patient safety in clinical drug trials

Rafael Ponce is scientific director at Amgen. He ensures safe clinical trials of drugs designed to treat various types of late-stage cancer, such as ovarian, lung, and breast cancer. Read more . . .

Heather Klintworth: Research on liver cells may help millions

Heather Klintworth can't see her subject without the help of high-powered equipment. As a postdoctoral research associate at Benaroya Research Institute, she examines how iron may influence the normal mechanics of human liver cells. But the aim of her research is clear: one day the findings from the team she works with may affect millions of lives by improving our understanding of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Read more . . .

photo: Photo of Stephen Hunt courtesy of Christopher M. Pacheco

Stephen Hunt: Improving care for returning soldiers

It's no secret that war changes people in radical ways—their bodies, their brains, the social fabric of their lives. Hunt witnesses these shifts as a leading physician for soldiers returning from deployments. Read more . . .

Environmental Health Epidemiologist

Scott Bartell's research centers on environmental health issues, an interest he says started at the UW while he was a student in our department. He teaches courses in epidemiology, epidemiological methods, data analysis, and risk assessment at the University of California (UC), Irvine. Read more . . .

Protecting Public Health One Drug at a Time

Lynnda Reid works for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), America's watchdog when it comes to ensuring food and drugs are safe. Read more . . .

On the Front Lines, Keeping Workers Safe

Almost every week, David Bonauto drives more than 120 miles round trip to treat injured workers at the Harborview Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) Clinic in Seattle. He considers his clinical work important to his full-time job in Olympia as associate medical director in the Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program. Read more . . .

First of Many

Karen VanDusen explains her successful 43-year career in environmental health with the lines from the Robert Frost poem, "The Road Not Taken:" Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Read more . . .

Creating Even Safer Workplaces

"The business of safety and the environment is personal." It could sum up Douglas Briggs' work at The Boeing Company. Read more . . .

Alum Jude Van Buren's career led back to her alma mater.

In 2009, alumnus Jude Van Buren returns to the UW as director of Environmental Health & Safety, a department that supports and monitors workplace safety and health practices at the university. Read more . . .

Staff Profiles

Phillip Buff: Spirit of Service

Charitable giving is part of the workplace culture in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and Phillip Buff is a key contributor. Phillip was honored recently with a 2011 Spirit of Service Award from the King County Combined Fund Drive (CFD). Read more . . .

Marilyn Hair: Manager shares center research with larger community

Marilyn Hair’s work as the Community Outreach and Ethics Core Manager for the Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health (CEEH) is right up her alley. Her interest in sharing how genetics research can improve public health is not just part of her job, it’s personal. Read more . . .

Statistician Receives 2011 Distinguished Staff Award

Eric Vigoren, research manager for the Pacific Northwest Center for the National Children's Study (PNWNCS) and the Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication (IRARC), recently received the department's 2011 Distinguished Staff Award, a testament to his strong work ethic, keen organizational skills, and upbeat attitude under pressure. Read more . . .

Researcher from Italy studies damaging neurotoxins

To make great science happen, you sometimes have to change your views from the Seven Hills of Rome to the seven hills of Seattle. Gennaro Giordano, originally from Rome, has been a leading researcher at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health since August of 2004. Read more . . .

Staff member in doctoral program receives prestigious EPA STAR fellowship

It couldn't have been easy for Cynnie Curl, who held down a full time job as program manager for a multi-million-dollar-grant-funded UW research center while taking graduate classes at the same time. Curl, who started taking one class a quarter in 2008, has already finished her doctoral preliminary exam. Read more . . .

With ham radio volunteering and managing diabetes, nothing slows this dedicated manager

Rosie Schaffer knows a lot about responding to crises from her responsibilities as a manager for the Environmental Health Lab and the Trace Organics Analytical Center in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. Read more . . .

Shirai is the Glue that Holds the Lab Together

Jeff Shirai, a research scientist and laboratory supervisor in Professor John Kissel's lab, recently won the department's 2010 Distinguished Staff Award, and a statement written by graduate students in the Kissel Lab sums up one of the reasons why. Read more . . .

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© 2012 Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
School of Public Health, University of Washington
Box 357234, Seattle, Washington, USA 98195-7234
Phone: 206-543-6991, Fax: 206-616-0477, email ehadmin@u.washington.edu

The School of Public Health's logo (Soul Catcher) is a Northwest Coast Indian symbol of physical and mental well-being. It was designed by artist Marvin Oliver and is a registered trademark of the School.